At least two companies that make VPN software are preparing versions of their apps to work on Amazon’s new Fire TV operating system, Vega OS. Their arrival, enabled by a Vega software update this month, comes just as the big retailer is cracking down on pirate streaming apps across its Fire TV devices.
According to reports, IPVanish and NordVPN both have VPN apps that are compatible with Vega OS, Amazon’s new Linux-based operating system, which is currently only available on the Fire TV Stick 4K Select. The apps won’t be available on Vega OS until Amazon releases a software update sometime in November.
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New and future Fire TV products will use Vega OS; it’s unlikely that older, Android-based Fire TV devices will switch over to the new operating system.
The move to allow VPN apps on the new Fire TV platform sees Amazon treading carefully as it’s reportedly also working to crack down on the use of Fire TV products for pirate streaming. The company is reportedly disabling apps used for piracy even if they are sideloaded.
A representative for Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.