In an exciting development for smartwatch enthusiasts, Google has announced the release of the source code that powered the iconic Pebble smartwatches. This initiative is part of Google’s commitment to support the dedicated volunteers who have worked tirelessly to maintain Pebble’s functionality since the original company ceased operations in 2016.
A Brief History of Pebble
Pebble made waves in the tech world when it launched through a groundbreaking Kickstarter campaign, becoming the most funded project at the time. Its successor, the Pebble Time, also achieved remarkable success, securing its place as the second most funded project on Kickstarter. Over four years, Pebble sold more than two million smartwatches, fostering a vibrant community of developers who created over ten thousand apps and watchfaces.
In 2016, Fitbit acquired Pebble, including its intellectual property, and later, Fitbit itself was acquired by Google, bringing the Pebble OS into the Google ecosystem. Despite the discontinuation of hardware and software support eight years ago, Pebble has retained a loyal fanbase.
What’s Included in the Release
Google is releasing the majority of the source code for the Pebble operating system, which encompasses all standard smartwatch functionalities—notifications, media controls, fitness tracking, and support for custom apps and watchfaces—on compact ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers. Built with FreeRTOS, the codebase includes modules for memory management, graphics, and timekeeping, along with a comprehensive framework for loading and running custom applications written in C and JavaScript via the Jerryscript engine.
It’s important to note that some proprietary code has been removed, particularly related to chipset support and the Bluetooth stack. As a result, while the release includes all build system files (utilizing the waf build system), it will not compile or link as is.
Looking Ahead
With this release, Google hopes to empower the dedicated community and volunteers from the Rebble project to continue supporting the Pebble watches that users cherish. However, building new firmware updates will require significant effort to find replacements for the removed components and to update the source code, which has not been maintained for several years.
As Matthieu Jeanson, Katharine Berry, and Liam McLoughlin from Google note, this release is a step towards ensuring that the legacy of Pebble lives on, allowing enthusiasts to keep their beloved devices functional and relevant.