Pebble Time firmware update brings brighter backlight, milder haptic buzz, new controls

Pebble added some new features and settings to its Pebble Time smartwatch via a firmware upgrade, and built some new functions into the Pebble iPhone and Android apps. The enhancements are all driven by requests from Pebble owners, according to the company.

Users can now control the intensity of the haptic wrist buzzer, which before was pretty jolting. The other major change is that the watch’s backlight can also now be controlled. Users can set it to be brighter or to stay on longer.

Pebble users can access the new firmware version 3.2 in the settings section of their Pebble iPhone or Android phone apps.

The Pebble companion iOS and Android apps also get some upgrades, including a new search bar and support for long, canned replies.

Here is the full set of firmware enhancements.

Pebble Time Firmware 3.2 Release Notes

• New Backlight settings: Adjust intensity and time-out duration.
• New Font Size settings: Adjust the displayed font size in notifications, layouts, and other areas of the system.
• New Vibration settings: Adjust the vibration strength for notifications, incoming calls, alerts, etc. Default vibration setting is less strong than the previous default.
• Music (Android): Added support for most music players (e.g. Pandora, Spotify, Songza), improved display of track metadata, play/pause detection (app now displays separate pause and play icons to match current playback status).
• Notifications: A collection of improvements and fixes to enhance the notifications experience, including a new Dismiss All action.
• Bug fixes and stability improvements.
• To update: Select Menu » Support » Update Your Pebble within the Pebble Time app for iOS or Android.

Pebble Time App for Android 3.2.0 Release Notes

• NEW: Search bar to find saved apps and watchfaces in your My Pebble menu.
• NEW: Notification preferences are now preserved after updating the Android app to a new version.
• IMPROVED: Support for setting up long canned replies to notifications.
• Bug fixes and stability improvements to version 3.1.1.
• Download 3.2.0 from the Google Play Store.