Fitbit to End Support for Pebble Smartwatches in June

Fitbit on Wednesday said that it is extending support for Pebble smartwatches until June 2018. It also means that that support for Pebble will come to its end by then. Fitbit, the tech wearables giant had announced the acquisition of Pebble in December 2016. Back then, Pebble developer Jon Barlow had said that it will keep Pebble software and services running through 2017. Now, in a blog post, Fitbit has announced the extension.

Alongside the smartwatches, Pebble's apps, app store, firmware, and API, among other services, will remain accessible until June 30. Fitbit has also added some offers before the final goodbye. It is offering a $50 discount on the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch. Its deal is applicable to Pebble users who still own a device with a valid serial number. In order to avail the benefit, Pebble users who purchased the device before December 7, 2016, and opted in to receive Fitbit's marketing communications, will receive an email. For others, there is a registration page.

Despite not acquiring Pebble's hardware lineup, Fitbit says, Pebble users have been given time to explore Fitbit products while being on their current Pebble devices. Fitbit says that highlights from the Pebble ecosystem are evolving on the Fitbit platform, including apps and clock faces.

The six-month extension of Fitbit’s support for Pebble’s infrastructure and web-based features will help the Pebble users assess comparable options on the Fitbit OS platform. Fitbit said, "We're thrilled to see hundreds of former Pebble developers already building with the Fitbit SDK, and look forward to helping more Pebble devs flex their creativity on a wearables platform that can reach millions of Fitbit users worldwide."

The company noted that Pebble devices and mobile apps will continue to work after June 30 this year, Pebble services like the app store, forum, voice recognition features, SMS and email replies with iOS, Timeline pins from third-party apps, and CloudPebble development tool will end. Also, there will be no further updates to Pebble’s mobile apps for iOS and Android. Additionally, compatibility with upcoming iOS and Android OS updates could be broken.

When it comes to the Fitbit OS, the company has announced features like Fitbit App Gallery, Pebble favourites on Fitbit OS, and 'first-class health and fitness features'.