Amazon Retires Fire Brand For Alexa Tablets Running Android
Dropping Fire OS for Android gives up Amazon's control over the tablet software stack, a trade the company is making to close the app gap with the iPad.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
Amazon announced the Alexa Tablets on October 8, 2026, replacing the Fire tablet line it sold for 15 years. The new tablets run Android with Google Play Store access, so users can install YouTube and Netflix alongside Amazon apps. Three models launch first: the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, the Alexa Tablet 11, and the Alexa Tablet 8. All include the Alexa+ assistant, which can read on-screen content and answer questions about it.
The Fire OS lock-in is gone. The Alexa Tablets run Android and connect to the Google Play Store, which means Amazon no longer controls which apps reach the tablet, and users get YouTube and Netflix without workarounds. Amazon is also pushing Alexa+ deeper into the device than any prior assistant: it reads what is on screen, answers questions about the current page, and can act on it. The Kindle reading mode is a quieter signal, muting notifications and cutting blue light when a book opens. Amazon is selling this as a reading and productivity device, not a cheap media player.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.