Turns out Rabbit R1 was always just an Android app

To the Android Authority, Mishaal Rahman got it download Rabbit launcher APK on a Google Pixel 6A. With a few tweaks, he was able to run the app as if it were on Rabbit’s own device. Using the volume up key in place of the R1’s single hardware button, he was able to set up an account and start asking questions, as if he were using the $199 R1.

Rahman points out that the app probably doesn’t offer all of the same functionality as the R1. In his words: “The Rabbit R1 launcher app was designed to be pre-installed in the firmware and given several privileged system-level permissions – only some of which we were able to grant – so some of the functions would likely fail if we tried.” But the fact that the software runs on a nearly two-year-old midrange phone suggests it has more in common with a simple Android app than not.

The R1 is not alone; Humane AI Pin seems to run on one version of Android’s open source software as well. But it’s the R1 that’s in the spotlight now, as the first reviews start to emerge – and They’re not great, Bob. Rabbit released its first software update earlier today to address some complaints, including rapid battery drain. What the problem seems to be better controlled after the update; My R1’s idle battery performance has improved a lot after downloading the update this morning.

But the biggest problem is that R1 just doesn’t do enough useful things to justify its existence when, you know, phones exist. We’ve reached out to Rabbit for comment on this and will update this article if the company has a statement. Meanwhile, it looks like this AI gadget could have just been an app after all.