Amazon’s Android TV update hints at new Fire TV devices – maybe at the next-gen AI Alexa event soon
- New documentation suggests we’ll see Fire TV devices run on Android 14
- That’s despite claims Amazon was moving Fire TV to a new platform
- A big product launch is planned for February 26
Amazon appears to be working on some new Fire TV Sticks that run on Android 14, and we could get our first good look at them before the month is out.
Eagle-eyed reporters for AFTVNews spotted the mention of new hardware on one of Amazon’s developer pages, titled ‘Developing for Amazon Fire TV Devices Running Android 14’.
The page opens by saying that “Android 14-based Fire TV is based on API level 34. The following sections explain some of [the] important changes that you should consider when you build apps for Android 14-based Fire TV.”
There are no specific models listed, but the term ‘Android 14’ reappears on another Fire OS page, and with a big Amazon product launch only a few weeks away, we’re curious about whether a new Fire TV lineup is about to appear.
We don’t yet have any Fire TV devices running on Android 14 – the version of Google’s ubiquitous operating system that launched in 2023 – and it looked like Amazon was keen to start shifting its streaming hardware onto the new Linux-based VegaOS, which runs on the latest versions of the Echo Spot and Echo Show.
However, the documentation suggests that Amazon’s Fire TV streaming sticks and smart TV collaborations could still run on a version of the Android platform, and with no current devices running it, it seems likely that new ones are coming.
The last Fire TV Stick was the HD model launched in 2024, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see some updates to older Fire TV hardware for the coming year.
You, me, and Alexa
The big launch event is on February 26, and is expected to showcase a next-generation, AI-powered iteration of the Alexa smart assistant – which could well be integrated into any new-for-2025 Fire TV hardware.
This new Alexa should be better at understanding natural speech, and handling multiple contextual prompts in sequence – allowing for a more streamlined, conversational interaction – and even act as an AI agent to perform tasks on your behalf.
These kinds of AI enhancements are still in public beta for the most part, and you may find yourself paying $5-10 dollars per month for the privilege of testing these not-yet-perfect features out. But it shows that Amazon is stepping up to the AI plate and making sure it’s part of this new frontier in smart assistants. Given how ubiquitous Alexa is across the best smart home devices, it’s something we should all take notice of.
Here’s hoping the new Fire TV brings back our ability to hide apps on the homepage, though…