Pebble ships 23,000 Time 2 watches as Round 2 nears launch

rePebble says it has now built more than 23,000 Pebble Time 2 watches since mass production started in late March, and is over 80% of the way through fulfilling preorders. For customers still waiting, the company expects the remaining Pebble Time 2 orders to ship by July 28 or July 31, depending on color, and says the watch should soon be briefly available in stock before returning to preorder status.

The company also shared a broad software update. Over the last six months, its four-person Pebble software team says it has pushed major open-source improvements focused on battery life, apps, the SDK, Index 01 integration, and stability. rePebble says median battery life for Pebble 2 Duo has increased from 17 days last summer to more than 30 days, while Pebble Time 2 is currently at around 21 days.

New SDK features include:

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• Touch Screen API
• Speaker API
• RGB Backlight API
• Quick-launch detection for apps
• Alloy native JavaScript apps
• FFI support for running C code inside Alloy JS apps
• New JavaScript APIs and improved debugging tools

According to the company, developers have already created 2,120 apps and watchfaces for Pebble Time 2 and Pebble Round 2.

On the hardware side, rePebble says it has replaced 330 Pebble Time 2 units for free, including worldwide shipping, regardless of warranty status. The company says the most common issues have been:

• Very high power consumption, with battery life dropping below roughly 3 days
• Touch panel problems
• Cracked front glass, with 51 reports so far
• Button issues, with 32 reports

It added that some touch issues once thought to be hardware-related may actually be caused by software. For cracked glass, the company says it will continue offering free replacements for “reasonable reports” for now, but may later move to discounted replacements. It is also looking at selling replacement LCM modules for people who want to repair the watch themselves.

Pebble Round 2 production timeline

rePebble says Pebble Round 2 missed its earlier May production target because of a cosmetic defect in the stainless steel bottom case, caused by an extra CNC indentation. A revised part has now arrived, and the company says testing is going well.

As of July 14, the plan is to start mass production in the last week of July. Around 14,000 people have preordered the watch, and rePebble estimates it will take about two months to build them all, with shipments expected to finish by the end of September.

Each Round 2 preorder includes a silicone strap and charger. Optional custom leather straps will cost $20–30.

Index 01 ring shipping slips into September for some buyers

The company also says Index 01 is now in mass production, with several thousand rings assembled and shipments already starting. The schedule has slipped slightly from the previous estimate of early August: rePebble now aims to ship nearly all preorders by the end of August, with some less common size/color variants moving to September.

It also warned preorder customers that Index 01 may feel slightly smaller than the sizing kits suggested, and recommended choosing the next larger size if the sizer feels tight or difficult to remove.

One major software project is still farther out. rePebble says it is working through a transition away from reverse PPoGATT, a legacy Bluetooth setup that currently blocks support for iOS AccessorySetupKit. That work is required before the company can add notification replies for iPhone users in the EU.