Friend AI Pendant Returns at $249 With Voice Capabilities and Subscription Tier

Friend Relaunches With Speaker and Doubled Price Tag

Friend, the AI wearable company that previously generated controversy over its heavy subway advertising and AI companionship messaging, is returning with a hardware refresh. According to The Verge AI, the updated pendant now costs $249—exactly double its original $129 price—due to the addition of a built-in speaker that enables two-way voice conversation rather than text-only responses. The relaunch arrives approximately nine months after a coordinated protest campaign in New York City drew public attention to concerns about technology dependence.

Voice and Subscription Model Drive New Pricing

The speaker addition represents the pendant’s first significant hardware upgrade. Previously, the device relied on text messages to communicate with users; the new iteration allows users to hold spoken conversations with the AI. Founder Avi Schiffmann informally branded the update “Friend 2.0” in social media posts, though the product retains its original name on the company’s website. Alongside the hardware change, Friend introduced a $10/month subscription tier that extends conversation memory retention from the default 30-day window, enabling the AI to maintain longer-term context across interactions.

The Context of Public Resistance

The relaunch occurs in the shadow of significant grassroots opposition. In late 2025, Friend attracted organized protest activity in New York City, with demonstrators highlighting concerns about corporate promotion of AI companionship and its potential effects on human connection. Notably, according to The Verge AI, Schiffmann acknowledged the protest movement by publicly sharing an image promoting the campaign and attending the event himself—an unusual acknowledgment of criticism for an AI startup founder. The company had previously allocated $1.8 million of its $2.5 million fundraising round to acquire the friend.com domain, leaving limited capital for product development following the contentious subway advertising campaign.

Why This Matters

Friend’s relaunch strategy—scaling price while adding voice capabilities—tests whether consumer demand for AI companions can recover after public backlash. The $120 price premium bets that voice interaction and persistent memory justify a 93% markup, but execution will determine whether this positions Friend as a mainstream device or niche product. Teams evaluating AI wearable viability should monitor adoption metrics; strong uptake would signal that voice and memory features overcome prior brand friction, while weak reception would suggest rebranding alone cannot overcome social skepticism about AI companionship devices. The subscription tier also signals a shift toward recurring revenue, moving beyond the one-time hardware sale model—a standard SaaS conversion strategy that prioritizes lifetime value over initial unit sales.