Pebble may have been late to the fitness game, but it’s clear the company is taking health software seriously. The app launched back in December, but lacked features users came to expect from dedicated fitness trackers.
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Android users have enjoyed these features for a while now, and Pebble isn’t pulling any punches when calling out Apple for its lack of a Messages API.
“You can now paint a comprehensive picture of your achievements, see activity trends over time, auto-track runs and long walks, sleep smarter, and enforce healthy habits with insights and encouragement”, Pebble said in a blog post. The updated mobile apps now offer more informative graphs that chart your activities and progress. Users can compare activity over the last day, week and month.
As for text messaging, Pebble Time watches now have a “send text” app for paired iPhones, similar to the one that arrived on Android in February.
Users can also opt to receive weekly digests on their watch about daily activity and step summaries, as well as information on naps, sleeping patterns, long walks, and the like.
Text responses to incoming or missed calls are now available for iPhone users with text replies enabled from a compatible carrier. This would also view users’ calories, steps and active time. Depending on sleep cycles, the alarm might go off up to a half hour before the normal wake-up call of the wearer, aiming for optimal restedness.
So, iPhone users can now start texting from their Pebble instead of waiting for a message to reply to. The app is available for the Pebble Time, the Time Steel and the Time Round smartwatches. On iOS, Pebble’s Send Text app now lets you start conversations with recent and favorite contacts by issuing canned text responses or voice messages to the watch. It can send activity summary, help you discover ideal wakeup time, and set alarm.
There are some non-health updates here, as well, mostly focused on text messages. Experts explained that Pebble had to partner with mobile operators directly to bypass the iOS’ inability of using Send Text feature.
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The update also brings watch-based texting support to iOS users.
