Leaked APK reveals that R1 is based on AOSP, but its creators claim that it is much more than an APK
The soap opera of the weekend was starred by the Rabbit R1. From Android Authority they have had access to an APK file capable of running the supposed RabbitOS launcher, part of the R1 operating system. The function of this app, in addition to being the main interface, is to connect to the Rabbit cloud to execute its own language model and the AI functions that make sense of the hardware.
The APK has worked correctly on a Google Pixel 6 and, even more striking, there are those who have managed https://twitter.com/WillHobick/status/1785849354118369358. The company claims that the APK cannot function without connecting to its cloud, and ensures that R1 is not an application, but a set of hardware and software based on AOSP (Android open source).
The Rabbit R1. This device is causing people to talk: 40,000 units sold in four days and a different approach than rivals such as the AI Pin. The R1 does not want to replace the mobile phone, but it also does not want to be just an app, according to its creators.
In fact, Jesse Lyu, founder of Rabbit Inc, conceived the R1 as a retro device from which to execute AI functions with “analog response.” A proposal in which, in the future, the implementation of its own application store is expected in which monetization comes from commissions to developers. A model similar to that of the Play Store and App Store.
Surprises about your software. The Rabbit R1, as discovered this weekend, is based on Android. https://twitter.com/MishaalRahman/status/1785472763664486618one of the industry references regarding AOSP code, details that the metadata of the RabbitOS OTA to which it has had access is based on Android 13, with the March 2023 security patch.
The R1 keyboard, according to Mishaal, is a fork of the open source app “AnySoftKeyboard”, and there are already those who have managed to https://twitter.com/MishaalRahman/status/1785498499288826106 on R1 doing sideloading through ADB. In simpler terms, they have managed to load .apk applications for Android on the R1 and locally.
What happened to the .APK. After Mishaal’s publication, Jesse Lyu himself, founder and CEO of the company, responded to the publication on the social network https://twitter.com/jessechenglyu/status/1785490633014354299.
“With all due respect, while most non-iOS consumer devices run on modified AOSP as a client, I don’t think you think that the APK with the client can be duplicated and distributed while the entire actual service lives on the cloud? Why is that distributed APK not working? Try now.”
In this first response, Lyu stated that the service that powers the Rabbit R1 runs in the cloud, and confirmed that the leaked APK was the client that connected to said cloud. In fact, after this information was made public, the leaked .APK files stopped working. From Xataka we have had access to one of these files and, for the moment, they are installable but not executable (at least on the hardware we have tested).
How was it possible to run it on an iPhone? Will Hobbick, developer at FlutterFlowhas managed to run the APK by creating a PWA (progressive web application) executable on iOS, Android and web.
A deeper explanation. The case escalated and, from Rabbit’s official account, the company gave https://twitter.com/rabbit_hmi/status/1785498453097009473?s=52. The Rabbit R1, according to its creators, is not just an application: it is a system based on AOSP, but customized for the R1 and run in the cloud.
“Rabbit r1 is not an Android app. We are aware that there are unofficial emulators of rabbit OS apps/websites. We understand the passion people have to try our AI and LAM instead of waiting for their r1 to arrive. That said, to clear up any misunderstandings and set the record straight, Rabbit OS and LAM run in the cloud with very bespoke AOSP and lower level firmware modifications, hence a pirated local APK without the proper OS and Cloud endpoints will not be able to access our service. Rabbit OS is customized for r1 and we do not support third-party clients. Following today’s OTA, we have implemented multiple cloud verification improvements to validate device/client requests. We reserve all rights for any malicious and illegal cybersecurity activity towards our services.”
As explained by Rabbit, they have released an OTA update that is responsible for validating requests from devices trying to connect to their cloud, the main reason why the leaked APKs should no longer be able to run.
Image | Rabbit
In Xataka | The Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin are too green. It turns out we already have the best AI device in our pocket
