When Amazon launched the Fire TV Stick 4K Select in October, one of its standout features was its use of Vega OS — a new Linux-based operating system. For more than a decade, Fire TV devices have run Fire OS, an Android-based system, making this the first time a Fire TV device has shipped with a completely different OS.
Amazon describes Vega OS as “responsive and highly efficient,” but it does come with notable drawbacks compared to Fire OS. Since it’s no longer Android-based, you can’t sideload apps, and overall app support is more limited than on Fire TV devices running Fire OS.
One of the biggest omissions at launch for Vega OS and the 4K Select was support for VPN apps, meaning 4K Select owners couldn’t install any. Now, about a month and a half after the device’s release, that has finally changed.
Amazon recently released a software update for Vega OS and the Fire TV Stick 4K Select that allows users to download VPN apps, with IPVanish and NordVPN being the first two available.
Speaking to Pocket-lint, IPVanish, one of the most downloaded VPN apps on Fire OS, said its app has been rebuilt for Vega OS and offers the same key security features its users have come to expect. IPVanish is also committed to supporting both its apps on Fire OS and Vega OS into the future.
“We are excited to bring the most downloaded VPN on the Amazon Appstore to new Fire TV Vega OS devices,” said Subbu Sthanu, Chief Commercial Officer at IPVanish. “We want to make sure all Fire TV users, no matter the OS, get the online protection and security they deserve through IPVanish. That’s why we’ve launched our app on day one of VPN support.”
- Brand
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Amazon
- Operating System
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Vega OS
- Resolution
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4K, HDR10
A huge step-up for Vega OS
VPN support should have been available at launch
I booted up my Fire TV Stick 4K Select and downloaded the latest software update — with the extremely long name of OS 1.1 (1001010051420) — and see that both IPVanish and NordVPN are available for download, so the new Vega OS update does appear to be rolling out widely now.
If you have a Fire TV Stick 4K Select and want to update it, go to Settings > My Fire TV > Check for Updates, and it should download the latest Vega OS update, which adds VPN support. To then download a VPN app, open the Amazon Appstore and search for one.
I won’t shy away from the fact that I’ve been quite critical of Vega OS since it launched, mainly due to the fact that it was missing features and apps from Fire OS, but seeing VPN support finally added is a huge step-up, and it’s silly it took Amazon this long to add it. This should’ve been a feature available day one, not over a month later.
It’s also worth noting that apps like IPVanish and NordVPN already had their new apps developed and ready for Vega OS, but they were just waiting for Amazon to release this update, so the delay isn’t their fault.
Amazon offers the Fire Stick TV 4K Select as a budget-friendly option for 4K streaming, costing $40, which is $10 less than the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and $20 less than the 4K Max. Currently, at the time of writing for Black Friday, the 4K Select is discounted to $20, the 4K Plus to $25, and the 4K Max to $35.
Amazon is committed to both Vega OS and Fire OS
Though it’s unclear what OS its future Fire Sticks will run
As for what the future holds for both Vega OS and Fire OS, earlier this month, Amazon told Pocket-lint that it’s now a “multi-OS company” and will continue to support both, but didn’t specify what its future Fire Sticks will run.
“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.”
Amazon has recently faced criticism for Fire TV Sticks being used for piracy. To address this, the company has begun blocking sideloaded apps that are “identified as providing access to pirated content.” Since Fire OS is based on Android, users can sideload these types of apps. However, on Vega OS, this isn’t a problem because it’s Linux-based and doesn’t support sideloading, which many interpret as the reason why Vega OS might have been developed in the first place.
Amazon is likely to release new versions of the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and 4K Max at some point, along with new Fire TVs. It will be interesting to see whether it continues using Fire OS on these devices or switches to Vega OS. Considering the effort it’s putting into Vega OS — especially now that VPN support has launched — it’s hard to imagine Amazon’s future Fire Sticks not running Vega OS, especially if it wants to combat piracy. Amazon, for its part, has not confirmed any details about upcoming Fire TV devices.
