Rabbit R1 appears to be nothing more than an Android app
The Rabbit R1 may look unique, but it's really just an app
😬 The Rabbit R1 OS has been ported to phones
🤷♂️ It suggests that Rabbit R1 is essentially just an Android app
👎 Rabbit has denied that’s the case
🐇 The $199 Rabbit R1 is available now
It turns out that Rabbit R1, the $199 AI gadget that we called “ambitious, but half-baked” in our Rabbit R1 review, seems to be nothing more than an Android app.
Android Authority was able to download Rabbit’s launcher APK to a Google Pixel 6A and showed the app running as if it were on an R1 device. The app could answer questions and perform many of the same tasks as the Rabbit R1.
The app didn’t offer all of the functionality of the bright orange AI device, but that’s to be expected considering Rabbit won’t have accounted for anyone trying to bootleg its OS elsewhere.
The discovery led to a swift response from Rabbit founder and CEO Jess Lyu, who disagreed that the Rabbit R1 could have just been an app. In a lengthy statement on X, the official Rabbit inc. account said:
“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. using a bootlegged APK or webclient carries significant risks; malicious actors are known to publish bootlegged apps that steal your data. for this reason, we recommend that users avoid these bootlegged rabbit OS apps.”
That hasn’t stopped developer Will Hobick from FlutterFlow from recreating the Rabbit R1 experience on iOS, complete with the same interface, scroll wheel, and camera. Look away now, Jess Lyu.
The Rabbit R1 just received a much-needed over-the-air software update that addressed the device’s fast-draining battery and a few simple bug complaints. However, with Apple gearing up to usher in AI with the new iPad Pro and WWDC 24 just a few months away, the Rabbit R1 may be on borrowed time.