Does anyone know whether it is possible to remote into an Android phone which is running Omnipod-5 and dispense boluses that way?
My very elderly Type-1 mother would benefit very much from an adult day program, and it would free my sister and me from having to provide round-the-clock supervision (which prevents me from working). But Mom is no longer able to manage Omnipod (hasn’t been for several years!), and the day program includes lunch.
I know that Omnipod security tries to prevent doing this, but is there any way around it? It would be such a life saver for all of us!
It is not currently possible to do this with the Omnipod 5, but it is possible to do it another way.
The way to do this is to switch to the Omnipod Dash pods, and build the Loop app yourself. There is a recent version of Loop that allows remote bolusing.
Thanks, Eric. Unfortunately, we are not able to use Dash, because it requires iPhone.s We had to wait until Omnipod-5 came out.
Have you ever used AirDroid or some such similar software to remotely control the phone? Different Omnipod reps tell me different things as to whether this is possible.
Hi CaregiverDaughter. I’m Chris your friendly IT Information Security guy. Please do not do this. Tell us about the problems you having taking care of your elderly parents and we will help you think of ways to manage Diabetes in your situation.
@Eric2 was right. Omnipod does not officially support this feature, but it can be done with Android ruining AndroidAPS and using Dash pods. You will also need to setup a Nightscout website, which will put all her CGM and pump info into the cloud, so it can be accessed and controlled remotely. There are a lot of caregivers that do this!
There’s are paid services that will run the Nightscout website for you, or you can follow setup instructions to build it yourself.
It can seem daunting at first, but you don’t need any programming experience to set it up. The process is documented very well. If you can follow instructions, you can build the app. And once you get AndroidAPS installed, features are unlocked slowly, giving you time to learn and adjust to the system. Once you’re up and running, you’ll be able to initiate boluses, change basal rates, safe view get status from the secure Nightscout website. You can even do it via text messages.
It wouldn’t be daunting to me at all, but wouldn’t remoting into the phone be orders of magnitude easier? Or has Omnipod in fact blocked that off, then? (I can never get a straight answer from them.)
Well, I guess I’ll see what happens when I try it! My expectation is that either I’ll be able to use my mother’s Omnipod app from my phone pretty much as easily and simply as I would from my mother’s, or it won’t work at all because Omnipod security blocks it.
People have provided you with a solution that enables you to work your job. That’s a big deal. You can disregard their advice, but they know quite a lot about what they are saying and you will go down a dead end trying to find a ‘better way.’ You are not installing candy crush, you are delivering critical life and death medications. You are NOT allowed to do this legally, so you NEED to take it seriously or people put themselves at risk by helping you.
Unfortunately, adult day care is not a nursing home. They do not provide low-carb food and certainly don’t do boluses. (And we have asked about both things.)
Your expectations may be unrealistic. In any case, they suggest that my sister and I should continue to be available in person round-the-clock to administer boluses. This is what we’re doing, but it’s been years now, and it’s hard.
I hope to be able to try remoting into the Android when I see my mother next week; my last visit had to be postponed. Whatever the solution turns out to be (if indeed there is one), it has to be something my non-technical sister can also manage.
I’m gonna suggest it again… please look into running AndroidAPS with Omnipod Dash pods. It was created for people just like you, who are tired of waiting for commercial systems to meet their needs.
I don’t know about remoting into the phone, but to my knowledge, nobody is doing it that way. There is definitely some major risks associated with it. AAPS was written specifically for these tasks with safety features baked in purposely.
It’s a little bit of work to set up, but once you’re rolling, it is EVERYTHING you want and need. I promise, while it seems overwhelming at first, it really isn’t. They walk you through everything one step at a time and he’s everything up into small, digestible pieces. But with it, you’ll be able to see and control everything remotely, and you’ll be able to set up what’s called “unannounced meals”, UAM for short, which removes the need to bolus entirely. It’s not quite as good as pre-bolusing appropriately, but shockingly effective nonetheless.
I agree with robyn h’s aaps recommendations, but wanted to add the micro bolusing and unannounced meals will only occur during closed looping, meaning after all the objectives are completed, so i would plan on setting up the app before you visit, then go through the objectives during a long visit… some take a while. all the remotely accessible data is through nightscout, so its a good idea to have that set up before building the app…with nightscout, you could see her glucose using any computer, leave it running in the background, set high and low alerts, and call the facilities if necessary. sometimes 200 units might not last 3 days, but you can use u200
Question: Do we feel like a commercial closed loop system is a better fit for the OP? I feel “safer” about that, like it’s a better technical fit for someone who is overwhelmed. But, I recognize that delivery of bolus at meal time will still be an issue. Maybe there’s a work around?
Like maybe the ease and predictability of traveling to deliver one meal bolus during the work day, and continuing to monitor the commercial software, is simpler? I just don’t know.
Previous posts might be on the right track that she is really in need of a different source of daily care at a different facility. I don’t want to send the OP down the wrong track.
having the nightscout accout ser up correctly would probably be the most important atep, the daughter could see her mom’s bg at all times, she could slso see her meals vs insulin, and whether or not the dosages were correct, etc… if she discovered they are not inputting meals or dosing correctly, they could show them the detailed reports and use them to rectify the issues, or at least to justify switching facilities if absolutely necessary
