Fire TV Stick 4K Select, Vega OS and other devices that can’t run Showvee
Showvee is an Android app, so it runs on Fire TV with Fire OS, Google TV, Android TV, and Android phones and tablets. Amazon’s newest Fire TV Sticks run Vega OS instead, and can’t install it.
Which Fire TV Sticks run Vega OS
Vega OS: Showvee can’t be installed
- Fire TV Stick 4K Select
2025. “Select” is in the name. - Fire TV Stick HD, 2nd generation
2026. Wi-Fi 6, rounded corners, “Fire TV” printed on the stick. - Fire TV Stick 4K, 3rd generation
2026. “4K” printed next to the HDMI plug; white box.
Fire OS: Showvee works
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max and 4K Plus
Any generation. - Fire TV Stick HD, 1st generation
2024. Square corners, nothing printed on the stick. - Fire TV Cube
Any generation. - Smart TVs with Fire TV built in
All of them so far.
Older Fire TV models too, except those on Fire OS 5 (from 2014–2016).
As of October 2026. New Fire TV Sticks are likely to run Vega OS too: check before you buy.
How to check yours
- Open Settings › My Fire TV › About. On a TV with Fire TV built in: Settings › Device & Software › About.
- Look at the software version. Vega OS shows a version that starts with 1. Fire OS shows Fire OS and a version that starts with 6, 7, 8 or 14: follow the Fire TV guide.
Why sideloading can’t work on Vega OS
Vega OS isn’t Android. Amazon built it on Linux, and its apps are written especially for it and come only from the Amazon Appstore. An Android app file (an APK), Showvee or any other, has nothing to run on there.
So this isn’t a setting you can switch on. The Downloader app isn’t available for these sticks, and no other way in works either: not ADB from a computer, a USB stick or a file-sending app. Vega OS’s developer mode is for building Vega apps, not for installing Android ones. Showvee isn’t in the Amazon Appstore.
What works instead
Your TV’s own system
If the TV runs Google TV or Android TV (many Sony, TCL, Hisense and Philips models), or has Fire TV built in, install Showvee on the TV itself: see the Google TV, Android TV or Fire TV guide.
A stick or box that runs Android
A Fire TV Stick 4K Max or 4K Plus, a Fire TV Cube, a Google TV Streamer, an onn 4K box or an Android TV box such as the NVIDIA SHIELD. Plug it into any HDMI port.
An Android phone or tablet
Showvee runs on Android 7 or newer: install it on your phone in the meantime.
Just bought a Vega stick?
Check whether the shop still takes it back or swaps it for a model that runs Fire OS.
Other devices that can’t run Showvee
iPhone, iPad and Apple TV
There’s no Showvee for Apple devices. You can still use an iPhone to read these guides while you install Showvee on your TV.
Roku, Samsung and LG TVs, game consoles
Roku, Samsung smart TVs (Tizen), LG smart TVs (webOS), Hisense TVs with VIDAA, Xbox and PlayStation don’t run Android apps. Plug a Google TV or Fire OS device into the TV instead.
Older devices
Fire TV devices on Fire OS 5 (models from 2014–2016) and Android devices older than Android 7.0.
Install on a supported device
iPhone, iPad and Apple TV aren’t supported, and neither are Roku, Samsung and LG TVs: Showvee is an Android app. Reading this on an iPhone? That’s fine — just follow the steps on your TV. Which devices work?