I am switching from the Freestyle Libre 2 to the Dexcom G6 with the OmniPod 5 for a closed loop system. I recall when I purchased the Freestyle Libre they sold me a reader - which I did not need, as I could simply use my iPhone. Do you need the receiver for the Dexcom G6 - or can you just use your phone? I’m not excited about paying hundreds of dollars for a reader I will never use. Thanks!
You can use your iPhone.
Thanks so much. I will tell them no on the receiver then. Appreciate it.
You don’t NEED the receiver. Even if your phone is unsupported, there are ways around that. But your insurance might force you to buy one anyway.
Since I’m using the t:slim, I can’t even use the Dexcom receiver, which only allows you to connect to one medical device. But my insurance still forced me to get the starter kit that comes with it, even though I told them I would never even open the box. That was a condition for DME coverage, though. You might be able to get around that if your doc can just order the sensors from the pharmacy.
You likely only will need the receiver if you are using Medicare or Medicaid as you primary insurance carrier. If you are a Medicare or Medicaid are you main insurance provider you do need it.
You don’t need a Dexcom G6 receiver to use the G6, but you insurer may require it
I started on the G6 back in April and because I was a Medicare received a Dexcom receiver. Because I don’t have a supported phone and didn’t have a PC or Apple I had no way to send data to Dexcom and no way to get GOOD statistics.
Through one of the forum I found Xdrip+ . It can connect to the Dexcom site. ( I don’t). After I started using a t:slim pump , even though my “noncompliant” low end LG phone supports Dexcom’s and Tandem’s apps, I continued using Xdrip+.
It is an order of magnitude better than the Tandem or Dexcom apps for daily use and no harder to set up. It uses a small fraction of the memory and storage and has widgets and a better display that conserves battery power.
It has as many user defined alarms with adjustable sounds and level as you want to create. It can show you numerical and scatter graph analyses for days, weeks, months, quarters, projected glucose trend, do bolus calculations, record BG carb and insulin values and send all to several sites of your choice.
When I eventually got a PC I removed the Tandem app from my phone. I download my pump once a week and now use Xdrip for ALL my glucose monitoring and analysis.
It’s good to have a backup device in case something happens to your phone.
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If you used the Xdrip+ app, instead of the Dexcom app, you can run it on any “burner” phone or a tablet that runs Android 7+, better than on one of the highly modified versions of Android that are on the $$$ “approved” phones that keep breaking compatibility with the app.
I don’t worry about something happening to a cheap phone, and for the 8 or so hours I might be without a phone, I could use my BGM to verify that l’m OK.