3 min read
A fascinating link to what could have been is making the rounds: a TikTok user has acquired three prototypes from Google LLC’s cancelled modular-smartphone initiative, Project Ara.
According to reports, the TikTok user going by the alias of “Racoondetectionsquad,” has shared multiple clips and images showing the device from all angles, including its modules, spec sheet and a working OS home screen.
What is Project Ara?
Originally introduced around 2013 and publicly shown at Google I/O in 2014, Project Ara was intended to be a smartphone with a modular, upgradeable architecture, an “endo-skeleton” frame into which swappable modules (camera, battery, display, etc) could be inserted.
However, the project faced numerous delays and was shelved in 2016 when Alphabet/Google opted to focus on other hardware initiatives.
All New Reveal
According to the TikTok leak, we can clearly see the phone booting up, with a visible homescreen and app drawer. Another leaked video shows modules being physically removed (with a SIM-ejector tool) or via software “eject” commands. Since getting shelved more than a decade ago, the prototypes are still exciting people with its uniqueness and reusability.
It appears the user has obtained three of these prototypes, giving rare access to a piece of smartphone history.
Reactions From the Android Community
In a post titled “Remember Project Ara? I’m still bitter about it till this day …” on r/LinusTechTips, one commenter wrote:
The whole concept is brilliant, being able to replace components. But I don’t understand why they went with this whole ‘almost hot-swappable’ idea.
Someone else posted this meme in a way to reminisce them missing the piece of technology that got lost in time:
And in another Facebook group focused on zero-waste electronics:
Project Ara not only lets you ‘upgrade’ the hardware you need most, it also ensures that you don’t have to change your whole smartphone …
However, not everyone was all cheery for the Project Ara.
Comment
byu/MohamedxSalah from discussion
inLinusTechTips
These comments show a mix of nostalgia, scepticism, and admiration: people remembering the potential, but also the practical aspects.
What’s Next?
While this video leak doesn’t necessarily mean Project Ara will be revived, it does open up possibilities:
- Collectors and hardware-enthusiasts may try to acquire one of these prototypes.
- Modular phone design might see renewed attention, perhaps under new names or with refined approaches.
- There may be lessons for repairability and sustainability in smartphone design derived from the Ara story.
- It’s unlikely Google itself will resurrect Ara as it was, but third parties or smaller firms might adopt the modular ethos.
The story of Project Ara is a compelling chapter in smartphone history: a “what could have been” moment when a major tech company tried to re-engineer how phones are built, upgraded and maintained.
The resurfacing of working prototypes now gives us a tangible link to that vision. Whether modular phones become mainstream remains unclear, but the fascination persists.
