My son is wearing Dexcom G5, paired with Iphone 6 and lately we are frequently getting “Bluetooh OFF” signal despite the bluetooth being on. It does not seem to help to flick the bluetooth off and back on. Then it just randomly connects again but often after a couple of hours. Anybody seen this???
@vilhelmmar
Do you also use the Dexcom Receiver?
If using both the Dex Receiver and the Dex App (on smart device) it may help to narrow down the issue. Meaning if the Receiver clearly continues to receive the data/signal when the iPhone does not then it most likely is an iPhone issue.
On the other hand if both the Receiver and the iPhone loose data/signal together than it may be a transmitter issue.
To directly answer your question, NO. We do not see this issue with our G5 Transmitter going to our iPhone 7 when it was running the iOS 10.x nor with the recent upgrade to iOS 11.1. Granted different phone model.
When you get the Bluetooth OFF - what is the power level on the iPhone? Is it possible this is an iPhone power saving mode kicking in?
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I have an “old” iPhone 5s and sometimes this does happen. I end up powering my phone off and restarting it, then turning Bluetooth off, then on. Then it’s all working again. Dunno why…
@CatLady - The next time this happens, would you be able to make notice of the iPhone battery level and follow up with such?
I will try to remember to do so!
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We don’t see that problem, but we do have enough other issues that we power the phone off and back on every night, which seems to clear up most issues.
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@vilhelmmar, welcome to the forum!
Dexcom reports that several simultaneous bluetooth connections on the device create problems for the app. Did you have more than one device paired to the iphone (such as, for instance, a speaker)?
Dexcom is also aware of a couple of bugs in the app related to Bluetooth use, and recommends, as @Chris mentioned above, cycling the phone on and off once a day. We do that right before bed so that we are sure to have a good connection during the night.
You might want to introduce yourself on the Welcome thread! I am looking forward to more of your posts.
Thank you all for the info. Very helpful. I have checked the battery level and that is all ok and last time it happened it was at 80% plus and it was not connected to another device. I have not recycled the phone and will do. A good idea. Unfortunately I have not the original receiver for the Dexcom.
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This just happened to me today. I’m using the Dex G5 with an iPhone 6. I powered the phone off then turned it back on. A few minutes later it started working again.
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I too am seeing bluetooth conflicts as I have hearing aides (Phonak Compilot) paired to the iPhone as well as the Dexcom transmitter. Only started with the most recent app update. Causes the hearing aides to lose connectivity almost once a minute. They reconnect over and over. Recycling is what they recommended to me, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference.
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Close some of the other apps running on the phone, close the Dexcom app, turn off Bluetooth, restart the phone. When it pours back up, enable Bluetooth, start the Dexcom app, pair your hearing aid, then things should work again.
Dexcom eats a lot of memory, and with too many apps open at once the Dexcom app tends to corrupt memory. This is why they recommend the restart.
The 1.7.0 app is also buggy. It interferes with audio, which could also affect your HAs. And it doesn’t play nice with 3rd party keyboards.
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If Dexcom is suggesting quitting apps to free up memory, they really need to train their tech support people better. Here’s a helpful article about memory and background processes on iOS.
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I know! I am always underwhelmed when I call Dexcom and they recommend closing all other apps because of the memory footprint…
The article talks about improving speed and battery, but their comments on background apps not taking memory is incorrect. Apps like Dexcom refresh data regularly, meaning they are in memory and running.
If the Dexcom app or data gets corrupted, or it corrupts something else, you end up with problems.
This is troubleshooting 101. When my wife’s phone or computer has issues, the first question I ask is “when did you reset it last?”
But my personal opinion, having input from a Dexcom developer or two (one former one works for me), is the Dexcom app is buggy.
Done all of this already and yes it does make a difference. But having to do this on that regular a basis while my hearing aids are not fully functional nor do not play well with 3rd party keyboards is more trouble than seems reasonable.
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I agree fully. I’m not going to quit using other apps because Dexcom doesn’t test their code before they release it. It is very unreasonable.
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As a former iOS developer, I have some idea of the inner workings of iOS memory management (though I am no expert), and my opinion is that rebooting your phone daily or “closing” apps is usually not necessary, and that there’s no such thing as apps or memory getting corrupted.
However, the only downside of regularly rebooting your phone or “closing” apps is just a little lost time, and if it seems to solve the issue it can’t hurt.
If, on the other hand, you get annoyed at having to go through all that work (as I do), I think you should feel free to explore less time-consuming solutions. (For what it’s worth, I never reboot my phone and don’t have any Bluetooth issues with my Dexcom, and the only time I “close” apps are when they are clearly misbehaving.)
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As a current iOS developer working with Bluetooth, mobile phone deployment, and hearing aids, I will respectfully disagree with you.
Please explain what stray pointers do in a program, of not corrupt memory or a program.
How is Dexcom’s app affecting 3rd party keyboards? How is it affecting audio levels at random?
Apples Bluetooth has non standard quirks in how their packets work. When you have several Bluetooth devices connected, you can have lost connections due to the shared channels.
And mobile operators recommend rebooting your phone every 24 hours to pick up network updates on the cellular system. I agree that is overkill, but updates do happen that affect speed and operation of the cellular net.
And closing misbehaving apps, and having things start working again, supports all that.
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I have the bluetooth off problem as of the last few iOS updates on iPhone 6. Dexcom recommends the stand alone receiver, but mine is out of warranty and does not work. They refuse to send me a new one and it costs over $500. This is inexcusable. So many users have this problem, I’m TIRED of switching bluetooth on and off. It occurs after opening the internet with my phone- I will be probably switching to the Medtronic System.
Dexcom used to care about their customers, not anymore.
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