the g6 restarts seem to work better if i update xdrip prior to restarting, so i usually only update every 10 days, but so far its my favorite app because of the different customizeable alarms…on aaps, there are pump expiring soon beeps or expired pod loud long beep and that is it…basal changes, etc all default to the same notification default, so aaps is not really customizable at all…it is nice to use the bolus calc on the watch though…i tried a few different apps, but always went back to xdrip…but again, its strictly android
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I’m just going to take everyone’s word for it at this point, because I’m not familiar with apps. All my flip phone does is make phone calls, so I wouldn’t know an app if it fell in my … lap! Here’s a question for you: How do I check out an app if I don’t have a smart phone? Oh, and, is this app free? Hmmmmm, I think I’ll do some research later today. Thank you!
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I haven’t found this to be the case. Maybe it’s a setting? I get updates on a regular basis without leaving the app.
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When I first started xDrip, I also had a cheap, low cost flip phone, since I worked from home and most calls came to home phone.
So I bought a low cost android phone (about $50), and did not buy a phone plan. Then loaded xDrip, from home wifi connection. When not in wifi range, the phone will still communicate with Dexcom transmitter via bluetooth.
This past year, my cell phone provider forced upgrade, and sent me a new smart phone. My old one was 3G, and was told that was no longer supported or reliable!! And I loaded xDrip on new phone, and now carry just one device.
Yes, xDrip app is free.
You can use xDrip as a simple receiver (on android phone w/o phone service) to just show bg and trend. Can set up simple alarms for high, lows.
I use a fitbit watch, and was able to load a watchface that pulls data from xDrip, and displays on Fitbit, along with steps, etc.
So you could carry both flip phone and a smart phone w/out phone service. With internet access on phone you can try out xDrip and other apps you may be interested in. On android phones, you use Google Play to download apps to phone, even w/out phone service, as long as you set up internet connection.
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the updates were set to alpha instead of nightly, so it will update through the app…thanks elver
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I’m currently on “nightly” because I was trying to make the G6 support work (I eventually gave up and used the Dexcom app). It’s necessary to check for updates using the app menu. I did used to run on the stable release, I might have used alpha a couple of times, I thought the app advised me of pending updates, but maybe not. I never really found any reason to go to the nightlies and under normal circumstances I only dogfood stuff I’m actually involved in developing.
I must like xDrip+ a lot 
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Apart from @MM2’s observations it’s also possible to just use a watch, well, at least this one:
At least if the sales blurb is to be believed (there are BlueJay GTS users here so maybe they would like to comment). The watch runs xDrip (well, “xDrip Core”).
Apart from that since you don’t have a 'phone there are apps which run on larger computers; things like Dexcom’s Clarity (only shows blood glucose), Glooko (tries to integrate data from multiple sources) and NightScout (like Glooko but much more controllable, considerable setup required unless you use a paid service.)
If you want something portable the only other thing that springs to my mind is the Insulet Omnipod O5 system. You have to be using a Dexcom G6 and the (newest) Omnipod insulin pumps, but you get a freebie “controller” which is, in fact, a smart phone that has been dumbed down so that people like me can use it without spending ages learning stuff. The beauty is you don’t even need the controller most of the time, just to do meals, corrections and handle setup.
It all depends on what you want, what you are prepared to do and what you can gain access to, but there will be someone on FUD who has faced any particular problem, so welcome!
I’m MDI and don’t currently use any apps other than Dexcom’s Clarity on the computer and my android phone (which is basically just a summary of the computer Clarity data).
Why do you consider xdrip important for MDI, and what are its benefits?
For those using pump, lots of data is usually stored and easy to review
XDrip has support for bolus calculations and logging other things like exercise, illness, etc that may be helpful to see as related to cgm trend. But optional to input.
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I’ve been a fan of xdrip since 2016 and just kind of kept using it because it works better for me…it is actually very similar to the Clarity app, and i was speaking more to the self funded users who are usually stuck with libre work arounds since dexcom$>libre$…and because libre currently will not work with xdrip in the us as far as i know…xdrip does have the bluejay watch which will work without your phone, as well as truly customized alarms ( any mp3 could be selected on xdrip, vs beeps or limited options on clarity last time i checked), which is important to me because i can easily distinguish predicted low, high, etc based on which ringtone i hear…i also work in loud areas sometimes, and the beeps don’t always alert me…xdrip also has very customizable predicted values based on insulin to carb ratios, carb absorption, insulin on board, etc, which is all duplicated on most insulin pumps, looping software, etc, which was why i said xdrip was more important for mdi
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Thanks for your clear explanations. I better give xdrip a look!
This prior discussion has info and screen shots from xDrip. Although may be minor changes to some screens since xDrip is continually updated. There is option to have it automatically update to stable versions.
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Reviving this one, four years later, part two.
Full disclosure first: I happen to build one of the apps I’m about to mention, so read that part with a grain of salt.
What I actually run: I’m mostly on Libre these days, with the occasional G7 round, so it’s the Libre app, or the Dexcom app plus Clarity when I’m wearing a G7, and on top of both Sugar Sense, which my team and I built after twelve years of type 1 and far too many nights where an alert slipped right under my sleepy radar. It reads your Libre, Dexcom or Nightscout account on a server, so the alerts still come even if the phone has gone to sleep or the app got force quit, and it puts the number on the lock screen, the watch, the laptop and even the Garmin. Monitoring, alerts and letting family follow along are free, the watch and Garmin side is paid. One thing though: it very consciously does not calculate insulin doses, which for me is sort of the point, and for the xDrip crowd probably a non-starter.
xDrip is still very much the power tool here, especially the custom alarm sounds Roger mentioned, and nothing I build will replace it for people who want prediction and bolus math on their phone.
Happy to answer questions, and honestly curious what everyone switched to since 2022.
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xDrip+ certainly does not do that. It’s a CGM data collector, not an, as it is known now, iAGC. The iAGC is the thing that calculates the insulin; it takes data from an iCGM (so I guess xDrip+ might pass as that), does the calculation, and feeds the result to an acePump. Yeah, stupid names but that is what the US FDA came up with.
The thing that is a non-starter for me and many of us in the US who live in frequently disconnected environments is the use of the internet:
That doesn’t discount it for this thread but, for those of us who us an AIDS it’s a extra.
My current favourite app is, of course, AAPS; my iAGC! Other people would probably prefer Tidepool Loop; since we have to program the iAGC ourselves it is an investment in time and effort that completely precludes consideration of what is “better”!
Thus there are three layers to the original question for AIDS users:
- The iAGC itself; not a lot of choice there for more people.
- The iCGM collector and the acePump controller; mostly not a lot of choice but a little. Most choice ATM is on the iCGM collection side. xDrip+ is a universal but often it uses intermediate programs to do the “collection”; programs that often are borderline legal because they crack the coding the manufacturers use to protect their devices via a technical mechanism referred to as “STO”.
- The Bling; programs like SugarMate (now owned by Tandem), TidePool (the data display; not TidePool Loop), NightScout (which can be implemented off-grid, as mine is, but still performs the same data logging function) and, of course, any number of other apps.
I’m saying this because many things have changed since the widespread adoption of AIDS; user accessible reporting has become a commercial matter and a closely protected secret in many cases. Analysis apps are two-a-penny and mostly replete with ads.
At the same time our favourite diabetes phone app has certainly become the one which controls our diabetes. And our least favourite.
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@Irakli, are you familiar with Nightwatch, on Android?
If so, how does Sugar Sense compare to it? I read the feature list for Sugar Sense: the two apps seem quite similar on Android (Nightwatch does not run on iOS).
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My wife uses NightScout directly on her iPhone. I’m not sure which of the particular iOS apps it is but it has a UI just like NightScout itself and, apparently, allows alerts (she does not use them, she just checks on a regular basis.) There is a massive list of what might be termed, “Watchers” here:
That includes Sugar Sense and, for that matter, Sugarmate.
One thing my wife reminded me about this; many of these apps do not allow actions to control the AIDS system, in particular controlling the insulin dosing.
Just to be clear, I am not asking about NightScout but NightWatch. NightWatch is what I use on Android—extremely simple UI and flexible alarms. You can define as many as you want. I use tons.
FYI K uses Zukka for enhanced alarms on iOS. But it is not as flexible.
Completely fair. It’s a cloud follower by design, so off grid it is blind, and I’d never suggest it as anyone’s first line. The sensor’s own app or xDrip stays the alarm that must work; ours is the second pair of eyes. And yes, strictly a watcher: it never talks to a pump or AAPS, on purpose.
Fair question, and thanks for clarifying, I had NightWatch and Nightscout tangled up for a second too.
I know NightWatch from the Nightscout side and from its feature set rather than from living with it (I’m on an iPhone most days), so correct me if I get something wrong. From what I can see, if you’re following a Dexcom on Android and like stacking your own alarm levels, it’s a great tool and I see no reason for you to switch. Several low levels each with their own snooze, the smart snooze that stays quiet when you’re already heading back, the big dark night screen: those are things we simply don’t have. Our alerts are a fixed set: urgent low, low, high, urgent high, rapid fall, rapid rise, a “heading low” forecast and a missed readings alert. Each one gets its own sound, priority and repeat interval, plus snooze. Flexible enough for most people, but nothing like “as many as you want”.
The real difference is where the alarm gets decided. As far as I understand, NightWatch pulls the readings and makes that call on the phone itself. We make it on our server and push the alert to the phone. That was a deliberate choice, since both Android and iOS have become very aggressive about putting apps to sleep, so I’m biased here. The rest is scope rather than quality: it reads Libre, Dexcom or Nightscout, the same account works on iOS and Android, and the number shows up beyond the phone, on Wear OS, Garmin, widgets and a family member’s phone.
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