Website finds ‘Pocket AI’ Rabbit R1 is actually running an Android app

Rabbit R1, a portable virtual assistant with artificial intelligence (AI), is actually an Android application. Reporter Mishaal Rahman, from his website Android Authority, took the device apart and managed to download the assistant in APK format onto a Google Pixel 6A. So he shared his experience on X, formerly known as Twitter.

At first the app didn’t work as expected, but with some tweaks the Pixel 6A was able to launch normally as if it were a Rabbit R1, only on a much larger screen. To interact with the AI, Rahman used the voice button instead of the handheld AI’s physical button.

However The application is not as complete as pocket AI. Rahman points out that the program may not have all the functions that the accessory has, mainly due to the difference in structure (lack of camera activation mechanism and navigation wheel).

According to Rahman, the app is apparently crafted to be pre-installed in the device’s firmware, making installation on the mobile phone more complicated. When established at this depth level, the application receives various system privileges necessary to enable seamless interaction with the assistant.

In any case, the discovery that the Rabbit R1 was running an Android app Doesn’t bode well for the virtual assistantespecially after the criticism published in the reviews of major channels. YouTuber Marques Brownlee from the MKBHD channel even said that the device is not ready for release, missing many functions and features that practically every mobile phone offers (and has more advantages).

Against this, Rabbit CEO and founder Jesse Lyu defended the product itself in a statement sent to The Verge. “Rabbit R1 is not an Android app. Rabbit OS and LAM AI run in the cloud with AOSP [Android Open Source Program] Lyu noted that due to highly customized and low-level firmware changes, a local pirated APK without the appropriate cloud OS will not be able to access our service.

In the same statement, the manager states that Rabbit OS is a customized operating system and there is no support for third-party clients.