Pebble owners will have a much easier time finding apps and watchfaces for their smartwatch next year. The company behind the popular smartwatch announced that they’ll be launching an app store along with the release of the Pebble SDK 2.0.
The app store will be part of the official Pebble Android and iOS app, which is currently used to setup and configure the smartwatch. Up until now, Pebble owners have resorted to third-party app directories like MyPebbleFaces to find apps for their device.
Back in November, CEO Eric Migicovsky confirmed that there are over 2,200 apps on MyPebbleFaces alone and that apps have been downloaded over a million times. The announcement of an app store is a huge nod to both Pebble owners and developers that the smartwatch maker is serious about supporting their device with a strong app ecosystem.
The Pebble appstore will be a “first-of-its-kind wearable tech application directory” and includes six app categories: Daily, Remotes, Sports & Fitness, Notifications, Tools & Utilities and Games.
Developers who are interested in getting their app into the store will need to submit it to go through a submission approval process. At launch, the Pebble appstore will only support free apps, so developers who are looking to make a dime off their app will need to resort to the unofficial markets. The good news is that Pebble has confirmed that they will not block installation of applications by third party websites.
As a nod to MyPebbleFaces, and to thank them for the nurturing the Pebble app space in the absence of an official appstore, Pebble made a donation to The Neuromuscular Center, the association that supported the cost and energy of running MyPebbleFaces.com.
Source: Pebble
