Amazon has been making tablets for 15 years — the company's first multimedia tablet launched all the way back in November 2011. But these have historically run Fire OS, Amazon's modified version of the open-source Android operating system. That is, until now.

Amazon launched its new Alexa tablets in 2026, forgoing Fire OS for the more ubiquitous Android OS. And that's a good move. Fire OS has been plagued with complaints about its limitations for years. The public has been itching for something more familiar and user-friendly that affords better access to the apps they want.

With a switch to Android and its new Alexa branding, Amazon is officially discontinuing Fire OS and the Fire line of tablets. Sure, there are cool things an Amazon Fire tablet can do , like work with multiple profiles and sideload apps. But this is still the upgrade everyone has wanted for a slew of reasons, including better access to Google services and apps as well as improved performance over the older models.…