Amazon's Own 'Vega' OS Appears On Some Echo Show Devices

It looks like Amazon has started its journey to ditch Android, shifting its hardware to the rumored in-house Vega operating system. The company quietly rolled out a new update for some Echo Show smart displays that dials back the OS to build number v1.1, which is odd, as the software versions are usually long numbers featuring around 10 numerical characters. When viewed in the device software, users see something along the lines of Fire OS 6.5.6.0 — unless they have the Echo Show 5 Gen 3, which is apparently running something entirely new.

The change was first spotted by Zatz Not Funny, and SlashGear confirmed that the third-generation Echo Show 5 has received the unnamed OS 1.1 update as of today. At the time of writing, Amazon's developer portal doesn't show any obvious mention of changes to the update cycle or server-side software makeover. SlashGear checked the second-generation Echo Show 5 and the third-generation Echo Show, but both of the devices are currently running Fire OS builds. It seems Amazon is seeding the revised software build scheme in a controlled fashion.

Now, Amazon has not officially hinted at any plans to make a departure from Android, but a recent report that cites insider information and job listings suggests that the company has been developing a Linux-based system codenamed Vega OS for a while now. It may not depart too far off from its Javascript roots, but it will reportedly run across a wide range of Amazon hardware, particularly those under the Fire TV brand.

SlashGear couldn't check whether the new OS v1.1 update was indeed based on Linux or if it was still on the Android kernel. Moreover, it appears that there are no dramatic changes to the user interface following the update — but that's not entirely unexpected. When Google started replacing the Linux-based Cast OS with the new Fuschia OS on its Nest Hub smart display back in 2021, there was barely any change to the user interface. There were a few speed boosts at tasks such as wireless casting, but nothing that users would instantly feel was different.

Amazon will reportedly put Vega OS on everything from smart home devices to automobile-focused gadgets. It's obvious why Amazon would want full control over the software ecosystem for all devices under its belt. However, Vega OS could also prove to be a way for the company to seed more ads and attract more device makers.