vega os / fire tv stick

Amazon will stop selling Fire TV Sticks that allow sideloading, shifting newer devices to a locked Vega OS that runs React Native or web apps and restricts arbitrary app installation. The move removes a key power-user feature that enabled alternatives like Plex, Jellyfin and third-party streaming apps and was a major reason hobbyists chose Fire Sticks over locked streaming boxes. Amazon says this reduces piracy and security risks; critics say it further closes the platform, diminishes device value, and pushes users toward Raspberry Pi or existing older sticks. The change matters because it reduces openness in a popular consumer streaming platform and sets a precedent for tighter app control across connected devices.

Amazon is rolling out Vega OS across new Fire TV Sticks and explicitly blocking consumer sideloading of apps outside the Amazon Appstore. The developer pages and some product listings note that Vega-powered devices prevent installing apps from unknown sources unless developers register their devices, and require apps to already be published in the Amazon Appstore. The shift from Android-based Fire OS to Linux-based Vega gives Amazon tighter control, supports features like Alexa+ generative AI, and helps the company limit piracy and unapproved apps. Existing Fire OS devices won’t necessarily be updated to Vega, and affected users may turn to competing streaming hardware or search for workarounds.

Amazon has confirmed that new Fire TV Sticks will run its proprietary Vega OS, which by default prevents sideloading of Android apps and other software not in the Amazon Appstore. The company updated its developer site to note that all future Fire TV Sticks run on Vega, a Linux-based OS already on devices like the Echo Show 5 and Fire TV 4K Select. Vega requires apps to be published in the Amazon Appstore, though registered developer devices can sideload. Amazon says Vega enables more modern software and tighter control—supporting features like Alexa+ and curbing apps linked to piracy or costs. Impacted users may turn to rival devices or seek workarounds.

Amazon has quietly confirmed on its developer site that all future Fire TV Sticks will run Vega OS — starting with the Fire TV Stick 4K Select — and will no longer support sideloading of Android apps or software outside Amazon’s app store. The change, visible on the site since at least January via the Wayback Machine, signals a shift to a proprietary platform that limits third-party app installation and increases Amazon’s control over its TV ecosystem. That matters to developers, device tinkerers, and consumers who rely on sideloading for apps not in Amazon’s marketplace, and raises questions about app availability, developer access, and potential antitrust or platform-competition implications. Amazon declined to comment.