Fitbit smartwatch gets support for third-party apps at launch

At launch, the Fitbit smartwatch will have access to an SDK for creating applications, and a so-called ‘app gallery’ is included on the watch itself. Earlier reports pointed to the lack of third party apps.

In an interview with The Verge, Fitbit CEO James Park indicated that a software development kit will be available so developers can create their own applications for the yet-to-be-released smartwatch. Initially it will only be available for ‘selected partners’, but in the long run the SDK will be available for all developers.

A number of third-party applications will also be available at the launch of the smartwatch. These are available through what Fitbit calls an app gallery, and not a full-fledged application store, which indicates that it is a limited offer. The wearable maker did not want to let go of which applications are available at the launch of the smartwatch.

Although Fitbit had announced an application store for wearable apps at the beginning of this year, reports surfaced shortly afterwards that the company was struggling with its development. For a long time, it was therefore thought that Fitbit’s smartwatch would not have support for third-party apps at launch. It is still not known when Fitbit’s smartwatch will hit the market, something that probably has to do with previously reported design issues.