
TL;DR
- Google has launched the supply code for the Pebble watch on GitHub.
- This comes a bit over 8 years after Pebble ceased operations.
- With the supply code, builders cannot solely implement different working methods for present Pebble watches but additionally develop new {hardware} operating Pebble OS.
Most of the greatest smartwatches in the marketplace final a day or two at most, a far cry from the week-long battery life that Pebble watches boasted over a decade in the past. That is exactly why many individuals nonetheless use their Pebble watches, though the watches had been discontinued round 2016. Neighborhood-led efforts have valiantly saved Pebble watches alive all these years, however they’ve been hampered by a scarcity of entry to the units’ supply code. Fortunately, Google has simply launched the supply code for the Pebble watch, giving builders an opportunity to proceed improvement.
Pebble, a Kickstarter startup, emerged within the early 2010s with smartwatches that met the wants of many customers. The model distinguished itself through the use of e-paper-like reflective LCDs, shows that replicate ambient gentle. Due to their e-paper-like shows, Pebble watches supplied always-on screens that had been readable in direct daylight. The designs of Pebble watches had been minimalist and purposeful, making them fairly in style amongst a broad demographic. Moreover, their easy OS and power-efficient processor allowed them to attain as much as per week of battery life on a single cost. Regardless of the easy OS, the software program platform was open and simple to work with, which attracted builders to create a variety of apps and watch faces.
Though Pebble launched a number of merchandise through the years, it didn’t construct a big sufficient following to compete with manufacturers like Apple and Samsung. Finally, the corporate ran out of funding, main CEO Eric Migicovsky to promote its mental property to Fitbit in 2016.
Whereas Fitbit employed many former Pebble workers, it didn’t launch any new merchandise utilizing the Pebble model or software program platform. Consequently, the supply code for the OS and firmware remained inaccessible, hindering builders from porting different working methods to Pebble watches.
Regardless of this impediment, the Rebble crew — a community-led venture devoted to restoring performance to Pebble watches after the corporate’s closure — tried to reimplement the firmware. Nonetheless, with out entry to the unique supply code, this proved to be a big problem that they’ve but to completely overcome. At the moment, the community-developed Rebble OS lacks help for a lot of the Pebble {hardware}.

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
The supported characteristic matrix for Rebble OS.
The Rebble crew was not alone in its efforts to protect the Pebble watch. Former founder and CEO Eric Migicovsky remained dedicated to his unique imaginative and prescient however lacked possession of the supply code and had restricted capability to help aftermarket initiatives. When it grew to become obvious that Google, which acquired Pebble’s IP by way of its 2021 acquisition of Fitbit, had no plans to develop merchandise primarily based on the platform, he approached Google with a request to launch the supply code publicly. To his shock, Google responded positively, and after an inside evaluate, the corporate launched the supply code on GitHub.
The GitHub repository comprises many of the supply code for the Pebble working system. The supply code for your complete OS is included on this launch, so performance like notifications, media controls, health monitoring, and help for customized apps and watchfaces may be reimplemented on Pebble watches or different ARM Cortex-M-based microcontrollers. The OS was constructed with FreeRTOS, so Pebble’s supply code included a number of modules for reminiscence administration, graphics, and timekeeping, in addition to an in depth framework to load and run customized apps written in C and Javascript. Nonetheless, Google needed to take away some proprietary code from the database earlier than they may publish it. Code for chipset help and the Bluetooth stack is lacking, for instance, so builders should do a non-trivial quantity of labor to construct new firmware updates for Pebble watches.
Nonetheless, this launch ought to nonetheless simplify the method of pushing out new firmware updates or porting different working methods to Pebble watches, as builders will now not have to reverse-engineer how each {hardware} element communicates with Pebble OS. Moreover, this launch might allow the creation of latest {hardware} operating Pebble OS, an avenue that Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky confirmed to us he’s at the moment exploring.
We’re excited to see Google launch the supply code for Pebble OS. Pebble is a model that many people at Android Authority have fond reminiscences of. Pebble watches could also be almost a decade outdated at this level, however they’re nonetheless superior in some methods to fashionable smartwatches.
Builders curious about peeking on the Pebble supply code can discover it on the button above.