Start using pebble without google?

General Discussion
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There are two similar topics but I wanted to state more precicely that I need free software for my pebble watch. At least something usable with GNU/linux or an app available in f-droid or as file download.

Today I started to use my new pebble and had to lend the phone of a friend to get the app! I have no google account and I wont have one, ever.

So at least give the people something free. When I ordered a pebble nearly one year ago, I did this with the promise of “freedom” in mind, the announcement stated something like “free” and “open”. So I spent many bucks now only to find me tied to google?

We urgently need free software and a free starting-process, a free store to get the software.

Is there something? For now, I cant encourage someone to bye this also. With a big warning-sign like “Attention, goggle needed!” I wouldn’t have bought this watch.

Maybe we could develop something together, I also can do my part in it. But for now I am stuck and disappointed about this.

Any hint is greatly welcome, especially if it does not divide the pebble-users in “you-can-do-everything-if-you-use-google” and “poor-user-has-to-use-free-software-with-restrictions”.

Thanks!

2 Likes
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Hi! The app is fully open source - you can compile and install it yourself if you’d like. Hard to get more free than that!

We do not distribute binaries outside of iOS appstore and Google play because we’re a small team and we cannot commit to providing customer support to users who do not use those platforms. It’s hard enough supporting those already! On our website (scroll to bottom of Get your new Pebble smartwatch here ) we mention explicitly that we only support iPhone and Android.

2 Likes
First Pebble. Very mixed feelings
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Also some good discussions happening here - [Question] about Mobileapp for Android without Google Services · Issue #118 · coredevices/mobileapp · GitHub

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I’m using the pebble app on a de-googled phone with microG (e/OS), and it works perfectly. I think gadgetbridge, which is google-free and available on f-droid, works fine too.

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Neither Gadget Bridge and microPebble require a Google account.

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I think you’re kind of missing the point — compiling it yourself doesn’t give you the same featureset that the official app does. And even if it did, you’d still need a Google account.

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We never said that the Pebble app would work with a deGoogled phone.

But no account or sign in is needed to use the app. If you want to change it to work differently…the app is open source - you can modify it however you like. This is a million times better than basically any other connected device on the market! No good deed goes unpunished I guess…

1 Like
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Maybe I was unclear with my phrasing. I meant that you’d still need a Google account for the full featureset the app provides.