Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Fitbit extends support for Pebble devices through June 2018

By

Pebble Time Smartwatch
It’s been more than a year since Fitbit acquired smartwatch maker Pebble and ever since, we’ve known that the days for the Pebble wearable were numbered. But just as Fitbit made no move to shut down the Pebble ecosystem in 2017, it seems that we can expect a continuation of that pattern throughout the new year — at least, for the first half of it.

As the Fitbit team told Digital Trends, “Today, Fitbit has announced it is extending its support of the Pebble smartwatch ecosystem for six more months, to June 30, 2018. During this time, Fitbit invites the Pebble community to explore how familiar highlights from the Pebble ecosystem are evolving on the Fitbit platform, from features and experiences to apps and clock faces – with more than 350 apps and clock faces now available in the Fitbit App Gallery.”

Recommended Videos

When Fitbit initially made the acquisition, the company promised to continue supporting Pebble’s devices and its services. “To be clear, no one on this freshly formed team seeks to brick Pebble watches in active service,” wrote Jon Barlow, a developer advocate at Fitbit at the time. “The Pebble SDK, CloudPebble, Timeline APIs, firmware availability, mobile apps, developer portal and Pebble app store are all elements of the Pebble ecosystem that will remain in service at this time.”

And now, with the help of the Pebble team, Fitbit released its own operating system, which is behind the Fitbit Ionic. Moving forward, it would appear that Fitbit hopes to focus more on this new OS, and is inviting Pebble users to “explore how familiar highlights from the Pebble ecosystem are evolving on the Fitbit platform, from apps and clock faces to features and experiences.”

To that end, Fitbit is offering a Fitbit upgrade discount to current Pebble smartwatch owners, who will find that after June 30 of this year, support for their wearables will no longer exist. But not to worry — they will be able to get $50 off a Fitbit Ionic as long as they still own a Pebble device with a valid serial number. To redeem this offer, Pebble smartwatches can register for updates and expect communications before this spring.

Until then, however, Pebble users will still be able to enjoy the same experience they are accustomed to. Pebble devices and mobile apps will remain active after June 20, but the Pebble app store, forum, voice recognition features, SMS and email replies, timeline pins from third-party apps, and CloudPebble development tool will disappear. Moreover, after the June deadline, there will be no more updates to Pebble’s mobile apps for iOS and Android. “Users should note that it’s possible for future iOS or Android updates to break Pebble compatibility,” Fitbit noted.

So if you’ve been thinking about upgrading your Pebble, this may be the year to do so.

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Goodbye, coolers. The EcoFlow Glacier doesn’t need ice — it makes it
The EcoFlow Glacier is a fridge shaped like a cooler with its own battery,

Every cooler operates on borrowed time. It leaves for your camping trip brimming over with crisp produce and ice-encrusted beer that looks straight out of a Super Bowl commercial, and returns with a soggy block of foil-wrapped cheddar cheese floating in a pool of mustard water. Mother Nature always wins.

Perhaps that’s why I was so enamored when I saw the EcoFlow Glacier at CES 2023. Less a cooler than a mobile battery-powered fridge on wheels, the sleek electric Glacier not only obviated the need for ice, it would make ice for me in 18 minutes. My home fridge can’t even do that, and I didn’t even know I wanted it to until just now. When EcoFlow offered to let me try the Glacier, I envisioned sipping a perspiring glass of whiskey in the tropics and accepted the occupational hazards of my job.

Read more
I was wrong. E-bikes are so practical, they’re a transit cheat code
An Aventon Level 2 ebike sits outside a grocery store.

Confession: Despite loving both bikes and gadgets, e-bikes never excited me. Compared to my bicycle, e-bikes seemed unfair. Compared to my motorcycle, they seemed slow. Compared to my car, they seemed impractical.

But with $1,500 federal e-bike rebates potentially on the horizon at part of E-Bike Act, I decided it was past time to reconsider. Not just because 30% off would make them way more accessible, but because the entire idea that e-bikes could be worthy of a rebate changed the way I looked at them: less as toys, more as transit. Had I written off an entire way of getting around because I was looking at it the wrong way?

Read more
Upway launches one of the best marketplaces for certified e-bikes, new or not
Man holding ebike from Upway in a field, lifestyle image.

This content was produced in partnership with Upway.
It wasn't too long ago that e-bikes were a rare sight, but all of that has changed, and rightfully so. Electric bikes are all over the road these days, and there are many brands either venturing into the technology, to launch their own versions of the sustainable transportation option or reiterating existing and traditional designs. From Aventon to Schwinn, or RadPower to Momentum, with so many opportunities, the prevailing question is, where do you go to find the best deals and the best information about these brands and their e-bike models? The answer is Upway, the number one certified electric bike provider and an official partner to many of the aforementioned brands.

What is Upway, exactly? It's a marketplace, specializing in e-bikes, featuring an inventory that's sourced from some of the best brands in the world. There are American brands -- like Specialized, Cannondale, and RadPower -- and European brands -- like Riese, Muller, and VanMoof. The best part is the discounts, offering up to 60% off retail, for a plethora of brands. Upway is on a mission to make sustainable mobility affordable for everyone. It's also one of the best places to go for a new or pre-owned e-bike, and here's why:

Read more