Fitbit has announced that it will finally end support for Pebble smartwatches in June 2018. On the one hand, this represents an extension of the original timeline, but on the other hand, it means that the end is visible. However, the Fitbit IS is offering Pebble owners a discount on the Fitbit Ionic.

In December 2016, Pebble announced that it was closing Fitbit jumped in and purchased its technology, software, and other intellectual property. However, Fitbit hasn’t purchased the Pebble hardware, meaning it’s only a matter of time before support for those products ends.

The end is close to the pebbles

Fitbit promised to support Pebble smartwatches until the end of 2017. However, the company has now extended support until June 30, 2018. At this point, the app store, forum, voice recognition functions, SMS and email replies (on iOS), timeline contacts, and other elements stop working.

Devices and apps will work as normal for the time being. However, there will be no further updates for the Android and iOS apps, and Fitbit warns that «future iOS or Android updates» may «break compatibility with Pebble.» In other words, you are living on borrowed time.

Fitbit admits it wants existing Pebble owners to upgrade to the new Fitbit device. As such, the six-month extension should help «the Pebble community evaluate comparable options on the Fitbit OS platform and give Pebble developers more time to create amazing things with the Fitbit SDK.»

To convince owners of silent Pebble smartwatches to upgrade to the new version, Fitbit is offering them a $50 discount on the price of the new Fitbit Ionic smartwatch. The offer will be finalized in the spring, when existing Pebble owners simply need to sign up to keep the updates up to date.

Combination of good news and bad

This is a mixture of good and bad news for Pebble owners. This means you now know when your cherished device will no longer be supported. But Fitbit continued to support your device long after it needed to, and is also offering a healthy smartwatch discount.

Do you have a Pebble smart watch? Were you disappointed when Fitbit acquired Pebble’s IP and talent? Do you appreciate Fitbit support? Are you probably using a discount code to buy a new Fitbit Ionic smartwatch? Please let us know in the comments below!

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