Open source

Every line, in the open.

The operating system on your wrist is open source. Read how it works, question how it is built, and make it better. Nothing about PebbleOS is a black box anymore.

Explore on GitHub Start contributing
  • Apache 2.0
  • 100% open source PebbleOS
  • github.com/coredevices

Architecture

Five layers. One watch.

From the steel on your wrist to the face you glance at a hundred times a day, every layer of the stack is something you can read. Pick a layer to see what lives there.

Diagram of PebbleOS as five stacked layers: hardware at the bottom, then kernel and drivers, system services, watchapps, and watchfaces on top.

Layer 05

Watchfaces

The part everyone notices. Faces draw on the always-on e-paper screen and stay visible all day without waking the watch.

History

Fourteen years. Still ticking.

Pebble was never supposed to survive this long. Its owners, its community and one very important code release had other plans.

  1. A watch on Kickstarter

    Pebble launches on Kickstarter with a simple pitch: an e-paper smartwatch with real buttons and a battery you forget about. Backers turn it into a movement.

  2. Fitbit acquires Pebble

    Pebble's software and much of its team move to Fitbit. New hardware stops, but the watches already out in the world keep on ticking.

  3. The quiet years

    The community keeps it alive

    Owners and volunteer developers refuse to let their watches go dark. They rebuild the online services the watches rely on and keep writing new faces and apps.

  4. Google open-sources PebbleOS

    Google, which inherited the code along with Fitbit, releases the PebbleOS source under the Apache 2.0 license. The door swings wide open.

Contribute

Jump in. It is your OS too.

You do not need to be a firmware engineer. Docs, bug reports, tests and answering questions all move the platform forward.

  1. Find your thing

    Browse open issues, docs that need love, or questions in the forum. The best first contribution is the one that bugs you most.

  2. Fork and build

    Every repository's README explains how to build and test it. Get it running on your machine before you change a line.

  3. Send a focused PR

    One change per pull request. Explain why, show how you tested it, and keep the diff small enough to review over coffee.

  4. Stay in the loop

    Answer review comments, help the next newcomer, and share what you shipped in the forum. That is how communities compound.

New to the platform? Read Contributing to PebbleOS

The code

Where everything lives.

Official source is published under the Core Devices organization on GitHub. Repository names and layouts change as the project grows, so start from the organization page.

Runs on the watch

Firmware

PebbleOS itself: the kernel, drivers, system services and built-in apps that run on your wrist.

Find it on GitHub
Runs on your phone

Mobile app

The iPhone and Android companion that pairs your watch, installs faces and apps, and delivers notifications.

Find it on GitHub
Runs on your computer

SDK and tools

The build tools, emulator and libraries developers use to create watchfaces and apps.

Find it on GitHub

github.com/coredevices

Issues, pull requests, releases and discussions, all in one organization.

Open the organization

License

Permissive by design.

The PebbleOS source released by Google is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. In plain terms:

  • Use, modify and share the code, including in commercial projects
  • Keep the license and copyright notices with the code you distribute
  • Mark the files you changed
  • Benefit from an explicit patent grant from contributors

A summary, not legal advice. Each repository carries its own LICENSE file, and that file is the final word.

Community

Build it with us.

The forum is where ideas turn into pull requests. Ask a question, pitch a feature, or show off the face you just shipped.

Join the forum Developer Hub
Pebble Round 2, $199 Pebble Time 2, $225 Compare watches