A few months ago, I published a thread about the difficulties in using a Dexcom in other countries. Almost all the information I had obtained from Dexcom over multiple phone calls ended up being wrong. I have edited the first post of that thread to make sure nobody relies on it.
When I found out there were problems with the info, I was able to talk directly to the person at Dexcom who is actually in charge of international support issues, and who also deals with all the international distributors’ documentation. His information was fully coherent and passed the common sense test, so I am very confident that it is actually valid. Please note that all the information is written from the point of view of a US customer, but is 100% valid for a Canadian customer as well if you replace “US” by “Canada.” Here goes:
Using the US Dexcom receiver abroad
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The US Dexcom receiver will always work abroad, as long as it is used with a US transmitter (that is not out of date or out of battery, as usual).
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It will not work with a local transmitter (which, btw, would require a local prescription etc. in most places).
Using an iPhone as a receiver abroad
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Any iPhone with a US-based AppleID will be able to receive a US transmitter anywhere: the key to getting the system to work is by making sure that your phone iOS will always know to go to the US App Store to pull the US app and its system requirements. That will happen if your AppleID location is in the US.
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It will not work with a local transmitter
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If you have mistakenly changed the location of your AppleID (a difficult thing to do, which requires, in general, a credit card with a foreign billing address), and if your iPhone has stopped working with your transmitter, you are likely to get it to work again by changing your AppleID back to a US-based AppleID
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you may use a US SIM card or a local SIM card. Both will work.
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if you need to get a localized app, which you cannot get from the US App Store, the only way to do it is to buy another phone, and connect it to a local AppleID. You cannot do it on your Dexcom phone.
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Using your phone to receive a transmitter does not require either cellular connectivity or wifi. Since it is Bluetooth based, it only requires proximity to the transmitter.
Using an Android phone as a receiver abroad
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Any Android phone on the compatibility list with a US-based Google account will be able to receive a US transmitter anywhere: the key to getting the system to work is by making sure that your phone Android OS will always know to go to the US Play Store to pull the US app and its system requirements. That will happen if your Google account location is in the US.
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It will not work with a local transmitter
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If you have mistakenly changed the location of your Google account, and if your Android phone has stopped working with your transmitter, you are likely to get it to work again by changing your Google account back to a US-based Google account.
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you may use a US SIM card or a local SIM card. Both will work.
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if you need to get a localized app, which you cannot get from the US Play Store, the only way to do it is to buy another phone, and connect it to a local Google account. You cannot do it on your Dexcom phone.
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Using your phone to receive a transmitter does not require either cellular connectivity or wifi. Since it is Bluetooth based, it only requires proximity to the transmitter.
Using a phone as a G5 follower
A phone can function as a G5 follower
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as long as it has a US-based AppleID (or Google account), and as long as the receiver phone also has a US-based AppleID or Google account
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as long as the receiver phone has broadband or wifi
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and as long as the follower phone has broadband or wifi
Both phones need to access the UD Dexcom servers, which serve as an intermediary. If either one cannot access the Dexcom servers, the follower will not receive updates.
If you have to delete the Dexcom app in the receiver phone
Sometimes it happens, due to software problems. You will be able to download it again, if you have connectivity, as long as your AppleId or Google account are US-based.
Causes of signal loss in a receiver phone while traveling
Receiver phones, even in the US, are prone to signal loss, more so than regular receivers. The causes for signal loss abroad are the same as those at home. However, these causes appear to be particularly common while traveling:
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limit the number of Bluetooth connections to the Dexcom transmitter only if at all possible. The more connections, the more likely the receiver phone will have trouble
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close gaming and video apps after you are finished with them. Dexcom believes that, despite what Apple says, the Dexcom app cannot recover memory used by memory-hogging apps that still run in the background, and may lose signal.
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reboot your phone at least once a day, to reset both memory and Bluetooth connections.
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be aware that, once you get a signal loss for any reason, iot may take 30 minutes to reestablish the connection (as usual)
Primary source of problems when abroad
The primary source of problems abroad is if you use an AppleID or an Android Google account that is not located in the US. You MUST use one located in the US.
Getting a hold of customer support
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Only US -based support can help you: local support may not speak English, will likely not have you in their accessible database, and will possibly refuse to help you (they cannot help you with US-based systems anyway).
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It may be expensive to call the US. You may choose to email tech support at techsupport@dexcom.com and ask them to call back. They will call you back, even abroad, and pay for the call. But they may take 24-48 hours to call you back
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It may not be possible for you to reach the regular customer support number (800-738-3646 for the US) when calling from abroad, since it is often impossible to call an 800-number from abroad, even when dialing the proper international codes. If you cannot reach customer support, call 858-200-0200 (for the US): it is reachable from anywhere.
Ordering replacement supplies
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your prescription is only valid in the US, and can only be used to order from the US.
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Neither Dexcom nor its US distributors will ship internationally. So, to reorder, you must get supplies to ship to an address in the US, then get those supplies re-shipped (by a friend or family) to where you are.
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Be aware that even next-day shipping to a foreign country may take a lot more than one day. it can sometimes take up to 2 weeks, because of customs and other issues. So don’t count on a quick turnaround.
If you have a G4
I am assuming that most of what I wrote that is applicable to a G4 or a G4 with Follow also applies to the G4. But I cannot guarantee that it does.
