First post - my apologies if this has been covered elsewhere.
My T1D son (9yo) is about to go onto the Dexcom G6, with a Tandem x:slim2 pump coming later this year.
He’s currently running a Freestyle Libre with pen injections - so it’s going to be a big step forwards.
Like many parents I’m looking at connecting the G6 directly to an Android smartwatch so he doesn’t have to carry a phone at all times.
I’ve been reading about xDrip+ - but wanted to sanity check before I splurge on a smartwatch.
The xDrip+ documentation (https://github.com/NightscoutFoundation/xDrip/blob/master/Documentation/WatchGuide.md) shows the following watches as being compatible with xDrip+:
But these are all older models & not available off the shelf/ in-store in September 2020.
From my understanding I can only use these watches with xDrip+ as they all (apart from the Sony) require a firmware update.
Or is it possible to use any WearOS watch - but that might cause a hit on update time/ reliability?
Has anyone got any recommendations for a newer (2020) smartwatch they’ve connected directly to the Dexcom G6 via xDrip+?
I should mention we live in New Zealand. We generally have good access to tech for the Asian brands (Samsung, LG, Huawei etc.) & Apple - but it’s harder to source tech focused on the US market (i.e. Palm).
The other thing I wanted to check is the xDrip+ documentation only talks about the Dexcom G5 - is connecting the Dexcom G6 any different?
I appreciate any help - or links if these questions have been answered elsewhere.
Hi @Tama and welcome! @docslotnick is one of our resident XDrip experts and will most likely be along shortly. The info on GitHub is slightly dated as several of those watches don’t need firmware updates and there are other watches that work. That said however, it sounds like you actually want a watch that will work as a stand alone unit (without being tethered to a phone). If memory serves there are very few that will accomplish this task - the only one. I can think of is the Sony SW3. I might be very wrong and @docslotnick will definitely have a currently curated list for you, or can point you in the right direction.
Hopefully there are more options than the Sony SWR50 as it’s a 6 year old model & really hard to get hold of in New Zealand. From what I can see my only options are refurbished models through Amazon etc. - which cost more than a new 2020 smartwatch!
Hopefully @docslotnick can give me some more watch options.
Another option is the Finow Pro watch, which is basically an Android 6 on your wrist, but smaller. That way you could have the follow functions that are built into xDrip+.
We are currently using Apple, and have been disappointed in the vaporware that is an Apple watch that can directly connect to the Dexcom G6. With that being said, your son will soon be at an age where the phone never leaves his hands, and so a phone that updates a watch becomes a reasonable compromise.
My son (17) uses the G6 and Tandem pump combo, and it is really awesome. You will really enjoy the Control IQ algorithm, although it will struggle to help during all the growth periods that are coming shortly.
I am using a samsung galaxy watch, and have a samsung phone. The watch will act as a receiver, and works well with xdrip. I not sure you can be totally phone free however.
A benefit is that you can set up watch maker app and load a face that shows BG, rate change, and amount of change over time. Some will change color of part of the face with BG levels.
I’ll try to post an example of one I created.
Mike
Hello Mike,
I have a Samsung S9 phone and I am using the Tandem x2 pump with dexcom g6. I am looking for a watch that is easy to set up and get a watch face that will give me my numbers on my wrist. I see you are using a Samsung watch which model have you found that works best for you? Thanks for any advice. I used an old Pebble, but it has quit working and is outdated. Thanks, Kelly
I have two watches, a Samsung Galaxy and a FitBit Ionic. Both should work with your phone. The newer versions of both watches will work with the various watch faces I use. As for the easiest, I would suggest the FitBit. There are several watch faces that were created for the FitBit that work very well, and someone has created an exercise app that records your workout while showing your CGM values. Note, for both watches you have to use xdrip to transmit the data (simplistic answer), and you can see the graph of the data…
The watch faces for the FitBit are downloaded via the dashboard on your phone. You then set up the permissions and alarm limits before transmitting to your watch.
There are also watch faces for the Galaxy. It is a bigger and heavier watch - but the newer versions are smaller and lighter. In order for the watch face to work you have to download several apps and run an install app, and someone has done a lot of work to get it working; then all you have to do is put in the alarms and etc. So much more complicated, but it is more customizable. I adapted a couple different watch faces to make one that worked best for me (less clutter). One irritation with the galaxy, there is a lag in the most recent data being updated on the watch face. I like playing with the Galaxy and programing various features, such as having a graphic change color with the blood sugar.
The two watches use different operating systems, so you cannot use a watch face from one on the other. IMO the fitness data is presented in the dashboard of the fitBit. One other note, and I was surprised that xdrip has this feature, your heart rate and steps/activity are shown in the xdrip+ app.
The only issue with the FitBits is a random reliabiliity failure.
It has been awhile since I have been on here. I need some help
We were using ssw3 as stand alone. Can’t not get it going again. I think it is because we are running wear OS 2.2. I can not find a download for WEAR OS 1.6. Does anyone have it? Most appreciated!
It looks like no one has responded. hopefully my response bumps this up and someone more knowledgeable than I has an answer. If you did find what you are looking for, please post it so it can help others.
I’m no longer using my Sony SW3 but I will check tomorrow to see if I still have the Wear OS 1.6 on my computer. Tagging @dmac as I believe he uses the watch standalone and may have the apk.
I’ve been using the Smartwatch 3 for a very long time with no problem. I have also had to reinstall the Wear OS several times. I have two Ss3 watches. I have shown the link I use for selecting the desired version of the Wear OS:
This can greatly vary based on your settings.
If you are running as Collector, this is the biggest battery draw, but the entire reason I HAVE the watch.
Next up is the wake with motion. If you use this, turn down the sensitivity and shorten the screen timeout.
I turn this off, and just touch the bottom middle of the watch screen to see my numbers. This gained me more than a day’s worth of battery life.
I turn off all other alarms, Send calls from phone, etc.
I run the watch as the collector and it sends data to the phone when it is in range. I do have the backfill hours set to max though. This does drain some battery, but is the main purpose of me having this watch, to NOT have the phone on my 24/7. I feel this is worth it to me, but if you constantly have your phone with you, you can lower this as well for better battery life.
Also, how you charge it makes a difference. The charge isn’t all that fast, and I leave it on the charger for a while after it says its at 100%. Not sure if it trickle charges or not, but it seems to help for me, could be placebo affect for all I know though.
Yes I use the Sony Smartwatch 3 standalone. The battery usually lasts for almost 2 days but the different activities make a large difference. If the watch is used standalone without having the phone turned on or within bluetooth range the battery lasts about 20% longer. I just changed a watch battery that dropped down to only about 20% after 16 hours of usage with the phone within range. The new battery again had more than 60% without the phone. I am now only using the phone at night to capture the watch stored data and verbally report BG during the night. During that period of time both the phone and watch are being changed.