Question about Pebble / NSS | Pebble gone out of business

[jshack01]

We are looking at a 2017 G23 and I was reading up on the NSS with the Pebble Watch. I went out to check on the watches and found that Pebble has gone out of business as of December, 2016. Is anyone aware of what happens now? Is there another type of Smart watch that will work? I've inquired with my dealer but thought I would check with forums as well.

Thanks,
John Shackleton

2012 SANTE 230
--> In progress 2017 G23

[charlesml3]

John,

This is a topic that has been discussed at length here and with lots of Nautique dealers. Here's where we stand:

- Pebble is gone. They were bought by FitBit.

- FitBit has no plans to continue developing the Pebble watch. All they wanted was the I.P.

This leaves all of us in a tight spot. Yes, you can find Pebble watches on Amazon and eBay but there is NO SUPPORT and NO WARRANTY unless whoever sold it to you will take it back. Your mileage may vary.

Nautique hasn't officially said anything at all about this. It's disappointing and they really need to create a page on their website with their plan. Unofficially, people here have talked to representatives at Nautique and apparently they are working on something. We just don't know what that "something" is or when it will be available.

So here's what you can do:

- New Pebble watches are around. eBay for $30 or so. You can certainly get one and see if you can get it to work until Nautique comes up with something else. If it doesn't work, you're only out $30...

As it stands today, this is your only option. No other smartwatch will work at this time.

I wish I had better news for you.

-Charles

[jshack01]

Thank you Charles! Appreciate the input and quick response.

John Shackleton

2012 SANTE 230
--> In progress 2017 G23

[Kmayotte]

Just an FYI, I bought a Pebble Watch (original one) and I cannot get it to work with an iphone using the Legacy (old) pebble app that is required to properly sync with a 2016 due to outdated firmware. I do not believe the issue persists for 2017 but just goes to show what a mess this is.

[jshack01]

Sounds like a newbie developer. Send me the source code. I'll port to Apple Watch and we'll be done with this nonsense.

[charlesml3]

I do not believe the issue persists for 2017 but just goes to show what a mess this is.

That's really the open question we have right now. Does the new firmware work with ALL 2017s, or is it just 2017s with LINC 3.0?

[Johnny_Rock]

I recently bought a '16 G23. I've read the older post about Pebble since I'm new to all this--I wasn't too concerned about the situation. I would, however, be grateful if someone was so kind as to tell me (step by step) what I'd need to do to try make one work. (In a nutshell how does it even work? What model watch? What version of the firmware? Do I need to sync it to an iPhone? Or use an iPhone at all? etc.) Not even sure I'd want to use the thing.

I have some time before I even pick up the boat--figured there'd be a solution from Nautique by the time I might use it.

[charlesml3]

I would, however, be grateful if someone was so kind as to tell me (step by step) what I'd need to do to try make one work. (In a nutshell how does it even work? What model watch? What version of the firmware? Do I need to sync it to an iPhone? Or use an iPhone at all? etc.)

OK, I'll do my best here:

- Get the Pebble Watch. Not the metal, not the Time. Just get the Pebble Classic.

- It needs firmware 2.8.1 in order to work with a 2016. See the attachment regarding firmware.

- You'll need to work with a phone. Some people have gotten the old version of the app to work with an iPhone. Others have had to dig up an Android device. This is covered in the firmware .pdf also.

- You'll need to pair it with your boat. See the attachment regarding pairing.

It seems unlikely we'll see a solution from Nautique for this coming summer but they're not saying much of anything either way.

-Charles

[Johnny_Rock]

Thanks Charles!

[Johnny_Rock]

I guess I have some more questions on this before I buy one. It seems Charles (thanks again!) gave me four steps:
1./ Get the classic Pebble watch somewhere on line for about $50, give or take. Looks like its model # 301.
2./ More than likely--downgrade the firmware to 2.8.1.
3./ Get the app on a mobile phone.
4./ Pair it with the boat.

Seems like I also need to get the Nautique app on the watch? Is that easy enough?

My plan would be to get the watch set up correctly before I pick up the boat. Then have the people at the dealership help me pair both the watch and the remote (supplied with the boat) to the boat. Then leave the watch in the boat except to charge.

Make sense? Can it be done this way--tinker with the watch, the phone, the app, and the firmware and get it all working before I've even taken possession of the boat?

Should I buy more than one watch while I'm at it?

Have these watches continued to function well? Lots of continued exposure to the water doesn't harm them?

Once I have the watch set up and working--I obviously wouldn't need to do anything more as long as nothing changed, correct? (I'm thinking about firmware on the boat's computer. If that needs an update--things might change with the watch.)

Thanks for the help.

[charlesml3]

Seems like I also need to get the Nautique app on the watch? Is that easy enough?

Oh. Yea I left that part out but it's trivial. On your phone, bring up the pebble app store and just search for NSS. It's right there.

If you can get all this done before, then yes, I would do what you're doing. Get it ready, take it with you and do all of it at the dealership.

Should you get more than one? Well that's a good question. I suppose you'd have to decide how likely you are to lose it or something. There's precious little information on how reliable they are.

-Charles

[NautiqueJeff]

Mine has been reliable over the past two years. And yes, you can do what you're planning as far as setting it up early. Keep in mind, though, that you can only have the watch or the remote paired, not both. Also, the watch must be unpaired from your phone before you can pair it with the boat.

[Johnny_Rock]

So, I got two Pebble Classics from Amazon and attempted to set them up using my iPhone 6.

When I took them out of the box and got started--it seemed like the watch kept requesting to pair to my phone. Long story short: I struggled through it for awhile and was able to get the 2.9.1 firmware onto the watch and get them paired together. (Getting texts on the watch which I want to disable--just want the watch for an alternative to the blue remote to be able to switch sides. Plan to leave it in the boat.)

Question 1: Does the v2.9.1 firmware work with a 2016? Or does it have to be 2.8.1 like the Nautique documentation shows?

I cannot get the Nautique NSS app from the "Pebble store" loaded onto the Pebble iPhone app. Others have had trouble with this step also. Seems to be an iPhone issue. And my next move would be to find someone with an Android phone that would get the Nautique NSS app from Pebble onto the watch. At that point it would theoretically work with the boat I'm gonna pick up soon. I'd just leave the watch in the boat; never update the watch. And I have no desire to pair it with my iPhone.

Question 2: Is it that simple?

There are a few other Pebble threads that I've read. Seems like the most relevant one is "2016 G's and Pebble." I'm just going to keep all my questions/comments in this thread for now.

Thanks! Appreciate the help!

[charlesml3]

Mine has been reliable over the past two years. And yes, you can do what you're planning as far as setting it up early. Keep in mind, though, that you can only have the watch or the remote paired, not both. Also, the watch must be unpaired from your phone before you can pair it with the boat.

With the 2017 LINC 2.0 (and I assume LINC 3.0) this is no longer the case. Both the Pebble and the NSS remote can be paired at the same time. That said, the Pebble takes priority. If the Pebble is turned on, the LINC display will show a watch icon in the lower left corner and the NSS will only "listen" to the watch. If the Pebble is turned off, the icon will change to look like the NSS remote and the NSS will listen to that.

-Charles

[charlesml3]

Question 1: Does the v2.9.1 firmware work with a 2016? Or does it have to be 2.8.1 like the Nautique documentation shows?

I cannot get the Nautique NSS app from the "Pebble store" loaded onto the Pebble iPhone app. Others have had trouble with this step also. Seems to be an iPhone issue. And my next move would be to find someone with an Android phone that would get the Nautique NSS app from Pebble onto the watch. At that point it would theoretically work with the boat I'm gonna pick up soon. I'd just leave the watch in the boat; never update the watch. And I have no desire to pair it with my iPhone.

Question 2: Is it that simple?

There are a few other Pebble threads that I've read. Seems like the most relevant one is "2016 G's and Pebble." I'm just going to keep all my questions/comments in this thread for now.

I am almost positive that any firmware later than 2.8.1 will NOT work with a 2016. You will have to downgrade it.

-Charles