Overview
- DoorDash, which unveiled the features on Wednesday, September 30, opened a U.S. iPhone waitlist for a Messages-based AI ordering pilot while saying Android support will come later.
- The Messages agent links a user’s phone number to their DoorDash account, uses past orders and preferences to build a cart, and can complete checkout with saved payment methods inside the message thread.
- DoorDash confirmed it holds FAA Part 135 certification for commercial drone operations and plans limited pilot flights in Northern California with partners including Chipotle and Popeyes after testing an in-house six‑propeller drone.
- The company said early drone tests averaged under five minutes from restaurant to door, that about 80% of typical orders fit the aircraft’s weight limits, and that the craft weighs under 55 pounds and is designed to reduce noise, though consumer launch dates and pilot communities were not announced.
- Alongside texting and drones DoorDash outlined staged rollouts — a nationwide Dasher Returns pickup in November, business ordering connectors and new Dasher and merchant AI tools — a systems-first approach built on its June Ask DoorDash work and ground robotics experience that could reshape how customers order and how platforms capture that demand.