Overview
- Friend announced a hardware relaunch called friend 2.0 that adds a built-in speaker so the pendant can speak aloud and is available for purchase at $249.
- Each pendant is randomly assigned a single, fixed voice and personality at setup that users cannot change, shifting the product from silent text replies to an always‑present conversational device.
- The device keeps conversations for 30 days by default and offers an optional roughly $10 monthly subscription to retain memories longer or indefinitely, raising questions about data control and monetization.
- Reporting conflicts about the underlying AI remain unresolved, with some outlets saying Friend uses OpenAI models and others reporting Google’s Gemini, and the founder has signaled the product may not be sold in the EU because of privacy rules.
- Friend, which relaunched the device on Thursday, July 30, follows years of provocative marketing, modest and inconsistent sales to date, and comparisons with other struggling AI wearables that leave its mainstream prospects uncertain.