Pebble’s latest beta software just helped close some of the gap between its smartwatch and Google’s rival Android Wear platform—by jacking right into the competition’s notifications.
Last month, Pebble finally got full Android notifications. Now it appears that was just a stepping stone, as version 2.3 of Pebble’s Android app lets users act on the same alerts Android Wear users respond to from their wrists.
See also: Pebble Goes Full Android! (For Notifications, That Is)
That Pebble would go this route is a bit surprising, though not entirely a shock.
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em …
Until now, the built-in software only let users view phone alerts as they were piped to their watches, which suited Pebble just fine. The device was never intended to be a smartphone replacement.
Then Android Wear stormed in this summer boasting actionable notifications. Turns out, people actually want to do things on their wrists without having to dig out their phones.
See also: Smartwatches And Other Wearables: ReadWrite’s 2014 Gift Guide
The update to Pebble’s Android app doesn’t just mimic that functionality, though. It steps right into Android Wear’s notification system, essentially tapping into those alerts and the response mechanisms they allow.
“It’s Android Wear notification compatibility on Pebble, and it should be awesome,” a company spokesperson told ReadWrite.
For Devs: Two Platforms In One
For end users, the extra functionality may be very handy, letting people authorize Square Cash payments, reply to texts with emoji, reject requests and other simple tasks with a couple of button presses (and no digging for phones out of skinny jeans or huge bags).
For app makers, developing for Android Wear means instant compatibility with Pebble watches too. They only have to write once to cover two platforms.
Unfortunately, as this is Pebble’s big Android Wear play, iPhone users can’t get in on this feature. This is strictly Android only. The beta feature is now open to any Pebblers with an Android device (version 4.0 or higher). To test the feature, you can join the test group here.
Notifications photo courtesy of Pebble; Android app photo by Adriana Lee for ReadWrite
