I am thinking of getting an apple watch, what have been the community experiences with the SE, V7 and V8 with dexcom? are any better or worse to set up? If you had to decide today which would you select and why?
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I recently got the SE, just because it is cheaper.
As far as Dexcom, they both show the number that your phone has. There isn’t really much of a difference in how it works. The bluetooth range is fine with my SE. As long as the phone is in my pocket, the watch shows the Dex number just fine.
The setup is nothing. If you have the Dex app on your phone, you just turn it on for your watch in the phone’s watch app. Once you turn it on, it’s always available to select and view on your watch. (As long as you have Dex running on your phone too.)
I have an Apple Watch 6. I bought it for one reason, to display Dexcom data. It is not perfect. It is not having to have my phone close, but I would like to be able to look at the watch and see BG numbers. Often it is just - - -. If I press the crown and touch the Dexcom app maybe I will get numbers. I think Apple limits complications (what a word) to save battery life.
If I would’ve known about this I would have bought a new Garmin watch to replace my Fenix 3HR. Newer Garmin models can use a Dexcom Display widget. This also works through a phone connection needing the phone to have Garmin Connect app.
If you have access to Apple Cloud when not connected to WI-FI, you can use SugarMate app. It works very well, somehow putting the Dexcom Data on Apple Calendar and then to the watch. That doesn’t work for me because my phone provider doesn’t allow Cloud access through their network, it only works when connected to my WIFI network.
I like the Fenix 7 that I’m using and it’s nice to be able to see my status directly on my wrist.
My biggest beef with the Garmin is you must be in cellphone data range to view the Dexcom data that is on your phone, on your watch.
So if I’m cross country skiing, where I have no cell signal, I have to stop and dig out my phone to check my current status and trend.
For whatever reason, it doesn’t take it directly from the phone but has to go through some server somewhere.
WTH?? It’s right there on the phone so why can’t the phone send it directly to the watch? Irritating as heck.
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I use the Apple Watch 3. It’s got all the features I need and works well with Dexcom app, although the display sometimes has to be woken up to display BG. The 3 watch was marked down to a good sale price when I bought it.
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This happens to me on bike rides. I have a Garmin Edge 1030 bike computer that displays Dexcom. Some time it displays - - - when phone data is lost. So then I look at my watch, it may or may not have a display because Apple doesn’t think I need it when I want it.
GRRRR!
I have one other grip about Apple Watch and Dexcom. While I don’t rely on the watch to track my cycling, I do use the workout app for resistance workouts. It would be really nice if Apple would show Dexcom data in workout.
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For anyone interested, the BlueJay watch reads directly from the Dexcom. No phone is needed. No cell service. Nothing at all.
I bought one last year and like it a lot. It’s only about $100-ish dollars.
This thread talks about it:
My sister gave me her old series 4 watch when she got the 7 at the end of 2021. She was using the 4 with her Dexcom. I am still using Medtronic, will be switching to Dexcom next week, but my endo did give me a sample Dexcom. I also downloaded Sugarmate and set that up so I can also see the change +/- from the previous reading. I like that even more than the trend arrows on the official Dexcom app.
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I bought the Apple Watch 4 when i started DIY Loop nearly 4 years ago. I thought it was a bit extravagant just for the convenience of seeing my BG on my wrist, when i could almost as easily pull out my iPhone. I quickly became a fan of it though, even bolusing from it is very easy. I have a Garmin, too, but the Apple watchface is easier for me to see with its high resolution.
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