DoorDash thinks you are too tired to scroll through an app. The company announced an AI agent that will let you text it a request, and it will handle the rest. The feature is live in beta, but only for iOS users. Android customers will have to wait.
The Text Message Order
The idea is simple. You send a message to DoorDash’s AI agent through iMessages, telling it what you want for dinner. The bot then searches all the restaurants near you and suggests options based on your history and what you asked for.
DoorDash gives an example: asking the bot for your usual Friday night order. The agent remembers what you normally get, along with any changes you usually make. That is already possible in the app, where your recent orders sit at the top of the screen anyway.
Why It Might Not Work
Ironically, texting a robot for your usual order might end up having more button presses than just opening the app and ordering normally.
A Blast From the Past
This is not new ground for fast food. Dominoes introduced a way to order pizza by sending them an emoji all the way back in 2015, according to TechTimes. That was just one restaurant.
Who Can Use It Now
If you want to try the feature, you can sign up to test it on DoorDash’s website. But only iOS users are allowed. Android users will have to stick with the old method for now.
The Waiting Game
It is not clear when this feature will leave beta.
What We Make Of It
The whole thing reads as a solution in search of a problem. Ordering food through an app is already convenient. Asking a robot for your usual order might save a moment, but it adds a step.
| Feature | How It Works |
|---|---|
| App ordering | Scroll through menus, pick a restaurant |
| Text-ordering | Send a message, wait for suggestions |
The bigger picture is that technology keeps moving toward fewer buttons. Whether that makes sense is another question. For now, the feature exists, it works for iOS users, and it is worth testing if you fit the bill.
Source material: “Ordering DoorDash Is Too Hard, So an AI Agent Will Soon Be Able to Order Pizza for You,” IGN.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.