Right before Christmas I got a long letter from Tandem which told me about an “urgent medical device correction.” Uh oh. Software upgrade.
The letter mentions all sorts of unexpected disruptions to insulin delivery, but when I go to upgrade the software, I am introduced to a whole different software upgrade. Turns out I have to learn how to use the new Tandem app and bluetooth before Tandem will give me the software. And learning how to use the software requires online training. Good thing I didn’t do this before Christmas. Anyway, I’m still in the middle of it.
Has anyone done this? Tried the new Tandem app for your mobile phone, with bluetooth?
Tandem gives their updates numbers. When I checked the update portal it told me I have one update not yet accomplished dated August 2022, Control IQ V7.6. That’s the one that adds mobile bolusing, a feature I will never enable on my pump. Nothing newer than that for me at least.
@jo_jo - one of the exciting features of the Tandem pump is that its software is updatable. They have also developed a new app for mobile phones that utilizes bluetooth which has not been enabled on my pump until yesterday. It is a product upgrade masquerading as an “urgent medical device correction”. Seems like a mis-step on the part of the Tandem marketers.
I am wondering if they sent the December 19, 2022 letter out to all Tandem users or whether I am part of a pilot? I haven’t installed the update yet because I have a pretty full insulin cartridge so I’ll wait until I need to change the cartridge, as Tandem recommends.
@bkh I did go through the training. Tandem says it takes 30 minutes. It took me at least an hour. Maybe that’s because I’m slow. But they are pretty strict - for example you have to score 100 % on the quiz at the end of the training before they let you go.
I do a lot of work around learning in my professional capacity in executive development, and I appreciate Tandem’s approach to upgrades even though I also complain about it.
Training is mostly boring and learning via computer is hard. But these are pretty complex systems, with dangerous failure modes, so everyone needs to get oriented on the new capabilities and, especially, how they can fail. The training does a good job of informing about that.
I’ll push back with an alternative viewpoint. The patch that just fixes a safety flaw should be offered with no friction. Not an 18-minute mandatory training course. For the second patch that offers insulin dosing from the phone, I could perhaps understand this for a complete novice pump user, but I don’t understand why moving the bolus capability from the pump to the phone needs a half-hour training course. Is it really introducing surprising new hazards?
Thanks @bkh. I agreed with your viewpoint until I actually took the training. Then I learned about all the new failure modes.
Your perspective is a very common one and, for the sake of argument, I would submit that it introduces a catch-22 into most online trainings.
Having experienced wasteful online training before, we are skeptical about the value of every training required. So we “don’t understand” why we need the training, yet the path to understanding runs through the training itself, which we are unwilling to take. This makes most of us what I would call “reluctant learners” or maybe “suspicious learners”
I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, but I found the training complicated and overwhelming–I remember thinking I’d never get the hang of this LOL. Perhaps emotions were getting the best of me (I really struggled with the concept of having tubing attached to me).
The Tandem update portal is on their website. The pump has updateable firmware, but Tandem requires you to take online training before updating, instead of having to go to classes.
@bostrav59 I would support @bkh’s pov. Why saddle a so called urgent system update with a feature update. I for one am not interested in the feature update, but am in the so called life or death (as presented by Tandem) update. It seems odd that I am unable to get a seemingly necessary system update without a ux update that has outwardly minor enhancements for many beyond mobile bolusing.
So i just updated to Ver 7.6.0.1 Control-IQ, and now I have a little icon on my iphone’s t:connect app that will allow me to bolus from my phone.
Is this a significant advance? I think so, certainly in the competitive space of insulin pumps. Is there any other pump that allows bolusing from the iphone? Can you do that with Omnipod?
I’ll keep those interested posted on any observations about this new software release.
It is significant for Tandemn and their product pipeline. I was excited and thought i would use it a lot, but found my normal bolus habit hard to forget. But it is nice.
The big issue is Tandem seems to struggle supporting major OS changes for Android. My phone just upgraded to Android 13 and I lost Bolus functionality (from the app) because of that. They really need to figure that support issue out.
Part of the training was to turn off auto updates. Tandem did email me that it was OK to update once, but the next time, no email, but found it was OK on their website. This fault is probably 50/50 the OS people and Dexcom. Every time there is a OS update app providers have to test to make sure the apps work. It’s a constant struggle.
Yes, I took the training and did what they said, but by mistake I took the upgrade. But regardless my point remains they need to figure this out especially with some of their product line (Mobi)going to a a fully mobile design. I really don’t care who is responsible.