Pebble OS is adding plugins to supercharge apps and watchfaces

It was only a week ago that a hands-on video showed us how the Pebble Round 2 compares to the Garmin Forerunner 165. Once again, Pebble is in the news, but this time it’s for the software. Pebble OS is getting one of its most significant updates in recent memory.

According to founder Eric Migicovsky, the team is working on the “biggest change to the SDK since…forever.” The change in question refers to the addition of plugin support. This is a big deal for both developers and users alike. The reason why is that it will make apps and watchfaces far more versatile.

Plugins can allow a watchface to show certain information or perform actions without the developer having to hardcode it into their APIs. For example, a developer could use a plugin to display certain data, like weather or stock prices. Plugins could also be used to control music playback or smart home devices.

Migicovsky says that code is written in JavaScript and will run in the background of the Pebble app on your phone. Since they aren’t running on your smartwatch, they should have no effect on the battery life of your Pebble smartwatch. The Pebble founder compares plugins to Apple Watch complications. However, plugins are far more flexible, as developers have more options for adjusting the look or displaying data.