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Pebble App Update Lets Smartwatches Work Offline, After Pebble's Servers Go Dark

Pebble App Update Lets Smartwatches Work Offline, After Pebble's Servers Go Dark

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 6 April 2017 14:43 IST

Highlights

The update is available to iOS users
Android users to get the update soon
It removes dependency of Pebble smartwatches to cloud services

There’s good news for all Pebble users, the company has rolled out an update to the Pebble app removing dependency to cloud services. This will keep the smartwatches running, even after the cloud services shut down. If you don’t already know, Pebble is now a part of Fitbit, and its hardware and software business has completely been absorbed by the latter. However, Fitbit had promised software support throughout 2017, and keeping that promise, this update has been released to iOS users and should arrive for Android users soon.

As mentioned, this update liberates the Pebble app from past dependency on cloud services, which means Pebble smartwatches and native apps on board can operate normally, even if online servers are not accessible for any reason. “For example, if a Pebble authentication server can’t be reached, the mobile apps will let Pebble devices keep working. The login process can be skipped, apps can be side-loaded, and the latest watch firmware (including language packs) can be installed,” the company notes in a blog post.

This means that users will be able to continue to use their Pebble smartwatches, even in Offline Mode, when the cloud services go dark in the future. This is a positive step forward in a world where Pebble will no longer exist, as this independence will allow the smartwatches to run smoothly (or at least perform basic functions) in the years to come. However, this still does not solve various issues that Pebble users will face after the company stops support completely. For example, several features like dictation and weather are still based on cloud services, and there’s no workaround announced for that yet. Furthermore, this latest update also removes the options to contact customer support or ask for new features from the Pebble companion app.

iOS users can update their Pebble app from the iTunes App Store right away, while Android users can enrol in the Pebble beta program to use these features. Pebble did announce that it will make the update available for public on Google Play Store soon after the beta channel release.

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