Libre alarms not working.

[Grandadfatboy]

@Grandadfatboy don't be too harsh on Samsung. When you buy a mobile phone you pay to receive for a period of time upgrades to your mobile's operating system, as well as security patches. Those upgrades and security patches are supposed to make your mobile phone more stable and less vulnerable to being hacked.

My understanding is that it is up to software developers (Abbott in this case with Freestyle Librelink) to ensure that their software is compatible with operating system updates and security patches.

You can of course change the settings on your mobile phone so that in future the phone doesn't update its system software automatically. Samsung are usually very good at walking customers through how to do that.

As long as you appreciate that not updating your mobile's system software when available may make your phone less stable and less secure.

I understand from other forums that the issues you have mentioned have also happened to other (non Samsung) Android mobile phones (Pixel), as well as some iPhones.

The current issues with no alarms and scanning issues also coincide with Abbott updating its Freestyle Librelink app twice: in November and December 2022.

Until Abbott fix the problems with Librelink, I am using their Freestyle Libre 2 Reader. You might want to consider using the Libre 2 Reader for the time being too.

I understand and appreciate what you are saying, it just seemed to be too much of a coincidence that the issues I started experiencing directly followed the last update of my phone.

When I was first received my Libre 2 I was only supplied with a single sensor and no reader, so had no choice other than to start the sensor with my phone.

 

[Hypohead_]

I’m having same problem, alarms unavailable scan sensor. Scan sensor & still alarms unavailable. Delete & reinstall sensor , still same problem. Then I read reviews on playstore for the app & loads of people are commenting on same problem. Might have to consider the Dexcom

 

[S2H]

Just to add to the log of issues being collected on this website. I'm in Canada, and I'm having similar signal loss alarms and no high/low glucose alarms....in fact the signal loss alarm itself dosent even go off anymore. . I have Samsung S21, Android 13. Like others the continual lack of alarms happened in November/Dec 2022. I have had two different sensors on during that time and it was the same for both. I believe it is an App developer/code issue. I also rely on my phone only (no Abbot FS@ reader). My brother has an iPhone (it's 12 or 13) and he does not have this issue. There is def a bug in the libre 2 app or in android 13 code. I've bookmarked this page. I'll be asking Abbot to replace my sensors and send me one of their readers as a stop gap measure....but here is the catch.....using two devices suck....and I have to remember to start the sensor with Abbots reader and alarms will only work w the reader....so then there is no way for me to safely check at some point in the future if the problem is fixed without wasting a sensor if it's not fixed.

 

[Jess1D]

Have to say Dexcom is ahead of Freestlye Libre - it’s whether you want to pay for it. I’m a type 1 on insulin pump, I tried the Dexcom 1- unfortunately just too basic(you cannot make any notes on it -insulin,food,exercise) I’m now going back to the G6

 

[S2H]

Have to say Dexcom is ahead of Freestlye Libre - it’s whether you want to pay for it. I’m a type 1 on insulin pump, I tried the Dexcom 1- unfortunately just too basic(you cannot make any notes on it -insulin,food,exercise) I’m now going back to the G6

Yah, there will always be "better" widgets out there, but it is the expectation of consumers that their chosen widget works as intended and as described by the manufacturer. I appreciate your input, and I too have thought about going with the G6. However it is bulkier than the (freestyle libre 2) FL2, more costly and provides features that others may not need. With that said, it would be nice if this forum was used to collect individual experiences regarding alarms on the FL2....and then provide this collective data set to Abbot, as they will want a statistically sufficient number of complaints to take it seriously.

 

[Jaylee]

You shouldn't have to rely on third party software and third party products, none of which has been submitted to the official, government-backed UK medical device regulator (the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) to be scrutinised to check that they work and are safe and then licensed officially by the UK regulator for use by patients; third party apps and products which also haven't been authorised or recommended officially by any of the manufacturers of flash glucose monitors or continuous glucose monitors.

My understanding is that many of these unauthorised/unlicensed third party apps/products only work intermittently at best.

Oddly, I’ve tried 4 third party apps.. Juggluco I tried whilst it was still in development & found it clunky.
In the early days of the L1 I used Glimp then moved to XDrip. When investing in a Bluetooth bridge.
XDrip I’ve attempted to set up for the L2 several times with no joy. (It’s just too over inflated.)

I’ve always come back to Diabox.. it ticks over in the background on my device & seems to not put too much pressure on either the OS or battery life.
I still open the librelink app & scan for nursey. I quite often get a “wait ten minute” message with it, but find it actually has scanned?

From what I can gather. These apps have been developed by & for diabetics. For the “CGM” experience with the Libre sensor.
Most are used by seasoned diabetics. These apps seem to be a “labour of love” by these boffins.
I personally wouldn’t recommend anyone trying these apps out unless they are comfortable with their own condition & meds.

My experience as T1 spans 46 years (still fully hypo aware.) & I’ve been dreaming of this sort of “Star trek” gear for years..

Until something better comes along with less faff.. Diabox works a treat with my lifestyle.The advanced warnings it gives can lessen the impact of a low for me. Rather than just waiting for the full “steel magnolia” with a delayed response..

 

[victry77]

I got my Libre 2 just over 6 months ago. I've always had a message saying the alarms are unavailable from the very first sensor (and the red exclamation) but both alarms did actually work a good 80-90% of the time.

Then they started to get more hit and miss - would tend to alert me when I'd already gone well below or beyond my target.

However, now... they barely work at all. Missed so many hypos.

Weirdly, though, they seem to work perfectly well during the night and always alert me to a low glucose.

I use android. I'm not sure if it's updated recently.

 

[pwcarpentry]

Changed my Libre sensor a few days ago and have noticed that the alarms are not working, have tried to reset everything but still not working, any ideas?

I had a similar problem recently and on contacting Abbot directly was informed that they are experiencing difficulties with "some " phones. I am now using a reader, supplied by them.

 

[hengeman]

I also have an Samsung S20 and nothing is working with the alarms anymore - was just typing this into another thread:

I'm having problems with this too over the last month. Signal loss goes off all the time even when I've just scanned the libre 2 with my Samsung S20. When I turn phone off and on, the alarms work for 10 minutes, then don't work at all. Had low blood sugar and high blood sugar with no alarms going off at all over the last few weeks. Have to turn off the signal loss alarm because it's just not working properly and when I do scan it still says signal loss. Woke up at 4am with low blood sugar and no alarms have gone off despite being low for over an hour according to the readings and yes I have all the correct settings to override DND etc....very exasperating for something that worked so well in the past. I've had this phone for 6 months and it used to work fine...this problem has only recently started...

Hi.
Been reading through entire thread and stopped at yours and one you were replying to as I have same issue and can offer a little more. I had no issues before updating to android 13 in December then the alarms began to stop working. I work in tech so had a head start on Abbott support who as a previous thread mentioned go through a step by step script and don't listen. Ultimately they sent a new sensor which I didn't want, I want the alarms to work, and said I'd exhausted all options and to either use a reader instead or get a new phone. The odd thing about the alarms is they work for a time usually after a reboot for about 12-24 hours then stop. It's now Jan 2023 and I have upgraded the phone to Samsung galaxy S22. Same issue. I'm convinced it's the OS not gelling with the app but who knows. I think we just have to wait for Abbott to figure it out but the more pressure on them the better. Will be writing to them.

 

[BadaBing]

Hi.
Been reading through entire thread and stopped at yours and one you were replying to as I have same issue and can offer a little more. I had no issues before updating to android 13 in December then the alarms began to stop working. I work in tech so had a head start on Abbott support who as a previous thread mentioned go through a step by step script and don't listen. Ultimately they sent a new sensor which I didn't want, I want the alarms to work, and said I'd exhausted all options and to either use a reader instead or get a new phone. The odd thing about the alarms is they work for a time usually after a reboot for about 12-24 hours then stop. It's now Jan 2023 and I have upgraded the phone to Samsung galaxy S22. Same issue. I'm convinced it's the OS not gelling with the app but who knows. I think we just have to wait for Abbott to figure it out but the more pressure on them the better. Will be writing to them.

Read your account of the issues you are experiencing with the Freestyle Librelink app with interest.

May I suggest, if you really want to put pressure on Abbott to fix the problems that many UK users of their Librelink app have been having for several months now, that you consider going online snd filing a Yellow Card incident report with the UK medical devices regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

 

[hengeman]

Read your account of the issues you are experiencing with the Freestyle Librelink app with interest.

May I suggest, if you really want to put pressure on Abbott to fix the problems that many UK users of their Librelink app have been having for several months now, that you consider going online snd filing a Yellow Card incident report with the UK medical devices regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion, I was not aware, will look into that.

 

[BadaBing]

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion, I was not aware, will look into that.

The MHRA licensed Abbott to make the Freestyle Librelink app available to UK diabetics to provide (for diabetics that want them) when in normal use and in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, low and high glucose alarms with a compatible mobile phone.

If Librelink isn't doing that the MHRA should know about it.

Ultimately, the MHRA has the powers to make Abbott take the app off the market. Those powers are exercised very rarely. However, if the MHRA know what's going on they may contact Abbott and really put pressure on them to fix their Librelink app.

 

[Optium]

I cannot get alarms to work (Libre 2 app) on my Samsung galaxy A12 anymore
They were working until about a week ago. I checked that all settings were correct then replaced a sensor two days early to see if that would solve the problem- NO it did not !
I phoned Abbott Careline to be informed that the app wasn't supported on A12 (so- why did it work before ?
The only thing I did was update the app) Is anyone else having this issue
Abbott are sending me a reader to use

 

[Optium]

Nobody, including Abbotts, will give me a reader for my libre 2. Everyone tells me I have to use my mobile. The alarms used to work, now they don't

I am having the same problem with loss of alarms
Only been using the app since May 22
No problems until about a week ago , now I cannot get alarms to work at all !
Abbott said my Samsung A12 is not compatible so they are sending me a reader instead
Why - when the alarms have worked til now ? would an app update have caused this
.. and how does the reader connect to my phone ???
Any help out there .. please

 

[Optium]

I understand and appreciate what you are saying, it just seemed to be too much of a coincidence that the issues I started experiencing directly followed the last update of my phone.

When I was first received my Libre 2 I was only supplied with a single sensor and no reader, so had no choice other than to start the sensor with my phone.

Thanks for posting this
I am thinking along the same lines ( ie. - I lost my alarms after doing an update to the app !)
Abbott now say that my Samsung A12 is no longer compatible and are sending me a reader instead to use
Next step is to see how to connect it to my phone - if that's possible -
Does anyone have any input please

 

[Jaylee]

Hi @Optium ,

Here is my thoughts..

To be quite frank. I don’t use a reader for the Libre 2. Neither do I use a phone that is on the Abbott “compatibility list.”
Tethering the Libre to an abbot reader will do just that. You should still be able to just scan using your phone.
The reader is a separate data gathering entity..

Reliable alarm wise.. Despite “updates” for the phones OS or the librelink app. I use a free trusted third party app like Diabox.
It works for me even if I leave my phone in another room, I can hear alerts if I drift out of range.

Till Abbott pull their finger out & resolve this. I feel my “work around” is more than adequate & it even uses the Libre 2’s potential as a “CGM” with BG updates on my phone every 5mins. As well as the alarms..

 

[letsgo182]

I hate my Libre 2 and it causes me nothing but stress. I requested a Dexcom one after reading about the comparison here: https://diabetes.gifts/dexcom-one-vs-libre-2/. I have been approved for it but do not have it yet, will update this board when I have. Here’s to hoping it’s more accurate and has less sensor failure!

 

[Optium]

Hi @Optium ,

Here is my thoughts..

To be quite frank. I don’t use a reader for the Libre 2. Neither do I use a phone that is on the Abbott “compatibility list.”
Tethering the Libre to an abbot reader will do just that. You should still be able to just scan using your phone.
The reader is a separate data gathering entity..

Reliable alarm wise.. Despite “updates” for the phones OS or the librelink app. I use a free trusted third party app like Diabox.
It works for me even if I leave my phone in another room, I can hear alerts if I drift out of range.

Till Abbott pull their finger out & resolve this. I feel my “work around” is more than adequate & it even uses the Libre 2’s potential as a “CGM” with BG updates on my phone every 5mins. As well as the alarms..

Jaylee - Thank you !
If I run into any further issues I know where to come .. I am grateful to you

 

[hengeman]

I cannot get alarms to work (Libre 2 app) on my Samsung galaxy A12 anymore
They were working until about a week ago. I checked that all settings were correct then replaced a sensor two days early to see if that would solve the problem- NO it did not !
I phoned Abbott Careline to be informed that the app wasn't supported on A12 (so- why did it work before ?
The only thing I did was update the app) Is anyone else having this issue
Abbott are sending me a reader to use

I called Abbott again and that was their response too. Need a reader. I have posted to the uk Medical device regulator. Fyi abbott emailed me latest list of compatible android phones...

Please find below the compatible Samsung phone list: (compatibility with FS LibreLink 2.8.2. and Android 13)
Samsung Galaxy A7, A20, A20e, A21, A21 ????, A22, A23, A30, A32 5G, A33 5G, A40, A41, A50, A51, A52, A52 5G, A53 5G, A70, A71, A71 5G, Feel2, M31, Note8, Note9, Note10+, Note10 Lite, Note20 Ultra 5G, S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8+, S9, S9+, S10, S10 5G, S10e, S10+, S20, S20 FE 5G, S21 5G, S21 5G Olympic Games Edition, S21+ 5G, S22, Z Flip3 5G, Z Fold3 5G

 

[Optium]

I called Abbott again and that was their response too. Need a reader. I have posted to the uk Medical device regulator. Fyi abbott emailed me latest list of compatible android phones...

Please find below the compatible Samsung phone list: (compatibility with FS LibreLink 2.8.2. and Android 13)
Samsung Galaxy A7, A20, A20e, A21, A21 ????, A22, A23, A30, A32 5G, A33 5G, A40, A41, A50, A51, A52, A52 5G, A53 5G, A70, A71, A71 5G, Feel2, M31, Note8, Note9, Note10+, Note10 Lite, Note20 Ultra 5G, S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8+, S9, S9+, S10, S10 5G, S10e, S10+, S20, S20 FE 5G, S21 5G, S21 5G Olympic Games Edition, S21+ 5G, S22, Z Flip3 5G, Z Fold3 5G

Thanks for the info hengeman
I will also be emailing the MHRA