Fitbit on Wednesday said it would be extending its support of the Pebble smartwatch ecosystem for an additional six months, until June 30, 2018.
Today's announcement is bitter-sweet for longtime Pebble supporters and wearable technology as a whole.
Pebble, largely credited with jumpstarting the modern smartwatch movement, rose to fame in 2012 with its first Kickstarter project. The start-up went on to successfully fund several additional iterations of its smartwatch yet despite currently holding the record for three of the top five most funded Kickstarter projects of all-time, it was unable to make ends meet and abruptly halted all operations in December 2016. Shortly after, it was revealed that Fitbit had purchased the Kickstarter darling for a mere $23 million.
Pebble devices will continue to work after the official cut-off date although the following services will end:
- Pebble appstore
- Pebble forum
- Voice recognition features
- SMS and email replies
- Timeline pins from third-party apps (Calendar pins will keep working)
- CloudPebble development tool
As a sign of appreciation for the Pebble community's continued enthusiasm for wearable technology, Fitbit is offering Pebble users a $50 discount off the cost of a Fitbit Ionic, the smartwatch it launched last summer alongside its $129 Flyer wireless headphones.
The Fitbit Ionic is the company's first device powered by Fitbit OS and includes multiple features and experiences that Pebble users should be familiar with.
Pebble owners who purchased their device prior to December 7, 2016, should be eligible for the discount. Do note that you'll need a valid Pebble serial number to redeem the offer. Full details can be found over on Fitbit's support page.