Version 4.0 for both the Pebble mobile app and smartwatch firmware is out and with it comes a bunch of new features.
Some of Pebble's recent software releases involved several mute options and battery-saving features. With Version 4.0, however, Pebble chose to focus on ways that will enable the user to act faster.
"We worked hard to make sure your Pebble helps you get information quickly and act faster than ever before," says Pebble in a blog post dated Aug. 30, Tuesday.
This emphasis on maximizing the user's ability to "glance and go" is especially evident in Pebble Health with its new activity cards design. Pebble believes that it is now "faster, easier to find, and more informative from the wrist."
Pressing Up from the watchface brings about a summary of sleep and step statistics — quality of sleep and number of steps taken for that given day. A more detailed weekly summary can be brought up by pressing Right. It also shows the user how the current week's statistics compare to the week before.
Pebble also made graphical improvements to the Pebble Health mobile apps for both Android and iOS. The mobile app's Sleep and Activity graphs are now much clearer, much easier to understand.
Pebble's Firmware 4.0 also improved the displayed timeline, which is now more "glance-friendly." The company praises the new design for its simplicity and straightforwardness. Pressing Down on the watchface will bring up Quick Views, which can contain reminders and scheduled appointments. Pressing down on a Quick View will surface the details while pressing Back will dismiss it.
Another big enhancement that comes with Firmware 4.0 is the revamped Pebble smartwatches Launcher menu. With the new condensed banner design, the menu shows more items at once. Moreover, Pebble also introduces the App Glances feature, which previews information prior to opening apps.
Sticking with 4.0's theme of speed, Pebble opted for speedier system animations, which enhances the overall experience.
"Favorite Pebble apps are just a press and hold away with the updated 4-Button Quick Launch," says Pebble. "Assign favorite apps to the Up, Down, Back, and Select buttons to get going."
The mobile apps for both Android and iOS have also gotten their share of graphical adjustments. The improved design brings about cleaner menus and layouts, fresh colors and crispier performance.
Time Steel, Time Round and Pebble Time owners can proceed to updating their smartwatches to 4.0 using the Pebble app. First select "Menu," then proceed to "Support" and finally, select "Update." The mobile apps for Android and iOS can be updated through Google Play and iTunes App Store.
In the same blog post, Pebble also informed that Email Actions, a feature that has long been supported on Android, is coming to iOS. Basic actions such as delete, mark as read, archive, star emails and reply all can be performed through the smartwatch. Voice replies and custom canned email replies are also possible. It can be set up by accessing Email Preferences, which is contained under Settings.
