Fitbit to Keep Pebble Data Alive Through 2017
Have a Pebble smartwatch? Rest assured that it should keep on ticking through the end of 2017.
In a Wednesday blog post, Pebble watchface developer and community moderator Jon Barlow said Fitbit is "going out of its way to keep Pebble software and services running through 2017." That means the Pebble mobile apps and app store will remain in service for the time being.
The news comes after Fitbit last week announced plans to acquire Pebble and shut it down. "To be clear, no one on this freshly formed team seeks to brick Pebble watches in active service," Barlow wrote.
In the coming months, the Pebble/Fitbit team plans to update the Pebble mobile apps to ensure that "core" watch functions continue to work when cloud services are discontinued. After the update, Pebble Health will continue to work as it does today.
The same may not be true for other "smart" features, however. Barlow said the team is "currently evaluating Pebble features dependent on third-party services—dictation, messaging, weather, etc.—to establish if and for how long these experiences can continue on."
He added that Pebble developers can keep creating and updating their apps for the platform, and users "are free to keep enjoying their watches." There's already been a support within the developer community to keep Pebble alive, including the formation of Rebble, an effort to "maximize the likelihood of continuance and resurgence of Pebble as a platform."
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.