Ever since Amazon launched its new Linux-based TV operating system, Vega OS with the new Fire TV Stick 4K Select, many questions have arisen about the future of Fire OS, its Android-based operating system that has powered all its Fire TV devices, including its popular Fire TV Sticks, for over a decade.

Will the next-generation Fire TV Stick 4K Max run Vega OS? Will Amazon release Vega OS on all future devices? While there isn’t a definite answer to these questions yet, Amazon has confirmed to Pocket-lint that it plans to keep supporting Fire OS, even after launching Vega OS on the 4K Select. Amazon also states that it is now a “multi-OS company.”

“We’re a multi-OS company, and Fire OS isn’t going anywhere. Vega OS gives us the flexibility to create premium experiences at every price point — notably on smaller, more affordable devices that run on low memory footprints, but also on larger devices running complex AI programs such as Alexa+,” an Amazon spokesperson told Pocket-lint. “Creating and managing our own operating system lets us innovate across the whole tech stack within our devices where we need it.”

It’s hard to imagine Amazon’s next-generation Fire TV Sticks not running Vega OS

So, while Amazon has confirmed that “Fire OS isn’t going anywhere,” it has still not clearly stated whether it plans to release new devices with it in the future. In my view, this statement simply means that Amazon will keep updating Fire OS devices, despite the launch of Vega OS, which makes sense since millions of users still own Fire OS devices and will for years to come, and because it’s still selling tons of TVs and Fire TV Sticks with Fire OS installed.

The main issue Fire OS is causing for Amazon now is piracy. Recently, Amazon has been under intense scrutiny due to its Fire TV Sticks being used to watch pirated content through third-party apps that have been sideloaded onto the device. Since Fire OS is Android-based, any device running it can sideload apps, making Fire TV Sticks popular for piracy.

In response to the criticism it has received for piracy running rampant on its Fire TV devices, Amazon announced that it has started blocking apps from being sideloaded that are “identified as providing access to pirated content,” and it is doing this in collaboration with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a global anti-piracy coalition.

Since Vega OS is Linux-based, it doesn’t support sideloading, and apps can only be downloaded from Amazon’s official Appstore. This prevents piracy, unlike Fire OS. Therefore, when the 4K Select launched with Vega OS, many rumors suggested it could mark the beginning of the end for Fire OS and that Amazon might replace it. However, Amazon’s latest statement clarified that Vega OS is part of its broader OS strategy rather than a full replacement for Fire OS. My main question now is how long this new “multi-OS company” strategy will actually last.

In its statement, Amazon says Vega OS enables it to “create premium experiences” on “smaller, more affordable devices that run on low memory footprints.” To me, that seems like a nod to its Fire TV Sticks. I can imagine a future, perhaps a year or two from now, where Amazon continues to update Fire OS to support its “multi-OS” strategy, but only sells Fire TV Sticks with Vega OS. I find it hard to believe Amazon won’t update the Fire TV Stick HD, 4K Plus, and 4K Max with Vega OS, especially considering the issues with piracy on Fire OS.

Since the launch of the Fire TV Stick 4K Select with Vega OS, I have consistently viewed it as an “experiment” by Amazon. By this, I mean I think Amazon is working out all the quirks that Vega OS has now on the 4K Select, such as not supporting VPN apps and the need for developers to build new apps for it. Once Vega OS is more complete and more apps are available on it, I think Amazon is likely to release updated versions of the Fire TV Stick HD, 4K Plus, and 4K Max. Again though, this is simply speculation on my part, and isn’t confirmed by Amazon whatsoever.

For now, Amazon insists Fire OS “isn’t going anywhere” and it will continue supporting both Vega OS and Fire OS. While Fire OS may be around for a while still, the real question is whether Amazon will actually release new Fire TV Sticks and TVs with it, and that I find hard to believe in the future due to its ongoing efforts to combat piracy.