Friend AI Relaunches Wearable as Voice-Enabled 'Friend 2.0' at $249
The updated companion wearable pivots from a text-based listener to an audible AI confidant.
AI hardware startup Friend relaunched its companion wearable as 'Friend 2.0' on July 30, 2026. The update transforms the device from a passive listener into an active conversationalist, signaling a shift in how the company envisions the role of ambient AI in daily life.
The new hardware—a rounded plastic disc under two inches across manufactured by Bould in Toronto—now features a built-in speaker. This allows the AI to provide audible voice responses directly to the user, a significant upgrade from the original version that communicated solely via text through a companion app.
This functionality comes with a steeper cost. The device is now priced at $249, a sharp increase from the previous $129 shipping price and the original $99 preorder cost. Additionally, users must pay an optional $10 monthly subscription to retain conversation memory beyond 30 days. The device is rated for up to 15 hours of battery life, and each unit is assigned a random voice and personality during setup that the user cannot change or rename.
This relaunch follows a turbulent initial rollout. By fall 2025, the company had sold approximately 3,000 units but had shipped only roughly 1,000. The brand's early visibility was marked by a $1 million advertising campaign in the New York City subway, which sparked public backlash and vandalism as critics raised privacy concerns over the device's always-listening nature. The company's financial priorities have also drawn scrutiny; reports indicate it spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million in funding simply to acquire the domain friend.com.
Friend 2.0 arrives as the industry moves toward "screenless" hardware. This trend is highlighted by reports that OpenAI is developing its own screen-free smart speaker in collaboration with Jony Ive’s firm, io, to create a personalized, humanlike companion. Founder Avi Schiffmann has described his goal as offering a "confidant, friend, God," reflecting a desire to move beyond productivity tools toward emotional AI relationships.
By introducing voice interaction and a recurring subscription model, Friend is testing whether consumers will pay a premium for a physical AI confidant. The success of the 2.0 model will serve as a critical bellwether for the broader industry, proving whether there is a sustainable market for wearable AI that prioritizes companionship over utility. Observers will be watching to see if the added voice capabilities can overcome the privacy stigmas that plagued the first generation.