Fitbit will support Pebble watches through 2017

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You don't need to abandon your Pebble just yet.
Photo: Pebble

Fitbit is buying Pebble and killing its existing lineup of wearables to focus on new ones — but it won’t be dropping support for those devices right away. Pebble today confirmed that its software and services will continue to run through 2017.

Fitbit certainly hasn’t been quiet about its plans to ditch current Pebble watches; it made it clear when it confirmed its $40 million acquisition last month that Pebble as we know it is practically dead, and no longer promotion, manufacturing, or selling the existing lineup.

But that doesn’t mean it won’t continue to support them.

“Fitbit is going out of its way to keep Pebble software and services running through 2017. To be clear, no one on this freshly-formed team seeks to brick Pebble watches in active service,” Pebble confirmed on its blog today.

“The Pebble SDK, CloudPebble, Timeline APIs, firmware availability, mobile apps, developer portal, and Pebble appstore are all elements of the Pebble ecosystem that will remain in service at this time. Pebble developers are welcome to keep creating and updating apps.”

If you’re a Pebble owner, then, there’s no need to worry about your watch becoming defunct as soon as Pebble officially becomes a Fitbit company. However, it’s unclear just how useful your device will be after 2017.

Obviously your watch will continue to function for years to come, but it’s unlikely there will be any software updates after 2017, and existing Pebble services will probably be closed. That could mean the Pebble apps for Android and iOS die, too — along with the Pebble app store.

That’s over a year away, though, so you don’t need to think about replacing your watch just yet. It may be something to bear in mind if you were considering picking up a Pebble in the near future, however.

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