Nextdoor Enhances App with AI-Driven Recommendations, Local News Feed, and Real-Time Emergency Alerts

Neighborhood social app Nextdoor is unveiling a revamped version of its service, dubbed the “new Nextdoor.” The app will feature local news, real-time alerts, and an AI-driven capability called “Faves” aimed at helping users discover nearby businesses and locations. Additionally, Nextdoor’s overall design has been modernized for a contemporary look.

Launched 15 years ago, Nextdoor has long been a favored platform for neighborhood discussions, assisting users with recommendations for plumbers and suggestions for local dining options. However, its growth eventually plateaued, and engagement decreased as the platform became linked to misinformation and racism in posts.

Now, the company seeks to revitalize its platform and attract more users by enhancing its utility and timeliness. With this redesign, Nextdoor aims to elevate both the quality and quantity of local information available, according to Nextdoor CEO and co-founder Nirav Tolia in an interview with TechCrunch.

To introduce news to its platform, Nextdoor has collaborated with 3,500 local publications in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Notable partners include the San Francisco Standard, The London Standard, and The Toronto Star.

Image Credits: Nextdoor

“Historically, Nextdoor has relied 100% on user-generated content created by your neighbors,” Tolia explained. “That has been a great source of information. However, to ensure we capture what’s happening in your neighborhood, we need to incorporate local news. This is the first time we’re allowing third-party publishers to use our distribution.”

Tolia clarified that these aren’t commercial agreements; Nextdoor isn’t paying for the content, nor are the publishers compensating the company. Moreover, Nextdoor is not hosting the content but displaying a headline, a snippet, and an image to direct users to the original publications. Users can engage in discussions about the news in a comments section underneath each post.

Tolia emphasized that publishers are just the first new type of content to be added to Nextdoor, as the platform plans to allow small businesses, schools, and organizations to establish their presence in the app in the future.

In terms of new alerts, Nextdoor now provides real-time updates regarding weather, traffic, power outages, storms, and wildfires. These alerts will be visible on a dynamic neighborhood map, facilitating timely conversations among neighbors about safety and preparedness.

The service is collaborating with Samdesk and Weather.com, which encompasses The Weather Channel app and Weather.com, to deliver these alerts.

Image Credits: Nextdoor

“When there’s something significant to watch, we call that the yellow state, and we’ll place that alert at the top,” Tolia stated. “If it’s critical, we designate it as a red state and it takes over the app, as at that point, conversations about pickleball or local restaurant reviews become less relevant. The priority becomes collaborating with your neighbors to stay safe.”

Tolia noted that these alerts are hyper-localized due to Nextdoor’s geospatial platform. Unlike Amber Alerts sent to a broad area, Nextdoor personalizes alerts down to specific addresses. For instance, if a power outage occurs, only those affected receive the alert.

As for the launch of Faves, Tolia pointed out that neighbor recommendations are often more valuable than searching on Google or ChatGPT when looking for local dining or family activities. Thus, Nextdoor is launching this feature to provide curated lists of recommendations, as well as allowing users to pose specific questions for suggestions.

“We have a LLM for every neighborhood, utilizing 15 years of neighbor conversations to answer inquiries about local information compellingly,” Tolia remarked. “This represents, as far as we know, the first truly local AI powered by neighbor interactions.”

Users can ask questions such as, “What is the best place to hike with kids?” and receive concise, summarized responses derived from real user posts on Nextdoor. Underneath the summary, users can click through to the referenced posts.

Image Credits: Nextdoor

“This content is proprietary to Nextdoor,” Tolia added. “We’ve never shared it, it’s not indexed by Google, and it’s not accessible on ChatGPT. Because we know your location, we can deliver relevant information directly to you.”

Tolia indicated that Nextdoor’s distinct value lies in capturing local word-of-mouth—hyperlocal insights that cannot be acquired through platforms like Google or ChatGPT, as they come from direct conversations.

“For instance, if you want to know about lemonade stands operated by kids in your neighborhood, you can’t find that on Google Maps or ask ChatGPT,” Tolia joked. “The only way to discover that information is by asking your neighbors. That’s the essence of Nextdoor. So, moving forward, we’re committed to emphasizing hyperlocal relevance, striving to be perceived more as a utility-centric network than merely a social platform.”