I am on Android and I use Nightwatch to follow my son’s Dexcom, and set up multiple levels of alarming. For instance, I can have a low alarm at 55, another at 45, and another at 40. I can also customize how low these alarms snooze. I use both functionalities extensively. Nightwatch has been a key to our routines, and has probably saved the life of my son a few times, because of its ability to manage numerous independent alarms.
But–it seems that Nightwatch is not being maintained any more, and some of the application is starting to malfunction.
What other apps do people use on Android that have the same alarming capabilities, and that they feel work well for them?
What apps are there on iOS that allow you to do the same? @drbbennett recently mentioned LUKA—unsure if you have the same flexibility with that that I have with Nightwatch.
I’m not sure why you say it isn’t being maintained; it’s certainly possible, but maybe Android is moving faster than Nightwatch. The last PlayStore comment on the app itself was from Dec 2022 and the Dev, Markus Källander responded within a day. It’s probably worth asking him about the problems. If he is dropping support I think he has a github account which still does activity (April this year) and it would be good to ask him to publish the app there and archive it; there’s some change someone enthusiastic would pick it up.
I would say don’t give up on apps because of issues like this; it’s free but even though the developer never got a dime we’re frequently willing to let go of stuff like this and hand it on to the next generation.
As for alternatives… Well TidePool is better supported than NightScout; I use NightScout (I run my own NightScout server) but I ended up duplicating the information to TidePool so my endo could access it. I wish I had not had to do that but I did. I don’t know how much support TidePool has on Android.
I think that relates to other issues that have been experienced by Android apps; I don’t understand the issue but it sounds similar. What I do know is that if an app is active and the screen locks the app may be shut down; this has in the past made it almost impossible for me to download music to my phone or upload photos from it…
Yes, it doesn’t work ATM on Android; if the app is on-screen then, yes, an alarm happens, but if the phone turns off then it doesn’t. I did manually turn the phone off; I always do this automatically to save battery, but it doesn’t matter for xDrip+ and AAPS, they just keep on keeping on. NightWatch, however, even though it was the screen app when I clicked the off button, did not alarm when my BG went higher than 120 (the alarm point I set). xDrip+ reported the correct reading (126) on the screen when I double tapped it, NightScout itself was up-to-date, but NigthWatch only alarmed when I had actually turned the phone on.
Interestingly, I do not get this screen, nor do I have a problem triggering alarms when in the background… The issues I have have to do with Nightscout as an input, and setting some parameters that I am unable to set.
I love Nightwatch, btw, and I’d be happy to pay for it.
I use Luka on my phone and Luka Mini on my desktop screen, but neither has any alarm function or share capability. Or not that I’ve found, but both are pretty spartan (a good thing!) so I’m sure I’d have encountered the options.
It sounds like what I see is Android specific, but the screenshot I sent only appears when the app is first launched after installation; I haven’t tried a system reboot but I don’t expect to see in then either. My Android is Android 15.
Exactly what “foreground” and “background” mean in Android isn’t really clear to me; the terms aren’t applicable to window system GUIs but I suspect Android behaves like a traditional UNIX terminal so “background” means apps which do have a screen (“controlling terminal”) but are not currently on display. I don’t know what split screen does but I guess both apps are “foreground”.
I have a “high” alarm set to 120mg/dL in NightWatch and I see this and hear nothing after about 10 minutes with xDrip+ being “foreground”:
When I swap to NightWatch the alarm sounds… NightWatch is in the background; the stopwatch hasn’t been updated since I snoozed the alarm for 5 minutes. Part of the problem is that “Manage notifications” is set to “Don’t allow” and I can’t turn it on in settings! Sounds like the version I downloaded from the PlayStore has been pretty much disabled.
So I think whatever you have installed isn’t what I have installed or, maybe, that Android 15 is clobbering the apps permissions.
I am connected to NightScout (via a read-only “token”) and I don’t see anything related in “settings” (the app settings); what are you trying to set? Are you saying that the connection to NightScout doesn’t work?
@Michel I don’t know about Nightwatch not being maintained, but I do know there is at least one attempt being made to modernize it with new programming code. I noted it on Facebook, I think in the Looped group as well as on the LoopZulipChat forum for tracking Loop changes. I don’t recall the individuals name/handle and am not familiar with searching either, but that gives you a starting point if looking. The person seemed sincere and capable of following thru.
The original dev seems to be too and can be directly contacted via the app. I believe he (the original dev) also has a github account and so is likely to be amenable to both FOSS and transfer of ownership (a concept not originally addressed but certainly becoming more of an issue as we old fogeys drop dead.)
