Rabbit R1 is just an Android app

TL;DR: The Rabbit R1 AI gadget is just an Android app in a box, not the revolutionary device it claimed to be.

A gadget that should be an app, is an app

The Rabbit R1 was meant to be a new kind of AI device. But it turns out it’s just an Android app in a box.

When it came out, people thought it would change the way we use AI. But it didn’t live up to the hype.

It can’t do much more than your phone can.

You can talk to an AI, take photos of things to learn about them, play music, and order food or rides. That’s about it.

If it’s just like an app, why not make an app? Why sell a pricey gadget with bad battery that needs its own data plan?

Well, it looks like that’s what Rabbit did.

R1 runs Android and is one big app

Someone sent us the R1’s launcher APK file. We put it on a Pixel 6a phone.

It worked. We could set it up just like an R1.

The phone’s volume key even acted like the R1’s button. We made an account and talked to the AI.

The R1 has a smaller screen, so the app only uses part of the phone. But it worked.

We didn’t try everything, like Spotify or Vision. Some things might not work since the app expects to be pre-installed with special permissions.

Still, it’s funny that it works at all. It shows a lot of these niche gadgets are just modified Android inside.