This charm may not improve with a second attempt.

Do you recall Friend? The one that introduced an AI pendant, spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million funding to snag friend.com, and covered the NYC subway with ads promoting artificial companionship?

Well, if you’ve forgotten, Friend is back—and now it comes with a higher price tag.

This morning, Friend unveiled a new ad featuring two individuals confiding in their Friend pendants about deeply personal issues. While it wasn’t explicitly stated, the ad hinted at a new feature: a built-in speaker. Previously, the pendant only communicated through messages, but now it can actually talk back. This addition seems to justify a $120 price increase, as the original $129 product now retails for $249.

The re-launch follows a significant protest in NYC about nine months ago, where demonstrators aimed to highlight our increasing reliance on technology. Friend was a prime target, especially after its hefty advertising spend in the city. Founder Avi Schiffmann even shared a photo promoting the protest and attended it himself.

Schiffmann tweeted about the new ad, dubbing it “Friend 2.0,” even though the product is still listed simply as “Friend” on the website. This likely reflects the new speaker feature and a $10 monthly subscription that allows the pendant to retain conversations for more than 30 days.

Here’s hoping this time around things go more smoothly.