Pebble smartwatch brings support for Android Wear apps

The Pebble smartwatch has officially launched support for Google's Android Wear platform, allowing the device to receive and act upon Android notifications.

Full details of the update were published on the Pebble blog, with the startup stating that the full roll-out is intended to follow its ethos of being device agnostic.

"Integrating Pebble with Android Wear is thanks to the open approach Google built into Android's notification system," the blogpost stated.

"Openness is a value Pebble shares and appreciates. We hope more mobile operating systems follow suit so all Pebblers - no matter their smartphone choice - can take advantage of all the delightful features we introduce now, and in the future."

The update will actually allow the Pebble smartwatch to support a wider range of Android devices than other Android Wear watches - Android 4.0 and beyond rather than just Android 4.3.

More Pebble's sold than all Android Wear smartwatches combined

According to recent research from device analytics firm Canalys, Pebble has shipped a total of 1 million units from its 2013 launch to the end of 2014.

In contrast, the total number of Android Wear devices shipped by the end of last year - which includes the likes of the Moto 360, the Sony Smartwatch and the Asus ZenWatch - was only 720,000.

Android Wear has been criticised by some analysts, who claim that its lack of functionality and power-draining features are currently holding it back from widespread adoption.

"Android Wear will need to improve significantly in the future and we believe it will do so," said Canalys analyst Daniel Matte.

"Apple made the right decisions with its WatchKit software development kit to maximize battery life for the platform, and the Apple Watch will offer leading energy efficiency."