Amazon Fire OS 5

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prothall
prothall
Community Member

I have no idea what "Lounge" is but you didn't have a "Other" option. You might want to add that.

I'm considering purchasing a Amazon Fire tablet. It goes against everything I believe in but monies tight, what can I say. The deciding factor is 1Password. I won't by a platform not supported by your software. Does 1Password run on Fire OS 5? I suspect not since I don't see it listed anywhere but I want to confirm before I cross it off the list.

Thanks,
Mike


1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided
Referrer: forum-search:Amazon Fire OS 5

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  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni
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    @prothall: Sorry for the confusion! This is a perfectly good spot for your post. It might also be at home in the 1Password for Android category of the forums since Fire OS is based on Android, but of course it's different enough that 1Password for Android is not supported on Fire OS devices. There are a few thoughts I can offer, based primarily on my own experience with both Amazon and Android platforms — hardware, software, and services.

    First and foremost, we don't currently have plans to support Fire OS, but of course nothing is written in stone and it's something we can certainly consider in the future. As I mentioned above, Fire OS differs in enough ways that it isn't compatible with everything in Google's 'stock' Android platform.

    One hurdle is Amazon's app store itself. As far as I know, Amazons policy is still to periodically offer apps for free without the consent of their developers, and without compensation. Essentially, if we put 1Password there, Amazon has complete control over pricing, and that's disconcerting (to say the least) for anyone trying to run a sustainable business in the software industry.

    Another difficulty is, of course, more technical: testing and maintaining another version of 1Password just for Amazon's store. It is already impossible to test all of the Android hardware out there, and this would add many more devices that Amazon has released over the years.

    Now, some users have reported success with sideloading 1Password for Android onto Fire OS devices, but of course even if it works now, an update (either from AgileBits or Amazon) could make it impossible in the future. So that isn't something I'd feel comfortable recommending. I just wanted to mention that it's a possibility.

    Personally, I picked up a cheap Acer tablet for about the same price (50$) in lieu of Amazon's offerings, expressly because that gives me access not only to the Google Play store, but also (most of?) Amazon's offerings. So far I haven't had any trouble using apps from either source (though I suspect that there are exceptions). So for me at least there doesn't seem to be any downside to foregoing Amazon's hardware. I'm actually a long-time Amazon Prime subscriber and use it for just about everything: shopping, video, music, and probably a lot of other things I take for granted that I would miss terribly if I canceled my subscription. But even as a loyal Amazon customer, I still don't see the benefit to using their tablets. If I had children I might feel differently though.

    The last thing I want to mention though is that whatever you decide, be aware that you get what you pay for, and the experience on a 50$ tablet from any company is not going to be great. The main issues I run into are display and build quality, and storage: on a 50$ tablet you're likely to get 8GB, with roughly half of that usable, and if you use it at all, you'll find yourself quickly running into space limitations. Of course, adding more storage via SD card helps, but those cost money too. One thing I'll say might be a vote in Amazon's favour here though is their customer service. I haven't had the pleasure(?) of dealing with Acer's, but most of my experiences with Amazon have been positive (though obviously I haven't contacted them in regard to their tablets specifically).

    I apologize for the rambling, but hopefully you can benefit from some of my thoughts here. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions! :)

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