Summary
- The Rabbit R1 has faced backlash for running AOSP, proving it may not have needed to be an actual device.
- Android expert Mishaal Rahman ran the R1 launcher on a Xiaomi phone, showcasing its features, including the capabilities of Vision.
- The R1 manufacturer’s claim of using a unique AOSP build has been refuted yet again, with evidence showing minimal changes to the original AOSP framework.
It’s been a tough couple of months for AI startups aiming to make it big. The Humane AI pin failed to strike the chord (to put it mildly) and, more recently, the Rabbit R1 was at the receiving end of some brutal reviews. However, the latter has also been fighting a battle on another front, mostly spurred on by Android expert Mishaal Rahman’s revelation that the Rabbit R1 runs AOSP out of the box, meaning it could’ve just as easily been an app rather than a piece of hardware that costs $200. The manufacturers responded to this report by saying that the R1 runs on “very bespoke AOSP,” among other modifications. This claim has now been refuted as well.
What is the Rabbit R1? The AI phone without apps explained
And why is the internet going crazy for it?
In an extensive follow-up report for Android Authority, Rahman explains how he, in collaboration with five reverse engineers, installed the R1 launcher on an unrooted Xiaomi 13T Pro. Rahman runs through the process of setting up the device as if it were the Rabbit R1, including the ability to select a network and set passcodes, all while using the phone’s power button as the R1’s push-to-talk (PTT) button.
Rahman starts off by asking a few general questions, which the R1 launcher app answers just as it would on the R1. We even get a glimpse of the much-hyped Vision feature, which leverages the camera and ChatGPT to identify objects in its view. The smartphone passes this test pretty comfortably as well, while Rahman could also get Spotify to play music using a command, illustrating yet again that the R1 never really needed to be an actual device.
Not a lot of changes to the AOSP build
Part of Rabbit’s defense following Rahman’s initial discovery was to allege that an “unofficial rabbit OS app/website emulator” was used to replicate the process. However, Rahman notes that this APK of the R1 Launcher was sourced from the R1, and not through any other means.
Rahman and the team also managed to get a peek at the R1’s firmware during this ordeal, revealing a rather unchanged build of AOSP, save for a few inclusions. This includes the R1 launcher, an OTA updater app, and other apps/services deemed essential for the R1’s functionality.
As the image above shows, Rahman’s activity using this makeshift R1 has been logged by rabbithole, the company’s “all-in-one web portal.” This entire episode reiterates the notion that the R1 could’ve just been a mobile app, rather than being marketed as a $200 device with special AI capabilities.
