Dec 16, 2016 10:52 AM EST By Eva M. Fernandez, UniversityHerald Reporter

Fitbit had just acquired Pebble, and fans fear that the innovative smartwatch might be discontinued. However, Fitbit reassured Pebble fans in a blog post saying that the smartwatch will still be functional in 2017, even until the year after next.

Pebble's former Development Evangelist team member Jon Barlow said that the Pebble appstore, developer portal, mobile apps, firmware availability, Timeline APIs, CloudPebble, and the Pebble SDK, are all part of the Pebble ecosystem and will all remain in service, The Next Web reported. Barlow, who is now one of the major personnel of Fitbit's transition effort, said that Pebble developers can continue to create and update apps. This means Pebble users can still enjoy their smartwatches.

The bleak future of pebble

However, after the update, it is not certain whether dictation, weather, messaging and other third-party services will still be available for Pebble. Fans hope that Fitbit will streamline those apps and keep them on the smartphone.

Fitbit will also continue to update the mobile apps featured in Pebble and minimize their dependence on third party cloud services like analytics and authentication in the following months. Pebble Health, which is not dependent on cloud services, will still function normally. The Health platform will still be available for Google Fit, Apple's HealthKit, and Pebble app.

 Fitbit Pebble Acquisition

A lot of Pebble users were not particularly happy about the acquisition when it was announced last week. Most of these people are angered because they helped support Pebble's kickstarter fund raising, Apple Insider reported. Pebble is significant for fans because it can support both iOS and Android.

According to rumors, Fitbit acquired Pebble to compete with Apple. Fitbit is popular for its fitness tracker wearables, but it doesn't really have smartwatch products, which is why acquiring Pebble is a logical strategy for them. They can use Pebble's software for their advantage.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit