Solved: How to Add the Dexcom Watch Face for Android

I hope this isn’t re-adding a solution we already know about, but I was having problems getting the Dexcom face on to my Fossil watch after getting a new phone. This is a solution for that.

Since Dexcom no longer adds its watch face to Android watches on installation, I tried various measures like NightWatch, which up until recently worked well. It broke around the same time GlucoGram broke, so I’d wonder if it is related, but it’s not material to this.

Anyway, I had read about Wear Installer, an Android app that gets around the problem of needing a separate phone app, a change introduced by Google, for which Dexcom has not accommodated.

Either of these 2 videos will solve the problem, but I’ve only used the generic one, and not the one specific for Dexcom, but I assume it is the same or better.

The one I used:

Wear Installer: makes it easy to sideload apps on your WearOS device - YouTube

A later video specific to Dexcom:

Wear Installer: how to install the Dexcom G6 app to your WearOS watch - YouTube

5 Likes

I’ll second this.
I was VERY skeptical about “wear installer” until I listened to the video very closely.
So a bit of tech. The developer (he says he is a wearos developer) extracts the necessary components from the Android APK (not the entire APK) to install on the watch.
So it worked for me. Unfortunately this is 100% a Dexcom shortfall as this change was communicated long ago.
Follow the directions carefully and make sure you turn OFF the developer mode at the very end.
Adding words for search results
Dexcom not in “Apps on my phone”
Dexcom not in WearOS Playstore
Can’t load Dexcom on WearOs
Dexcom missing after Android update

4 Likes

Pardon me for being very late, but I followed the instructions, and it errors out with a error: (I use the BYO app, and my watch is a Ticwatch E)

This apk file may not be compatible with your watch
Error: java.net.SocketException: Broken pipe

I am not familiar with the BYO app, and that app version might not work for you, but there is a newer version, Wear Installer 2, available on the Google Play store.

The app is here:

The video for using it is here:

Wear Installer 2: a general-purpose app installer for Wear OS devices. - YouTube

This latest video from someone else seems to fix the problems fully, although it did not work for me on my Samsung Watch 5 Pro. There are some changes that one needs to make to allow the watch face to work correctly, which this video addresses:

Here is the direct link: Tutorial HACK for Dexcom CGM readings on GALAXY WATCH 4 - YouTube

Dexcom G6 on Pixel 7 with Android 13

This is amazing!

I just got a Pixel 7 running Android 13, and Dexcom G6 doesn’t work with it yet. I successfully used the Build Your Own Dexcom App to get the app on my phone. After I got that working, I followed the Wear Installer 2 video above to install the Dexcom watch face. Everything seems to work!

i just got myself an early Christmas present, a Galaxy Watch 4 44mm model and was anxious to put the Dexcom watch face on it. It wasn’t functional so I tried the Files and Media permissions fix as linked above. It still wouldn’t work and directed me to see my phone. Upon googling the problem I found this Reddit discussion with a more complex method that worked. I used Wear Installer 2 and the two apps required are on the Play Store. I’ll post a pic of the digital watch face below. Also, for those who have non-Samsung phones but still want the blood pressure and ECG functions to work, see this XDA-Developers thread.
Screenshot_20221205_160416_sysui

1 Like

This is fantastic. Many thanks for this, since I was at the point of resetting my watch and reinstalling from scratch, to try and get this to work.

As for the experience, I very much like the Wearable Widgets watch face using the G-Watch widget. It’s big and simple, but somehow, I don’t mind, since I can access all the other functions with swipes and presses. As for other watch faces, many of the digital ones allow complications, and I’ve tried a bunch, but dislike that the number is so small, since the BG number must fit within a small window.

Wearable Widgets

Screenshot_20221207_083118_sysui

Google Fit

Screenshot_20221207_083129_sysui

Info Board

Screenshot_20221207_083204_sysui

I’d be cautious about installing a customized app like this. Risky, too easy to be hacked but an untrustworthy source.