January 5, 2026
Wrist wars, ring riffs
Anyone building software for wearable tech?
Wrist wars: open-source wins, Pebble returns, and 'do we even need apps?'
TLDR: Developers are split between open-source excitement (Bangle.js and a Pebble revival) and frustration with closed platforms like Meta’s glasses. The community debates whether wearables need more apps at all, while builders ship health tools, watchface makers, and wrist-based assistants—access and usefulness are the stakes for the future of wearables.
The wearable world just brewed a spicy pot of drama. The open‑source wrist squad is cheering Bangle.js and its totally free app store, while a surprise Pebble comeback has people buzzing—complete with “arguments with rebble” soap opera energy and fresh docs at developer.repebble.com. One commenter flexed that Pebble’s operating system and phone bridge are open‑source, and there’s even a ring powered by “libpebble.” Open wrists, open hearts.
Then the skeptics crashed the party. One voice asked, “do we really want custom apps” on wearables at all, suggesting there’s not much beyond step counts and notifications. Others dragged Meta’s glasses for locking devs out—watching the software kits but finding “not much access,” with one person flatly saying Meta isn’t developer‑friendly or even consumer‑friendly. Access is the battlefield, and gates are the enemy.
Meanwhile, builders are building. A 14‑year‑old company, Fitabase, quietly makes money repurposing Fitbit and Garmin data for research—like the grown‑up at a teen house party. An Apple Watch dev is shipping a voice‑first assistant (hello wrist‑based ChatGPT), and an AR tinkerer hacked a cyberpunk HUD for XReal glasses. A “Canva for watchfaces” for Garmin drew immediate rivalry vibes when someone asked about Garmin’s own builder [garmin.watchfacebuilder.com]—shots fired, fonts ready.
The vibe: your wrist wants to talk, your face wants a HUD, and everyone’s arguing who gets the keys.
Key Points
- •Developers highlight Espruino’s Bangle.js2 smartwatch platform, featuring a JavaScript runtime on ESP32, an open-source OS, and a free, open-source app store.
- •A participant claims Pebble is preparing SDKs and leveraging the Bangle.js engine for JavaScript apps/watchfaces, with docs at developer.repebble.com; related tooling (OS, phone bridge, libpebble) is cited as open source.
- •Fitabase reports a 14-year, profitable operation enabling high-resolution data capture/export from Fitbit and Garmin for health research.
- •Individual projects include a voice-first assistant for Apple Watch and an Electron-based launcher for XReal Air2 Pro AR glasses tied to a Raspberry Pi setup.
- •Developers note interest in Meta and Even Realities glasses, but say current SDKs offer limited access; a visual watchface builder for Garmin is in development, with an existing Garmin tool also referenced.