The third-generation Echo Show 5 is running a new OS 1.1 instead of the standard Fire OS. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Last week, it was reported that Amazon is quietly developing its own operating system that will replace Android on its Fire TV devices before expanding to other products, including the company’s many smart displays. Janko Roettgers spilled the details in his Lowpass newsletter. The report predicted that Amazon’s software, codenamed Vega, could appear on Fire TV streaming hardware as soon as next year.
But as discovered by Zatz Not Funny!, it turns out this new homegrown OS is already being used on the latest Echo Show 5, which displays its software as “OS 1.1” instead of the expected Fire OS. The low number is an obvious indication that we’re dealing with a brand-new platform; the Echo Show 8, by comparison, currently runs Fire OS…
