CGM mobile app annoyance

It’s just a general annoyance that such an important app (G5 mobile) isn’t available for both MAJOR phone platforms…

I’m on the other side of the fence as I love my iPhone, but I hear you.

Right now I’m having to use my phone (iPhone) as the receiver because I didn’t understand when I got this phone that the phone used as the receiver has to be an iPhone. So my wife and I effectively have to swap phones when I’m working in the office so I can use Follow on her phone to see BG readings…Poor understanding on my part, I know, when getting our new phones. I just hate that Android was overlooked.

Yes, even though it’s a pain I really recommend getting the xDrip+ setup
for you. Not only will it allow you to remotely monitor with a smaller
android phone as the receiver, but xDrip+ also has a few other ancillary
benefits, which we haven’t yet taken advantage of for our son. For
instance, the two-hour warmup period with no data, apparently there is a
way to still get readings during that time (they may not be accurate but in
our experience those warmup periods are when our son experiences the worst
highs and lows – we’re basically useless at measuring BG without our Dex
numbers). Having some rough guess in that time frame would be awesome! The
other cool thing I’ve *heard * is that you can also lengthen the life of
your G5 transmitter. It’s programmed to die at the 3-month-mark, but my
husband has attached a technically expired transmitter and measured his BG
using xDrip+ on his phone. So it could theoretically save you a little
money as well. We still use an iPhone for our son’s receiver because we
already have it and it is easy for the teachers at school to use and
they’re used to it. But my long-term goal is to transition him to a much
smaller Android phone and then rely on xDrip+. Or maybe in two years the
Android app for Share will finally be ready???

Can I install xdrip on my wife’s Droid and configure my iPhone with Follow our whatever to track the so we can keep our respective phones all the time?

if your wife’s phone is going to be your son’s receiver, then that would make a lot of sense. xDrip+ I think is supposed to be on the receiver phone – so whatever is reading the bluetooth signal from your son’s transmitter. I think

And my iPhone can be the follower phone?

I just clarified this. My corrected comment is below.

yep. I use Follow on my iPhone. Follow is also available for Android too. So basically once you have setup the Android phone as your son’s receiver with xdrip+, you aren’t really locked into any specific phone for the future (well, it has to be Android or iPhone, I guess it can’t be a Windows phone – do those even exist still?)

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And xdrip is Android only? I don’t see anything in the app store for iPhone. Or is it a website to phone download or something of that sort? Could someone post a URL for me plz?

A watch could be a genius solution for a kid though! I don’t know about Liam, but we have hand-sewn undershirts for our son to wear to daycare that have velcro pockets for his iPhone. If he didn’t need the phone on him or near him at all times, he could just wear a watch. (So would the phone still need to be paired with the watch though?)

I could also see a scenario where you have programmed the watch somehow to beep or flash a light when the little one is low or high; you could essentially be teaching them early on to be aware of those events.

Our iPhone doesn’t drop a lot of readings but wherever the WiFi is weak (kids are in the basement so thick concrete walls) it doesn’t upload them to us on Follow…which drives me nuts.

My impression is xdrip is only for Android but I’m not an expert. Maybe join this group on Facebook if you’re interested. I’m betting lots of people on there are willing to help and walk through it. I didn’t do all the installing so I know the general outlines but not the nitty gritty: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1021594524580709/

Yes, xDrip+ is for Android only. Once you get the phone set up as the receiver, you can upload vs Wi-Fi or mobile data to another phone with xDrip+ on it, and/or to Dexcom Share servers to sync with the follow app for iPhone or Android, and/or to Nightscout. There are also hacks to upload to Tidepool.

Then there’s the watch as the receiver if you wish. But that requires the phone to be carried to act as the uploader.

I removed my earlier comment. I was totally wrong and wanted to correct myself!

I called Dexcom and got an answer.

The Dexcom is approved for Android in Europe. It is currently in use over there.

Why is it not available here? Well of course it is our dear friend, the bane of all diabetics in the U.S., it is the FDA slowing them down.

Because the Android is open-source, it takes a lot more to get approved for the Android than it does for the iPhone.

Anticipated availability for the Android is the end of this year, possibly at the same time as the new sensor will be available.

My apologies for my wild-■■■■ speculation. I should have known. It…is…always…the FDA…

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yeah it’s kind of crazy – I mean, it’s an app – what’s to approve? But then I remembered that it’s also a life-saving alarm that could cost people lives if it malfunctioned. So I sorta get it. Then again, my Dexcom Follow NEVER alarms at night and it’s FDA-approved. I have to open my computer and leave NightScout open for it to alarm. So clearly whatever laborious process the FDA is using to approve it is not sufficient. I’m also just not convinced that the FDA has staff with the suitable level of expertise to evaluate a computer app.

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I think the problem is that there is only one iOS and the hardware is all proprietary, so the FDA only needs to test one device.

Android on the other hand, is whatever a vendor wants to do with it, and there are so many different hardwares out there nobody’s even counting them anymore.

FDA requires that the core functions of the Dexcom system never, ever, never, ever fail lest someone perishes from missing an alert. So in their little world every Android based phone back to Gingerbread has to pass muster.

When will the FDA approve Dexcom for Android? End of 2017 Mid 2018 End of 2018 DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH.

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I find this extremely ironic given that my Dexcom Follow app seems to be lacking the core functionality – namely the alerts at highs and lows. I have no idea why it does not make sound, but does so only 10 percent of the time. I’m not on Do Not Disturb mode or airplane mode or anything, and I have checked my settings numerous times. In the end i found it easier to just use Night Scout, which is more reliable.

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Dexcom has spent millions by edict of the FDA to advise users of their receivers that sometimes the alarm will fail to sound. It’s a mystery why the same warning has not been ordered for the Follow apps.

15 posts were split to a new topic: How do I start xdrip+ with a Dexcom?

Guys, I am splitting the thread to an xDrip thread for the latest part of the discussion.

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