The LibreLink Lie

I've had issues using LibreLink and the Libre Sensor


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chloegeek

Well-Known Member
Messages
72
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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UPDATE:

So all credit to Abbott. They did eventually get back in touch with me, have taken a bunch of details about the phone and the issue at hand and have said they will be updating the device compatibility list on their website. I still think it's a little too well hidden but large companies move slowly.

They have also dispatched me a replacement sensor to make up for the days I've lost faffing around and having to order a new phone to work with the device.
 

Rokaab

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2,159
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According to the Play Store so is the OnePlus One which I tried to use. Sadly the Play Store is unable to really tell you whether or not it's going to work in the end
I know my OnePlus 3 with Android 6.0.1 (yes I've been ignoring the update messages for the past year or two) on it works fine, though when I started using them it could be a complete PITA to get it to scan (had to hold it directly on the sensor and sometimes move the t-shirt sleeve out of the way), but something has obviously changed/updated since then as its more flexible how close it has to be held - though still doesn't have half the range of the actual reader (I put it down to the NFC on my phone being a bit underpowered)
 
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TL;DR:
FreeStyle are Misadvertising the way the LibreLink app works with Android devices leading to compatability issues and have no intention of fixing the problem or even alerting potential users that there is a problem.

I am uncomfortable with the way FreeStyle advertises the FreeStyle Libre sensors and the way they work with Android devices.

I have had a very uncomfortable morning going back and forth with FreeStyle and the impression I have thus far gotten is that they care very little for their customers and far more for the sales of their devices and keeping liability off of themselves.

The website states that the FreeStyle LibreLink and Libre Sensors will work with Android devices running version 5.0 and up. I personally use an iPhone 6s Plus most of the time, but I wanted this badly enough that I found and dusted off an old OnePlus One which runs Android 6.0.1 and has NFC and got it running again. (I don't mind having to carry two devices if I don't have to stab myself a bunch of times a day.)

As it so turns out. This statement on their website is an utter lie. The truth is it works with... most or at least, some Android devices running Android 5.0+. After doing more research online I'm coming across more and more compatability issues.

If you hunt for a compatable devices list via google (There is no way to easily find this directly on their website) you quickly learn that the 'Android 5.0' + thing is more or less wishful thinking on their part. ( https://www.freestyle.abbott/ie/en/librelink/compatibility-guide.html )

The actual list of confirmed working devices is very short:
Samsung Galaxy S5
Samsung Galaxy S6
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S8 and 8+
Nexus 6P
Google Pixel
Nexus 5X

There is not a single mention anywhere on the website of devices that are definitely not compatible, which is funny considering the number of forum responses online where people have contacted them and they have confirmed that there is an issue with a device that is known about. However they make no attempt to communicate this to people until after they have bought the device and it fails to work.

Actually I lie. They do.
Confirmed not working:
Galaxy S6 (the same device that is confirmed working in a couple flavours in fact also does not work)

I'm fairly good with tech, I was a developer and I still work around and with computers and hardware and software constantly. And this was a minefield even for me. What about others out there who are perhaps less into technology who just want a simple solution to their diabetes.

My whole conversation with them on the phone this morning revolved not around how to solve this issue, but instead on shifting blame onto the phone manufacturer.

Just thought you guys should know. Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience?

Hi, I have tried to download the Librelink and computer says no, it has Windows and Mac, but my laptop is a Chromebook, so waiting to hear back from customer services. I don't have it on my phone, should I try that, as I really want to see my data !! My phone is a Sony Xperia, about 4/5 months old. TIA
 

Antje77

Oracle
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Hi, I have tried to download the Librelink and computer says no, it has Windows and Mac, but my laptop is a Chromebook, so waiting to hear back from customer services. I don't have it on my phone, should I try that, as I really want to see my data !! My phone is a Sony Xperia, about 4/5 months old. TIA
Librelink is an app for phone. On the computer you can download libreview. You can than plug the reader into the computer and it will transfer the data to Libreview.
If you use librelink on your phone to scan your sensor it will upload the data automatically to libreview.

Most of the data is the same graphs and stats you can see on your reader (or phone)
 
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Librelink is an app for phone. On the computer you can download libreview. You can than plug the reader into the computer and it will transfer the data to Libreview.

My computer won't let me download Libreview !
 

gmmorris

Member
Messages
13
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I've rather lost confidence altogether in the Libre (and long ago in their so-called Customer Service). I bought a new sensor to use in hospital (pneumonia!) so as to avoid all the finger-pricking. During the first week or so, it began to dawn on me that the readings could be ridiculously optimistic; and so it proved when a nurse rather wisely insisted on comparing Libre with prick. Curiously, accuracy improved to within 10% or so as the 14-day cut-off approached.

Roll on the competition, I say. Can't wait.
 

TDavies

Member
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Type of diabetes
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I spent ages trying to find a cheap phone that worked for this, and eventually got the Vodafone N8 which was less than £100 and LibreLink works really well on that.
 

LittleGreyCat

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My computer won't let me download Libreview !

Confused here.
LibreView is a website.
https://www1.libreview.com
You register there and register the same account on your phone and your phone should send the data directly to the web site.
You then view it in the browser.

If you don't have LibreLink on your phone then you can, I think, connect your Reader to the computer and the web site will upload the data.
For this to happen it has to download special "drivers" to talk between the computer and the Reader.
I suspect that there may not be drivers for Chromebooks.
I think that possibly you can only upload data from a Reader using Windows.

I know I can upload data from my Freestyle Freedom Lite finger prick meter using LibreView and Windows.

This is one reason why I still use Windows, not Linux or other operating systems. There are too many specialised devices which only work with Windows.

TL;DR - use a phone to read and upload the data. You should then see it on the website.
 

agwagw

Well-Known Member
Messages
101
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Mine works fine with a Doro phone. However, I use the Libre reader most of the time, I see no reason to place all my reliance on 'smartphones' , prefer to use the dedicated hardware.
 
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LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
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Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
I think Abbott shot themselves in the foot by developing the app for anything other than the iPhone. I'm no fan of the iPhone and I've never owned one, but can see the benefit of just developing apps for the iPhone. I worked in IT for nearly 40 years including a good many years in mainframe software development, different operating system, but similar problems.

<snip>

One reason is market share.
Figures are often unreliable but this site
https://www.idc.com/promo/smartphone-market-share/os
shows that Android has roughly 85% of the global market.

I think that if those numbers are in any way accurate that Abbott would be foolish to ignore 85% of potential customers.

I know that if the Libre sensor was iPhone only then I wouldn't be using it, and the posters who are looking for a £100 phone to use as a reader might not be using it either.

A clean and well managed target infrastructure does make development easier.
However the chosen platform also needs market share.
 

Paul520785

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
As a long term T1 (60+ years) I tried Abbot Blood test meter several years ago.

After getting repeated silly incorrect readings I tried contacting Abbott to get their thoughts as to why.
The first person I spoke to ready did not have a clue! About a week later I received a call from Abbott and it turned out to be the then Managing Director who spent about 2 hours on the phone asking me questions as an experienced Diabetic and I possibly provided some useful information. I was invited to visit for a tour of their facility which I had to refuse because I did not want to spend £300 + to get there and back.

Later reflection caused me to realise that the driving factor then was opportunity and profit potential.

It seems that the driving force is still the same and the software & support is still cr#p.

Hoping that result accuracy has improved as I am expecting to be given a Freestyle libre in a couple of months.


Just yell at them - they might eventually hear you !
 
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gmmorris

Member
Messages
13
Type of diabetes
Type 2
As a long term T1 (60+ years) I tried Abbot Blood test meter several years ago.

After getting repeated silly incorrect readings I tried contacting Abbott to get their thoughts as to why.
The first person I spoke to ready did not have a clue! About a week later I received a call from Abbott and it turned out to be the then Managing Director who spent about 2 hours on the phone asking me questions as an experienced Diabetic and I possibly provided some useful information. I was invited to visit for a tour of their facility which I had to refuse because I did not want to spend £300 + to get there and back.

Later reflection caused me to realise that the driving factor then was opportunity and profit potential.

It seems that the driving force is still the same and the software & support is still cr#p.

Hoping that result accuracy has improved as I am expecting to be given a Freestyle libre in a couple of months.


Just yell at them - they might eventually hear you !
 

gmmorris

Member
Messages
13
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Trouble is - is one really willing to risk the apparent unreliability? I accept entirely that the Libre will work for much of the time for most of the people (including myself). But, and particularly given the sensor cost, is that really good enough?

IMO, only some meaningful competition will sort the problems (and, hopefully, the price). Sorry to moan, but feeling rather aggrieved.
 

Antje77

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Retired Moderator
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Trouble is - is one really willing to risk the apparent unreliability?
I regularly do a fingerprick test against my Libre. And I'm very much willing to pay 120 euro's a month for the benefits it gives me, despite the unreliability it has for me.
For me it's not 'risking the unreliability', it's an extra tool, next to finger pricks, modern insulin and food packages with clear information to manage my diabetes, and it helps a lot, despite it not being perfect.
 
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db89

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LibreLink wasn't originally developed by Abbott - it was farmed out to a 3rd party up until last year when Abbott brought it in house. Back then, it worked with few Android devices at all without modifying the APK to remove Play Store device restrictions and then it was a game of pot luck with your NFC chip and OS version (worked well with the circa-2016 Nexus devices).

Abbott have actually been pretty good in my experience in supporting newer devices since they took over development. The only issue I've seen on my Pixel 2 XL was a failure to scan when in-app noises were enabled after the Pie 9.0 release last year but there was a workaround and it was fixed fully soon after. It works up to the August 2019 patch for Android 9.0 on this device.

I think they still use the Play Store device restriction capability to stop incompatible devices from getting the app but they perhaps need to change their documentation a bit. It would be fairly difficult to maintain an active list of every Android device they do/don't support since there are so many manufacturers, models (and variants). If they can work out a set of parameters which would make a device compatible or not and document this in an understandable format it would be easier to maintain. However, I can see even that being difficult as some devices were fitted with NFC hardware that was capable of killing a sensor at one time. It's possible for that sort of thing to happen again in future.
 

Richard101

Newbie
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3
I had to stop using the Libre after 3 months due to a reaction with the adhesive.

(edited by mod)
 
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I must say I love the Libre and the freedom and knowledge it gives me with graphs, trends and so esay to use especially at work when I am standing in front of customer's. I still finger prick too and last night I uploaded the app on my phone, but like @agwagw, I do prefer to use the scanner. So all in all, I am still happy with it 6 weeks on :)
 

DavidGrahamJones

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I'm exploring other avenues for picking up a reader because I do want one as a backup but it's going to take a while.

That's a pain, but then nothing has been straight forward with Abbott. If sourced overseas are there compatibility issues?