Not a lot of of Android-based devices have gotten a taste of Lollipop yet but Google’s recent announcement of the Android M and the unveiling of the Android Marshmallow lawn statue had us wondering if and when Amazon has plans to update the Fire OS. Amazon’s very own mobile OS which is based on Android should be updated to Marshmallow soon but we know it’s not that easy.
Amazon only released the Fire OS 5 developer preview a couple of months ago for both the Fire 6 and Fire 7 devices. The Fire TV is getting its own version, jumping from Fire OS 3 to OS 5 this time. The Fire OS 5 brings Android 5.1 for Android TV (based on Fire OS 5 Developer Preview for Amazon Fire TV) and v17 leanback library so they should start running on an Amazon Fire TV without any problem.
The Fire OS 5 Developer Preview for Amazon Fire TV will soon be ready for developers so they can finally test their games and apps before public launch. Some of the more notable changes in Fire OS 5 Developer Preview include V17 Leanback Librar support, addition of Android 5.1 APIs, and some Android 5.1 behavior changes.
Amazon also made some changes to the Fire OS 3 platform software so don’t be surprised if portions have been deprecated on the older version. The Amazon devs specifically removed the following: Amazon Fire TV SDK add-on, Amazon Notifications API, and GameController API.
To get the Fire OS 5 Developer Preview for Amazon Fire TV, use a registered developer account with the Amazon Appstore and an Amazon Fire TV/TV Stick. Registration is free and then just sign up for the Fire OS 5 Developer Preview for Fire TV. This preview is still in beta so bugs and several issues may still be encountered. Amazon requests that you send in your report to the developers.
SOURCE: Amazon
