The Rabbit R1 was positioned as an affordable piece of AI wearable technology that could outdo what smartphones were capable of. Unfortunately, reviewers have been on a roll, taking turns bashing these products for being unnecessarily overhyped and severely underwhelming. What is even worse is that it was discovered that the $199 device is actually running Android underneath the hood.
The Rabbit R1’s UI was replicated and ran on Google’s Pixel 6a, performing like a champ
The entire interface of Rabbit R1 that users interact with appears to be fueled by a single Android application. An unnamed tipster provided the APK file to Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman, who then installed the file on a Pixel 6a. Some tweaking was necessary to get the application to work properly, but in the end, the entire operation was smooth as butter, as you can see in the images below.
After installation, the Android smartphone was set up exactly as the Rabbit R1 was, with the volume-up key corresponding to the Rabbit R1’s hardware key. This would take users through the setup process, where they can make a ‘rabbithole’ account and start interacting with the AI assistant. The Rabbit R1 sports a lower resolution display thanks to its low price tag, as the home interface took up a small real estate on the Pixel 6a. Regardless, the application responded as it should if the Rabbit R1 was in the smartphone’s place.
It is strange that companies would hide this tiny bit of crucial information from their potential customers. At its core, the Rabbit R1 is no different from an Android handset but with limited functionality. In fact, we are confident enough to believe that the actual AI-powered devices are your smartphones that have become your daily driver. Following this revelation, Jesse Lyu, founder and CEO of Rabbit, gave the following statement to Mishaal Rahman, claiming that the R1 is not an Android app:
“rabbit r1 is not an Android app. We are aware there are some unofficial rabbit OS app/website emulators out there. We understand the passion that people have to get a taste of our AI and LAM instead of waiting for their r1 to arrive.
That being said, to clear any misunderstanding and set the record straight, rabbit OS and LAM run on the cloud with very bespoke AOSP and lower level firmware modifications, therefore a local bootleg APK without the proper OS and Cloud endpoints won't be able to access our service.
rabbit OS is customized for r1 and we do not support third-party clients. After today’s OTA, we implemented multiple cloud verification improvements to validate the device/client requests. We reserve all rights for any malicious and illegal cyber security activities towards our services.”
On Rahman’s X thread, he revealed that a 14-year-old managed to run regular Android apps on the Rabbit R1, showing that the device is nothing extraordinary. After all, a basic Android smartphone can probably give you a better user experience than this.
News Source: Android Authority
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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