Starting June 30, Fitbit will stop software support for Pebble smartwatches. But, a group of developers is reaching out to users asking them to set up new accounts on Rebble.io.
“Our present focus is on replacing key pieces of the Pebble ecosystem: the appstore, firmware, and mobile apps.” Eric Migicovsky, Pebble founder and former CEO tweeted out a link to the page, asking users to link their accounts and back up settings before Fitbit’s scheduled shutoff.
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However, the team doesn’t expect to have its replacement for the Pebble web services backend entirely up and running by then. When things are ready, users can switch over by just clicking and link. According to the offer basic data services are free, but you’ll be charged for Weather and Dictation to fund the operation. The company posted all the details and FAQ on rebble.io.
Once Fitbit’s scheduled shut down of services start, you won’t be able to use features such as emails, text replies, app store and voice recognition. It will get harder for the developers to build apps for the platform. If you own a Pebble smartwatch, or you know someone who is still using one, make sure they’re signed up before it’s too late. If you fail to do so before June 30, you’ll lose the ability to be verified. According to the Rebble blog, not everything’s prepared for the June 30 deadline, users can install apps, continue getting notifications and Pebble Health will continue to function.
A lot of Pebble functionality will keep working regardless of what we manage to put together. Your apps will still be installed, your notifications will still come through, and Pebble Health will still be entirely functional. Pebble apps and watchfaces will still work fine, too, except for those that create timeline pins,” Katharine Berry, wrote on Rebble blog.
Pebble was one of the first smartwatch makers that introduced a line of smartwatches with an e-ink display, water resistance up to 50-meter, battery life and up to 7-days. These smartwatches quickly gained popularity.
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Migicovsky idea of a watch could display messages from a smartphone and select Android devices, was the basis for the original Pebble Smartwatch design. Migicovsky successfully took his idea through the Y Combinator business incubator program, and unusually for a startup company at Y Combinator, Migicovsky’s business actually generated revenue during the program.
