The best CGM watch face so far?

Simple CGM Spark watch-face on a Pebble Time

I couldn’t resist giving myself this watch. I like the last five minute change update below the BG number. I still need to learn some of the other Pebble functions.

My only complaint so far is that it uses “e-ink” and needs ambient light to show its info. There is a back-light function but it only operates for a few seconds at a time. The smaller numbers at night are harder for my older eyes to see. At night I need glasses and a good light.

I bought it primarily to learn how a system different from the Apple watch works. I also like that the watch face software comes from a grass-roots open-source movement. I expect that improvements will be made more quickly than the corporate providers will supply.

3 Likes

I am not using xDrip, so I do not really know. Simple CGM sparkle pulls data from the Dexcom server (“Share” mode) or from a Nightscout server (“Nightscout” mode). I do not think it is able to take data from the xDrip app directly, without Internet access. I would try the Nightscout watchface instead.

I examined the pictures of the first post in this thread, rushed out and bought the pebble round. Now I have that too. It helps me a lot. Its not a task to check my graph. I think of it and check it. Not think of it, decide if I need to check it, stop what I’m doing to fumble for it or look for it, press the button and wait, get it in the right lighting, press up down center.

I just got a notice but the watch says 149… The watch has no speaker only a microphone but it vibrates just barely and the phone beeps. This was a two beep. Maybe it was the receiver. Yes the receiver I’d set to alarm at 160…now a minute later watch is at 167.

1 Like

Hi Dragan, thanks for your reply, yes, it seems to need G5 or share, Have Great 2016!

Another Apple Watch trick: If the last app (Dexcom Follow) stops showing up when you raise your wrist and only shows the default clock, you can double click the ‘crown’ and it will launch the last running app. In my case its always the Follow app.

Not sure why, but a few times a day the Follow app just stops running and when I raise my wrist the clock shows up again. This happens daily for me. I’m pretty sure its a Dexcom issue and those of you familiar with my posts know how much I dislike the Dexcom Follow app.

BTW, does this happen to anyone else running the Follow app? Where it stops running? This goes exactly to @Terry4 speaking of glance-ability and how important it truly is.

1 Like

Thanks for the tip, @Anthony. I listened to Scott Benner’s Juicebox Podcast #38 interview of Dexcom’s Mike Mensinger, Director of Software. The hour-long interview is dated November 16, 2015. The short answer for the G5/Apple Watch Follow App improvement is that Dexcom is waiting on the FDA’s approval. I did not hear a more precise timeline. It’s one of the reason’s I’m squeezing the last bit of juice out of my current G4 transmitter. I recommend listening to the entire podcast. Scott Benner is a stay-at-home dad of a T1D 11-year old daughter. He manages his daughter’s T1D 24/7 including remotely when she’s not with him.

Apparently, the first Apple Watch iOS had all or most apps running on the paired iPhone. Dexcom designed their initial software with that in mind. Then Apple came out with a new iOS and allowed limited function of some apps on the watch itself. Dexcom was already in process with the FDA with its software for the original iOS and did not want to slow down the entire G5 Share release.

I’m not entirely clear on all the technical aspects of the Apple Watch with its Share apps and the Bluetooth function and internet connectivity. I’d be curious to read others remarks after listening to this podcast.

Thanks @Terry4 for the info about Scott Benner’s Juicebox Podcast. Below is the link if anyone else is interested. I highly recommend at least visiting his site to see what great interviews Scott has done over the past year.

Scott Benner’s Juicebox Podcast #38 interview of Dexcom’s Mike Mensinger, Director of Software

The podcast #39 OmniPod News with Insulet’s Shacey Petrovic is also a great interview for those who are using or thinking of getting the Omnipod pump.

1 Like

which pebble watch would you suggest with a G5 and what will I need besides the watch to have a successful pairing ? thanks

Rick Phillips

Hi @Rphil2 Rick, you need one of the apple devices listed on Dexcom website. You need an internet connection. I’m using iPhone 4s with no phone or cell capability. I use its WiFi to connect to the internet using my cheap android phone WiFi hotspot capability. That feature is an additional five dollars per month. With the 4s connected to internet I selected the icon for app store. In the app store I searched for and downloaded pebble (something it tells you what to download in the box with the watch you buy) and Dexcom g5. buy a pebble watch. Pebble costs 1/10 of apple. The thing is that someone wrote the software and it works. Simple cgm spark is a watchface. Once you have the watch working and you are in the watch app you search for the watchface " simple cgm spark" . its like a watchface that shows time. Its not an app. i hit one snag trying installing. The watchface asks you to select “share” in its setup. The share is part of and inside the g5 app. That was the only confusing part. Don’t download share or follow just g5.

2 Likes

To add a few points to @AARON10’s comments: you need an iPhone that can be paired with G5, Internet access, and a Dexcom account. If you are able to see Dexcom Clarity reports, you are all set. Any Pebble can be paired with iPhone equally well. The choice is a matter of personal preference - various models differ in cost and looks. The most basic ‘Classic’ Pebble list price is $100, but I’ve seen them on sale for around $70. The latest ‘Time Round’, which looks pretty nice to me, has a list price of $250, but I’ve seen them on sale for around $200. I have not had a chance to try the other Pebble options. In any case, Pebbles are arguably not as cool as AW, but as far as BG glancing is concerned they all work very well, and the Simple CGM Spark watch face is in my opinion better than the Dexcom AW face. I also like the fact that Pebble stays on all the time, so I can glance at my BG really discretely in any situation (except when it’s dark one needs to activate backlight - that’s a slight disadvantage). Battery lasts longer compared to AW.

Thanks Gentleman!! I take it that the phone must be turned on for the watch app to work? What happens if the phone is turned off? does the watch go blank? Sorry for the questions.

rick

If the phone is powered up but the screen is inactive (blank), the watch works normally. If the phone is powered down, than the watch can no longer display BG or anything else that depends on communication with the phone. It can still display time using a basic time watch face.

I am really interested in getting Nightscout (or xDrip?) set up with a smartwatch. I was actually looking at the Vivoactive because it has a Nightscout widget and seems better than my fitbit (it can track swimming, but no 24-hour heart rate) and is also on sale at the moment. I need to go look at it in the store tomorrow to make sure I can see the display.

I’ve yet to get Nightscout working, although I have numbers appearing on my Android phone. It would be nice if I could just bypass the whole cloud thing and have them sent via Bluetooth to a smartwach. Is that possible? I don’t need them in the cloud, I just want them on a watch.

xDrip and Nightwatch can broadcast “locally” but also have the option of sending to Share or Nightscout. I think that will give you what y you want – I used them that way at first, though I currently send the data to/from Share.

We don’t have Share in Canada, but I wonder if I could set it up to broadcast locally without dealing with all the online database and website stuff…

I believe that you can - I used xDrip and Nightwatch on my phone (before getting the watch) without sending to Share or Nightscout without a problem. When I got the watch, I just adjusted some of the alert settings and it worked - though at that time, I chose to send data to Share too, I do not believe it was necessary.

Jen - I’m not very savvy with all this stuff. I do know that you need the G4 or G5 Share paired with an Apple iOS device to be able to display on a watch. I bought a Pebble Time watch and it works without all the cloud connection. Have you visited the CGM in the Cloud Facebook group? That’s where I would ask your questions. They’re very knowledgeable and helpful. You could also try to contact TuD member @2hobbit1. She has experience with this and has spent time answering question at the Facebook group. Good luck.

My G4 with Share receiver is paired to my Android phone using xDrip. I then use Nightwatch to display data on my Android Wear watch (though it has the ability to send to a Pebble watch, to Nightscout, and to Share, too).

@Thas, if I understand you correctly, the xDrip piece of your communication path allows display on a variety of watches and it doesn’t need any internet connection at all.

Did you assemble the xDrip component yourself. How difficult is it to do that? Just curious for Jen’s sake. I’m happy with my setup because I have and like the Apple operating system.

I downloaded the xDrip Beta version from xDrip Beta · StephenBlackWasAlreadyTaken/xDrip Wiki · GitHub. There are links from there to instructions and to the companion Nightwatch program. These applications do not come thru the Google Play store, so they have to be loaded with the “Allow applications from unknown sources” option enabled in the Security settings.

The programs have quite a few options, including adding Dexcom Share or Nightscout login credentials for uploading, as well as a “Broadcast locally” for use without an outside service.