Google's AI Lifestyle App Dreambeans Now Free in the US

Dreambeans links information from Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube and Search History to generate a finite collection of stories. As noted by 9to5Google, the app previously required a subscription but is now free for Google Accounts in the US to test. The publication described it as "very much like a hyper-personalized Google Now or Discover feed."

Instead of stock imagery, each Dreambeans story is accompanied by artwork produced by Nano Banana 2 in an illustrated style. For example, if the app recommends a hike, users might see themselves and a group of friends at that location. There is also an "Ask anything" chat experience for more information, and users can tune their feed by indicating what they want more of and what should never be shown.

Gozde Oznur, the product lead behind the app, told TechCrunch that Dreambeans was built as a "doomscrolling antidote" because it provides only a limited number of stories per day, typically 10 to 14. The idea is to offer a few inspirational ideas and then encourage users to go out and live their lives, she said. TechCrunch's Lucas Ropek described the experience as a curated list of AI-illustrated stories that "will turn your life into a cartoon."

When asked about privacy, Oznur said protections are solid. The only person with access to the app's stories is the user, she said. Users can delete their data whenever they want and can choose which Google services they connect to the tool. Many companies are currently courting users who are tired of phone addiction, and Dreambeans enters that space with a deliberately restricted feed.