Friend re-launches its AI pendant with a speaker that talks to you, for twice the price

Friend relaunched its AI pendant with a built-in speaker so it can now talk back to users, and the company says the device is now twice the price. The new ad suggests Friend is pushing from text-only replies toward more conversational, ambient companionship, a notable shift for a product that already spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million budget on friend.com and high-profile NYC subway ads.

Do you remember Friend? The Friend that launched an AI pendant, spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million to acquire friend.com, and plastered the NYC subway with ads promoting artificial companionship? Yeah well, if you didn't remember, Friend is back . And now, it's twice the price. Introducing friend. pic.twitter.com/T5vUCj7iqv - friend (@friend) July 30, 2026 This morning, Friend launched a new ad showing two people talking to their Friend pendants about very personal life problems. It didn't say it explicitly, but the ad showcased a new feature the pendant now includes: a speaker. Before, Friend would only message back to you, but now, … Read the full story at The Verge.