Guide
How to Read Amazon Firmware Version Numbers and Build Names
Amazon firmware strings like 'Fire OS 7.6.2.4 (PS7624/3337)' pack in more than a version number. Here's how to decode the OS family, build label, version code, and device codename — and what each part tells you.
If you have ever looked at an Amazon firmware record and seen something like Fire OS 7.6.2.4 (PS7624/3337) next to a code like 26810845572 and a package name like com.amazon.almond.android.os, you have seen four different identifiers doing four different jobs. Knowing how to read them makes it much easier to match firmware to a device and understand where it sits in that device’s history.
The OS family comes first
A string like Fire OS 7.6.2.4 starts with the operating system generation. This is the most important part, because it determines the Android base the device is built on and how apps behave.
| Fire OS | Android base | API level |
|---|---|---|
| Fire OS 5 | Android 5.1 | 22 |
| Fire OS 6 | Android 7.1 | 25 |
| Fire OS 7 | Android 9 | 28 |
| Fire OS 8 | Android 11 | 30 |
| Fire OS 14 | Android 14 | 34 |
| Fire OS 16 | Android 16 | 36 |
Two things to note. First, Amazon’s newer numbering follows the Android version (Fire OS 14 → Android 14, Fire OS 16 → Android 16), while the older numbers don’t. Second, Amazon’s newest Fire TV Sticks run Vega OS instead of Fire OS — a Linux-based platform that doesn’t map onto an Android API level at all. So the OS family alone already tells you a lot about what kind of device you’re looking at.
The version number
The dotted part — 7.6.2.4 — is the ordinary software version, from broad release down to minor revision. Higher is newer within the same device and OS family. On its own it isn’t enough to identify a build, because the same version string can be reused across small rebuilds, which is where the label in parentheses comes in.
The build label
The value in parentheses, like (PS7624/3337), is the build label, and it identifies a specific build more tightly than the dotted version. Its exact format varies by device and era. Many recent devices use a PS####/#### style, while older ones use a single longer number, but the job is the same. When the same dotted version appears more than once, the build label is what tells those records apart, which is why it is kept rather than collapsed into the dotted number.
The version code
Separately, a long numeric version code like 26810845572 accompanies many records. It works as a build counter that climbs with each new release, so it is a handy way to order builds or see which of two packages came later. It is not human-friendly, but it moves in one direction.
The package (bundle) name and device codename
Finally, the package name — com.amazon.almond.android.os — encodes the device codename. Amazon gives each device family an internal name (here, almond), and the firmware package is named after it. Those codenames are consistent across a device’s firmware history, so they’re a dependable way to confirm that a build belongs to the device you think it does, even when marketing names are ambiguous.
You don’t need to memorize the codenames. The point is that the package name is tied to one device family, so it’s a stronger anchor than the retail name. (Records on FTVDB are grouped by exactly this identifier, which is why every version of a given device lives together.)
Putting it together
Take the full example:
Fire OS 7.6.2.4— Fire OS 7 family, based on Android 9 (API 28), version 7.6.2.4.(PS7624/3337)— the specific build label, more precise than the dotted version.26810845572— the version code, a build counter that climbs over time.com.amazon.almond.android.os— the device codename (almond), tying the build to one device family.
Read together, those four fields tell you the software generation, the exact build, its position in the sequence, and the device it belongs to — far more than any single number could.
Why this matters
When you’re recovering a device, comparing two firmware files, or contributing a captured link, these fields are how you avoid mixing up similar-looking builds. The dotted version gives you the rough release, the build label pins down the exact build, the version code orders them, and the package codename confirms the device.
If you want to see this in practice, browse the firmware catalog, where each device’s builds are grouped by package and labelled with these fields. And if you’re trying to identify your own device first, the companion guide on finding your model and version walks through every device family.