Apkudo unveils RSA: The first zero-touch automation system built for foldables, tablets, and modern device processing

Powered by Apkudo Device OS™, the compact physical AI system is the only system that automates cosmetic and functional inspection for complex device form factors without hardware reconfiguration

BALTIMORE, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Apkudo, the Device Passport™ Platform company, today announced the commercial launch of the Robotic Standalone Automation (RSA) appliance. Engineered by Alpha Automatics and available exclusively through Apkudo, RSA is the first automated processing solution capable of handling the full spectrum of modern device form factors, including flip devices, foldables, and tablets, without requiring hardware reconfiguration between operational runs. The system runs on Device OS, Apkudo's foundational platform layer that enables an open ecosystem of robotics manufacturers to build, deploy, and operate advanced device processing solutions.

While consumer adoption of flexible screens continues to accelerate, driven by highly anticipated product cycles and 24% year-over-year growth in foldable shipments (Counterpoint Research), these form factors have simultaneously become among the fastest-growing and most operationally challenging segments in mobile returns. Manual handling of foldables and tablets introduces severe grading subjectivity, slows down warehouse processing throughput, and limits the depth of verified condition data available for downstream resale programs. This processing bottleneck affects participants throughout the reverse logistics ecosystem who lack access to standardized, high-volume automation designed for modern device shapes.

The RSA appliance solves these challenges by processing smartphones, tablets, and foldable devices on a single system for precise cosmetic and functional testing with no hardware or software reconfiguration between runs. It completely eliminates manual handling and operator subjectivity in device testing and analytics. The system uses advanced robotics, integrated torque sensors, and acoustic capture to deliver precise foldable diagnostics. For larger display surfaces like tablets, the system uses stitched high-resolution imaging to preserve per-pixel detail. Apkudo's cosmetic Device AI™ models enable robust defect detection and are compliant with the CTIA 5.1 grading standard. All generated data automatically streams to the Apkudo Platform to populate a unique Device Passport.

"Being powered by Apkudo allowed us to apply our hardware engineering expertise to an intricate industry challenge," said Charles Xie, CEO of Alpha Automatics. "The RSA appliance provides the structural precision required to handle modern, flexible form factors safely and efficiently, creating a zero-touch compact system that integrates seamlessly into existing physical workflows."

"RSA brings the same physical AI precision the Apkudo platform delivers for standard devices to the form factors that have historically challenged the reverse logistics industry," said Josh Matthews, CEO and Co-Founder of Apkudo. "By using Device OS as our platform software layer, we can empower hardware innovators like Alpha Automatics to help the industry solve the foldable and tablet segment at scale, giving operators absolute data veracity without the high operational costs of manual workflows."

Designed for straightforward deployment, the system fits through standard industrial doorways and processes up to 30 devices per hour. This agile footprint makes the unit excellent for smaller regional sellers processing as few as 5,000 units per month who want to introduce automation without major warehouse layout overhauls. Simultaneously, mid- and large-sized return centers can link multiple units, conveyor to conveyor, to scale capacity incrementally as volumes grow. High-volume centers can deploy the system as a specialized standalone workcell, extending automated diagnostics to complex device types that legacy point solutions cannot accommodate. OEM-specific RSA cells have been operational for more than a year, and initial commercial deployments are currently underway with ecosystem leaders including Likewize, MTR, and TMT First.

You can learn more about RSA at Mobile Disrupt 2026, July 7–8, in Miami. Visit Apkudo at booth #1001–1002. Learn more at apkudo.com.

About Apkudo
Apkudo is the Device Passport Platform for the connected device ecosystem. We capture and unify data from every program, transaction, and touchpoint across a device's lifecycle, creating a single, trusted Device Passport™ for every asset. For companies that manage, sell, or buy devices, this means a verified record they can act on: to restore buyer confidence, maximize value, and reduce risk at every decision point. Our unique advantage is data fidelity and veracity, built on precision-automated robotics that have processed millions of devices, generating objective, machine-verified data that no competitor can match. To learn more, visit apkudo.com. 

Media Contact:
Kristen Barry
SVP Marketing and Communications
kristen.barry@apkudo.com 

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

Apkudo unveils RSA: The first zero-touch automation system built for foldables, tablets, and modern device processing

SINGAPORE, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- GeeLark, a cloud-phone platform for mobile-native social media operations, today commented on Instagram's expanded originality policies and the growing impact these changes may have on social media teams managing multiple accounts.

Instagram has continued to increase its emphasis on original content across the platform. In late April 2026, the company expanded its policy around unoriginal content beyond Reels to include photos and carousels, limiting recommendation eligibility for accounts that primarily repost content they did not create or significantly modify. The change has been widely viewed as part of Instagram's broader effort to prioritize original creators and reduce the reach of aggregator-style accounts.

The update comes at a time when social media teams, agencies, creators, and brand operators are already facing greater pressure to produce differentiated content across multiple accounts. For teams that have historically relied on reposting, light curation, or repeated content formats to maintain publishing volume, the shift raises the operational standard for what successful account management now requires.

At the same time, Instagram's Live feature has also become less accessible to smaller accounts. Since 2025, Instagram has required users to have a public account with at least 1,000 followers to start a live broadcast, creating an additional threshold for early-stage creators and growing accounts that previously used Live as a way to build audience relationships.

Together, these changes point to a broader platform trend: social media growth is becoming less about volume alone and more about originality, account-level differentiation, and consistent mobile-native execution.

For social media professionals, the impact is practical. Content calendars that once depended on reposting or lightly edited assets now require more original production. Agencies managing multiple accounts can no longer rely on near-identical workflows across every profile. Smaller accounts must work harder to build visibility before they can access certain growth formats such as live streaming.

This shift also changes the role of operations. Managing many accounts well now requires workflows that let each account keep its own content strategy, publishing rhythm, and operating environment — not just a shared content calendar.

"Instagram's originality push reflects a broader change across social platforms," said Eleanor Xie, CMO at GeeLark. "Platforms are increasingly rewarding accounts that operate authentically and independently. For teams managing more than a handful of accounts, that means investing in better workflows and infrastructure — not just producing more content."

GeeLark's cloud-phone platform allows teams to manage Android cloud environments remotely, giving each account its own operating environment while supporting centralized oversight across accounts, campaigns, regions, or brands. Rather than relying only on browser dashboards or post-scheduling tools, teams can use these mobile-native environments to handle the full lifecycle of account operations — publishing, maintenance, profile updates, and campaign testing — directly from the apps these platforms are built around.

As Instagram continues to raise the bar for originality and account quality, GeeLark expects multi-account teams to place greater emphasis on differentiated workflows and mobile-native operations going forward.

About GeeLark

GeeLark is a cloud-phone platform designed for mobile-native operations. By providing Android cloud phone environments, RPA automation tools, and centralized device management capabilities, GeeLark helps marketers, agencies, developers, and businesses streamline social media workflows and manage multi-account operations more efficiently.

Learn more at www.geelark.com.

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

Instagram's Originality Push Shows Why Multi-Account Teams Need Better Workflows