If you have a Pebble watch, you may be wondering if your high-tech timepiece will become a brick once Pebble's new owner, Fitbit, shuts down Pebble's servers.
Not to worry. Pebble on Tuesday announced app updates that will keep watches working even when those servers go dark.
"If a Pebble authentication server can't be reached, the mobile apps will let Pebble devices keep working," the company wrote in a blog post. Users will be able to skip the login process, but the Pebble app store won't be available, and new apps can only be side-loaded.
If Pebble's update servers can't be reached, the app will be able to install the latest compatible firmware for the paired device, including relevant language packs. The update is currently available for all iOS users and Android users enrolled in the Pebble beta program. The updated Android app should arrive for everyone soon.
The news comes after Fitbit in December acquired Pebble and announced it would be shutting down the former Kickstarter darling. Fitbit has promised to keep Pebble smartwatches ticking though the end of 2017, meaning the Pebble mobile apps and app store will remain in service for the time being.
"We're working hard to make sure Pebble users can keep enjoying their smartwatch experience for as long as possible," Pebble wrote this week.
Meanwhile, there's already been support within the developer community to keep Pebble alive, including the formation of Rebble, an effort to "maximize the likelihood of continuance and resurgence of Pebble as a platform."