The "empty dish" in Android refers to a specific interactive element found within the Android Nougat Easter Egg, known as "Android Neko" or "Cat Collector." It serves as a virtual feeding plate central to a charming game where users attract and collect digital cats.
Understanding the Android Nougat Easter Egg
Android operating systems often include hidden interactive "Easter eggs" for users to discover. The one introduced with Android 7.0 Nougat was a unique pet collection game. This Easter Egg provided a playful, low-stakes virtual pet experience distinct from standard applications.
The Role of the Empty Dish
The "empty dish" is the primary interactive component of the Android Neko game. It functions as a virtual plate or bait station. Users would interact with this dish to place various types of virtual "food" in an attempt to lure different digital cats into their collection.
How It Works: Attracting Virtual Cats
To play, users would typically access the Easter Egg (often by repeatedly tapping the Android version number in system settings), revealing the interactive dish. The gameplay loop revolved around selecting and placing different virtual food items on this dish.
- Baiting: Once a food item was placed, the game would run in the background.
- Cat Arrival: Eventually, a virtual cat would be attracted to the dish and appear.
- Notifications (Nougat): On Android Nougat, the arrival of a new cat was often signaled by a distinctive "prrr" vibration notification, adding to the surprise and engagement.
- Collection: Users could then "collect" the newly arrived cat, give it a personalized name, and add it to their growing collection of feline companions.
- Viewing Collection: To review their collected cats, users simply needed to press and hold the virtual dish itself.
Food Options for the Dish
Various virtual food types could be placed on the dish to attract cats, each potentially influencing which types of cats might appear. One of the options was even to select "Empty Dish," meaning no food was explicitly placed, yet this could still attract certain unique cats.
Here are the common food options:
| Food Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Empty Dish | Selecting this means the plate is left without specific bait, but can still attract unique cats. |
| Fish | A popular virtual food choice used to attract various cat breeds. |
| Chicken | Another virtual food option commonly used to entice different feline visitors. |
| Bits | Small, generic virtual food pieces that can attract a range of cats. |
| Treats | Special virtual items often used for attracting rarer or specific cats. |
Evolution and Changes in Later Android Versions
While the core concept of attracting cats remained, aspects of the Easter Egg evolved with subsequent Android versions. For instance, in Android Oreo and later versions, the "prrr" vibration notification upon a new cat's arrival was discontinued. However, the functionality of the dish to attract and collect cats remained, allowing users to continue building their virtual feline families.
The "empty dish" therefore served as the central interactive element, a digital gateway to a hidden world of virtual cat collection within the Android ecosystem.
