Swimming Debuts on the Smartwatch with Pebble

Earlier this summer, we told you about the pre-beta launch of the new Swim.com platform, the first-ever swim training and workout platform compatible with all the watches built for swimming by Garmin, Swimovate and FINIS.

For us, it was exciting to see something come onto the swimming market that had the potential to do for our sport what sites like Strava, MapMyRun and RunKeeper have done for cycling and running.  It was the first step towards bringing swimming to the forefront of wearable tech: the next big thing for technological advancement in swimming.

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And sure enough, in just a few short months, the site has had thousands of interested swimmers who requested early access, according to Davis Wuolle (a SwimSwam co-founder and the platform’s product chief).

Now, three months after Swim.com’s pre-beta launch, these guys are making waves again, launching the Swim.com App for the popular Pebble smartwatch and opening up Swim.com to everyone (so if you didn’t get an account, you can sign up now).

The release of the app means that swimmers with a Pebble will be able to download all the functionality of a $150 swim watch onto their Pebble for free.

For tech-savvy consumers, this means the Pebble is now the first and only smartwatch to get advanced swimming functionality.  With the Swim.com app, the Pebble can track stroke counts, times, splits, distance and more.  Not to mention, Pebble is the only smartwatch you can wear in the pool now and probably in the foreseeable future.

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“We’ve developed advanced algorithms over hundreds of swimmers and thousands of laps that allow us to track swimmers’ motion through Pebble,” says Wuolle. “With the advancement of these algorithms, we look forward to being able to interpret swimming in even more advanced ways like being able to give live technique feedback.”

So this all continues to be great news for swimmers looking to get more data and relevant statistical feedback from their swims.  We look forward to the day when we can race Michael Phelps or Nathan Adrian in a sprint set and have a device tell us why we lost and how we can change that.

For now, just by purchasing a Pebble, swimmers can swim, sync and start tracking and breaking down their workouts (and even play Flappy Bird between sets).  If you have a techy swimmer on your Christmas list, the Pebble could be the best gift since the invention of the waterproof MP3 player.

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John
8 years ago

After a workout, the app will not upload data to my phone or the swim.com website. I’ve been trying for three months, dozens of workouts . . . FAIL! Correspondence with swim.com staff no help.

Sally
8 years ago

The swim.com pebble app doesn’t work at all for me. It logs laps only intermittently, and acts unpredictable, resetting itself or sets itself into resting mode without you pressing any buttons.

I just want it to count laps and not have to think about it, but I have to check it constantly to see if it has stopped counting.

Tracy R.
8 years ago

I’ve had pebble watch for a week. Have not yet been successful in the pool for counting distance. Time seems to be tracking, but not yards. Through research I see that my not doing flip turns might be the culprit. I’ll try gliding to see if that helps. I’d like specific instructions on which buttons on the watch to press when I start the swim, and which when rest begins, and then to get it off rest. It’s frustrating not knowing which button is going to control which function of swim.com.

Angela Nolan
9 years ago

How much are they and where can I purchase one from

Ernie
9 years ago

I’d also like to know if it’s possible to sync between swim.com and Garmin Connect.

Jack
9 years ago

Does the watch have to be in contact with the phone during the swim, or does the watch accumulate stats and then upload them to the phone?

Jared
9 years ago

The app seems set at a 25 Yard Pool, how do I change that?

Lorne Gray
9 years ago

Is it possible to sync swim.com with Garmin Connect or Training Peaks?

About Gold Medal Mel Stewart

Gold Medal Mel Stewart

MEL STEWART Jr., aka Gold Medal Mel, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Olympic Games. Mel's best event was the 200 butterfly. He is a former World, American, and NCAA Record holder in the 200 butterfly. As a writer/producer and sports columnist, Mel has contributed to Yahoo Sports, Universal Sports, …

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