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Amazon’s next Fire OS will be based on Android Lollipop

Amazon has released a preview version of its latest Fire OS software that powers the firm’s Kindle Fire tablets and other own-branded hardware.

The Fire OS 5, which is again a heavily forked version of Android, will now at least be based on the latest available version, Android Lollipop.

While the preview version is available to the developer community
today, consumers rocking a Kindle Fire, Fire TV or, dare we say, a Fire
Phone will need to wait until the autumn to access the upgrade.

While the software’s visual features and Google apps will be off limits, Fire users should at least benefit from some of Lollipop’s back-end improvements. Amazon says the preview version should also make compatibility with Android apps easier than ever before.

The firm said: “And because Fire OS 5 is based on Android Lollipop, we can make this update while preserving even more compatibility with existing Android apps than ever before. This means that even more of your apps should work on Fire devices with no additional engineering effort.”

Read more: Amazon Kindle Fire tablet tips and tricks

It’s been a busy time for Amazon on the hardware sign of things. Earlier this week we brought news of a brand new Kindle Paperwhite reader, while the firm has also struck a new deal with Marvel to bring the studio’s comics back to the Kindle Store. Elsewhere BlackBerry 10 users can now access a host of Android apps via the Amazon appstore.

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