If you haven't heard of the Rabbit R1, this is yet another "AI box" that is trying to replace your smartphone with a voice command device that runs zero apps. Just like the Humane AI Pin, this thing recently launched and seems to be dead on arrival as a completely non-viable device that doesn't solve any real problems, has terrible battery life, and is missing big chunks of core functionality. Before the device fades into obscurity, though, Android Authority's Mishaal Rahman looked at the software and found the "smartphone replacement" device just runs a smartphone OS. It's Android—both an Android OS and Android app, just in a very limited $200 box.
OK, technically, we can't call it "Android" since that's a Google trademark that you can only access after licensing Google Play. It runs AOSP (the Android Open Source Project codebase), which is the open source bits of Android without any proprietary Google code. The interface—which is mostly just a clock, settings screen, and voice input—is also just an Android app. Being a normal Android app means you can install it on an Android phone, and Rahman was able to get the Rabbit R1 software running on a Pixel 6. He even got the AI assistant to answer questions on the phone.
Rabbit Inc. does not sound happy about Rahman's discovery. The company posted on X that it is "aware there are some unofficial rabbit OS app/website emulators out there" and that since it does not want to support "third-party clients," a "local bootleg APK without the proper OS and Cloud endpoints won’t be able to access our service." The company describes its device as a "very bespoke AOSP and lower level firmware modifications," but that's a statement that would be true for many phones. In another statement to Rahman, the company threatens that it will "reserve all rights for any malicious and illegal cyber security activities towards our services."
It's unclear why the company seems to be so mad about the details of its tech stack being public, but from a technical standpoint, Rabbit Inc. is right to use Android, or specifically as much of AOSP as it can. Forget about all the Google Play stuff—if you have something that needs to connect a mobile network, manage charge states, light up a touchscreen, work hardware inputs and a camera, and use an SoC in a power-efficient way, AOSP already does all of this for you. It's open source and can be used without any connections, obligations, or tracking from Google. You'd need to have a very good reason to spend a bunch of time and money reinventing all of this code when AOSP is free, works well, and is the de facto industry standard to run mobile components. This line of thinking aligns with Google's master plan to make Android open source, and it ultimately makes sense.