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Pebble<\/a>, the e-paper smartwatch that first launched on Kickstarter<\/a> in 2012, gained a cult-like following for its innovative approach to wearable tech. Sadly, Fitbit acquired and shut it down in 2016, taking with it the intellectual property<\/a> (IP) of the brand.<\/p>\n The IP eventually landed with Google after their Fitbit acquisition in 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the original creator, Eric Migicovsky<\/a>, relaunched Pebble through Core Devices LLC, a self-funded company operating via the rePebble<\/a> consumer brand. This resurrection became possible after Google open-sourced PebbleOS<\/a> in January 2025.<\/p>\n Now, Core Devices has announced something significant<\/a> for the Pebble community.<\/p>\n The complete Pebble software stack is now open source<\/strong>. Everything you need to operate a Pebble watch is now available on GitHub<\/a>. All of this didn’t just materialize overnight; Core Devices has been improving PebbleOS<\/a> since its open-sourcing and has been pushing those to the public repository.<\/p>\n The rebuilt mobile companion apps<\/a> for Android and iOS just got released as open source<\/a> too. Without these apps, a Pebble watch is basically a paperweight. These are built on Similarly, the developer tools have been completely overhauled, with the old Ubuntu VirtualBox VM-based workflow being replaced with a modern browser-based one that allows anyone to develop Pebble apps in a web browser<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Pebble Time 2 is very close to coming to market!<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Hardware schematics are public as well<\/strong>. The complete electrical and mechanical design files for the Pebble 2 Duo<\/a> are now available with KiCad<\/a> project files included. You could literally build your own Pebble-compatible device from these files.<\/p>\n There are some non-free components still in the mix<\/strong>. The heart rate sensor library for the Pebble Time 2, Memfault<\/a> crash reporting, and Wispr Flow<\/a> speech recognition all use proprietary code. But, fret not, these are all optional<\/strong>. You can compile and run the core Pebble software without touching any of them.<\/p>\n Core Devices also launched two major software systems alongside the open source releases. The Pebble mobile app now supports multiple app store feeds<\/strong> that anyone can create and operate.<\/p>\n This works similar to Linux package managers such as APT<\/a> or AUR<\/a>. Here, users can subscribe to different feeds and browse apps from multiple sources instead of relying on a single centralized server.<\/p>\n Core Devices already operates its own feed at appstore-api.repebble.com<\/a>. This feed backs up to the Internet Archive<\/a>, preserving community-created watchfaces and apps that have been around over the years.<\/p>\n Plus, developers can upload new or existing apps through the new Developer Dashboard<\/a>. Monetization remains possible through services like KiezelPay<\/a>, so creators can still get paid for their hard work.<\/p>\n Migicovsky learned some painful lessons from Pebble’s first shutdown. When Fitbit killed the project in 2016, the community was left scrambling with limited options.<\/p>\n The gap between 95% and 100% open source turned out to matter more than anyone expected. Android users couldn’t easily get the companion app. Many iOS users faced the same problem.<\/p>\n “This made it very hard for the Pebble community to make improvements to their watches after the company behind Pebble shut down<\/em>,” Eric explained in his blog post.<\/p>\n The reasoning behind this open source push is straightforward. If Core Devices disappears tomorrow, the community has everything they need to keep their watches running<\/strong>. No dependencies, no single point of failure.<\/p>\nGreat News for Pebble Enthusiasts<\/h2>\n
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libpebble3<\/code>, a Kotlin multiplatform library for interacting with Pebble devices.<\/p>\nWhy Open Source Everything?<\/h2>\n