The second time probably won’t help this charm.

GadgetsAITechFriend re-launches its AI pendant with a speaker that talks to you, for twice the priceEveryone hated it, so Friend is making it even more expensive.Everyone hated it, so Friend is making it even more expensive.by David ImelJul 30, 2026, 4:33 PM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: FriendDavid Imel is a technology reporter who has been covering the industry since 2007. He co-hosts the Waveform podcast with MKBHD. A former engineer, he now specializes in topics like computational photography and social media protocols.Do you remember Friend? The Friend that launched an AI pendant, spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million in funding 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.Source: FriendThis 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, it will talk to you, too. For some reason, the addition of that feature is apparently worth $120, as the originally $129 product now costs $249.The re-launch comes about nine months after a large Friend protest took place in NYC, where protestors tried to bring attention to our growing dependance on technology. Friend was the obvious target, considering it had spent a boatload of money advertising throughout the city. Its founder, Avi Schiffmann, even posted an image promoting the protest, and showed up to it himself.Shiffmann posted a tweet of the new ad, calling it “Friend 2.0,” even though the product is still just called “Friend” on its site. Presumably, this is because of the new speaker and the new $10 per month subscription, that lets the pendant remember conversations for longer than 30 days.I’m sure things will go much better this time.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.David ImelAIGadgetsTechMost PopularMost PopularThis tattoo is permanent, pain-free, and might soon come in the mailXbox CEO lays out priorities in memo after major ‘reset’The loss of Situational AwarenessThe US government just banned RoombasThe ban on robot vacuums won’t make them safer, only worseThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad