Hi,
I’m working on a private, non-commercial CGM-related project and I’d like to ask forum members what features they feel are missing from current CGM apps.
I’m not selling anything, promoting a product, posting links, or recruiting users. I’m only interested in real-world feedback from people who use CGM systems.
Would it be okay to post this question in the Apps or DIY category?
Thank you.
I think you just did…
Seriously though, posting questions is fine. It’s submitting forms and so forth where you would need approval.
Since this is your first post, the best thing would be do prove you are a human and not AI. Then you will have more interaction.
Personally, I do not really have need for more from the CGM apps. I wish CGMs gave a more current state of BG. The lag between current BG and what the CGM shows is disappointing.
Others here will give you more useful answers.
The biggest thing we need is more / better accuracy. 
Welcome!
I am using xDrip+ with a Bluejay watch and my Tandem pump. I have customized my alerts to play music and don’t have any real need for anything more. The watch stops my alerts with a press of the stem button so I don’t have to take my phone out. I don’t want anybody messing with my current apps the way Samsung and Google and Zoom make changes just for change.
It’s always best to say what you are working on; e.g. post a link to the project. That’s better than a description because sadly in these days descriptions are treated with suspicion.
That said, welcome and thank you for your honesty; other’s might well have just made up a story and asked the same question.
Mostly I second @ClaudnDaye. As we move into a world where we can have automated control of insulin deliver (AIDS) because of #wearenotwaiting we have to deal with CGM inaccuracy, somehow.
The US acronym minefield is documented here, it’s important reading for everyone:
At least one of the statements in that article is blatantly incorrect (the Omnipod Dash pump, amongst others, proves that) however these are the acronyms that the US government has adopted so they are important to learn, DUI, DUII etc.
More accurate CGMs would help but I can offer other approaches; I’d like to cut CGMs out of the Loop by having an option to cancel all their attempts to fix up their bad readings. I want the raw data, not the massaged data.
I would also like the iCGM, so recently approved in the US by the FDA (see above), to be an international and open standard; much more than the iCGM the US FDA approved. I want a single written protocol for communicating CGM data in the iUniverse. CGMs are just sensors, like the pH meters we use to test our swimming pools or any of the other scientific measurement devices we use. They are inaccurate, as in “accurate” only up to a point. I don’t much care; CGMs should not be doing diabetes, they should just report what they measure.
Therefore, to directly answer your original question; I don’t want no CGM apps. I want that data to be evaluated entirely and solely by the iAGC (see above). I want the iAGC to be the sole discriminator; not some wonky marketing by some “iCGM” manufacturer!
We have a ways to go and I guess I am still waiting. If you want an executive summary, I’m a diabetic and I’m talking to a machine (the CGM app) and it does me no good; I want to talk to the controller (the iAGC) and the CGM, app or not, is just a subcontractor.
I’d appreciate much more customizable low trend alarms. I’m worried about a straight down arrow at 160. I’m worried about a medium down arrow when I’m at 120. And I’m worried about a really slight down trend when I’ve been sitting steady at 80.
Sounds reasonable to me! Post it in the Apps category since you’re mainly looking for feedback on CGM app features. Good luck with your project!
You could keep it simple and ask about missing features without promoting the project. The forum moderators can let you know if it fits their category.
I would love it if my CGM/pump could be customized more specifically for me. I don’t need low alarms to start at 95, even if I’ve got a double-down arrow. I’d much prefer they didn’t start alarming me until I’m down to 80. Especially at night, when it alarms me 4-5 times, and I’m still above 75. I need to sleep, too!
Same thing with highs. It’ll alarm me, I’ll treat the high, but it takes some time before the high comes down. I’d prefer it waited longer to alarm a second, third, fourth time. Again, more aggravating at night when I’m trying to sleep, but also during the day when I’m trying to get stuff done.
Another BIG wish…that the CGM had a longer range of connection, so I wouldn’t always have to make sure that I’m wearing the pump and the CGM on the same side of my body. Although the Instinct doesn’t lose connection as often as the original Medtronic CGM, it still happens more often than I would like.
You should try sugar pixel. You can do all those things with that device and shut off all other alerts / alarms.
I just looked up sugar pixel. Seems like it’d be even worse for sleep, putting more light near my bed, and louder alarms. And it’s expensive! I only did a very quick look at it, though. Perhaps you can give me more details? For example, do I have to disconnect from my phone app, or do I just shut the phone off at night? If I have to disconnect from the phone app, how would the sugar pixel work when I’m not ast home? Is it portable? And, of course, the big question: would Medicare cover it?
Also, just got a message from Medtronic that if we wear the pump too far above or below the infusion site, it can give more or less insulin than you’ve programmed. Interesting, because I’ve been having the alarm issue way more frequently since I had surgery in June and haven’t been able to use my abdomen for sites, So I’m putting the sites in my legs, and at night my pump is frequently hooked to the neckline of my nightgown. That may be the nighttime problem. During the day, the pump is usually in my pocket and that distance is apparently not too far for the insulin delivery.
Your original post actually makes me think a SugarPixel might be worth looking into, especially because of what you’re describing with alarm fatigue.
We’ve used SugarPixels for quite a while to monitor Liam’s BG, and one of the biggest advantages for me is that it gives us another alert system instead of being completely dependent on whatever alarm behavior the CGM manufacturer decided to build into its app.
One feature I especially like is the randomized alarms. Instead of hearing the exact same sound every single time, SugarPixel can generate different alert tones. That’s a BIG deal for anyone who has become “alarm deaf.” After hearing the same CGM alarm hundreds or thousands of times, your brain can get incredibly good at tuning it out — especially while you’re asleep. SugarPixel was specifically designed with randomized alerts to help combat that.
It also has snooze features, quiet hours and auto-snooze. So the goal isn’t necessarily to have MORE alarms keeping you awake. It gives you another way of managing how you’re alerted rather than relying entirely on your CGM/pump alarms.
And yes, SugarPixel can get ridiculously loud if you need it to. But you control the volume. There’s also an optional bed shaker, so someone who is a very heavy sleeper can have a physical vibration alert in addition to the audio alarm.
As far as the light bothering you at night, you can turn the brightness way down. The newer SugarPixel+ goes even further with reduced brightness, a red nighttime filter and an automatic display-off feature. You can have the screen OFF while you sleep and have it come back on when an alert occurs or when you touch it. So you don’t have to sleep with a bright BG display shining in your face all night.
You also do NOT disconnect your CGM from your phone to use SugarPixel. Your phone, CGM and pump continue doing whatever they normally do. SugarPixel is simply an additional display/alert system receiving your CGM information.
And they’re definitely portable. I actually carry our SugarPixels with us when we travel so I can continue monitoring Liam’s BG. When we get somewhere new, I basically just plug them in, connect them to the new Wi-Fi, and boom — his BG is right there again. Nothing has to be disconnected or re-paired with his CGM.
Now, SugarPixel isn’t going to fix the last issue you mentioned — the connection between your Medtronic CGM and pump. That’s a communication/range issue between those two devices, and adding a SugarPixel isn’t going to increase that range or make the pump and sensor communicate better through your body.
But for the OTHER thing you’re describing — being driven crazy by repetitive alarms, especially overnight — that’s where I’d at least take a serious look at it.
The randomized alarms are probably the feature I’d emphasize most for someone experiencing alarm fatigue. You aren’t listening to the exact same tone night after night until your brain learns to ignore it.
The downside is price. They certainly aren’t free, and unfortunately I wouldn’t expect Medicare to cover one because it’s an aftermarket CGM display/alert device rather than the actual Medicare-covered CGM receiver.
But having used them ourselves, I wouldn’t think of SugarPixel as another annoying CGM alarm sitting beside the bed. I think of it more as a dedicated BG display and highly customizable backup alert system — and one specifically designed with things like heavy sleepers and alarm deafness in mind.
Definitely something to think about. Not sure it would really do what I want it to do because, as you pointed out, it won’t enable me to change the number at which my pump starts alarming me, and that’s really my main problem right now. I’ll have to give this some more thought, but I thank you so much for the detailed information.
You wouldn’t set your loop, you would set the number, high and low, as well as the frequency you want to be bothered, through the actual sugar pixel. You can mute everything else.
Aha! That might help. Right now the cost would be prohibitive for me, but I may look into it in January, because my last car payment is in December. Thanks SO much for all the info!
I have two of the old school ones. I don’t even have the new display fancy sugar pixels. Can’t justify the expense. The only thing the new ones have that i like is their ability to show insulin and carb info on the display.
That sounds like a good fit for the Apps or DIY category. Since it’s non commercial and you’re just looking for feedback from CGM users, I don’t see an issue with posting it there.