Looking for Recommendation of a Smartwatch to Monitor my Glucose.

[Sizewell]

I am British, living in France and insulin dependent. I also have the Freestyle Libre 2.
My mobile is a Sony Xperia L3 android version 8.1. (could have access to android version 10, by swapping phones with my wife).
I have looked at Fitbit Versa 3 or Fitbit Sense, but not keen on paying the premium to access all the health stuff. I am aware that I could just use the basic apps but I had a quadruple bypass a couple of months ago and then followed by another operation on my carotid, so it would be nice to have access to all health apps.
Also looked at the Samsung Galaxy watch 4, which seemed ideal for monitoring glucose, but it seems the battery life is terrible.
So can anyone suggest any recommendations on a smartwatch (they may be using as a monitor themselves) and if so, what apps/software I need to download to make it happen. (Xdrip+ or Nightscout, Wear OS etc).
I am also aware that some models of watches will not allow you to add these types of apps.

 

[SimonP78]

I use a Garmin fenix 6 (though lots of the Garmin smart watches will work - just have to check compatibility with the ConnectIQ watchface that receives the data) which displays the values from XDrip+. I quite like the Garmin ecosystem and this works well for me. Battery life is very good, on the order of a week - I tend to pop it on charge for 20min when I get in the shower, and then wear it all day and all night.

Were it not for the cycling link to the Garmin ecosystem, I could be tempted by a Google Wear smartwatch (though the battery life would be an annoyance), but only if I were able to dispense with my phone completely and have the sensor talk to the watch directly (because it would be nice to not always have my phone in my pocket, especially when near water.)

Which health metrics are you interested in, I'd be tempted to look at that first, and then work out whether a given device can also display the data?

I hear good things about Apple watches too (but I guess no Apple user could possibly bad-mouth their investment ) and these can also display the libre data (though this is now outside of my experience!)

 

[ianf0ster]

No direct knowledge, but my understanding is that smart watches and the like are not meant for control of diabetes . Only for play.
If you are serious about 24/7 monitoring of Blood glucose then get a CGM which measures interstitial blood glucose and only estimates blood Glucose.
But even they are only really good for trends and alerting if the trend is high or low- for more accuracy you still need a BG Meter.

 

[Sizewell]

No direct knowledge, but my understanding is that smart watches and the like are not meant for control of diabetes . Only for play.
If you are serious about 24/7 monitoring of Blood glucose then get a CGM which measures interstitial blood glucose and only estimates blood Glucose.
But even they are only really good for trends and alerting if the trend is high or low- for more accuracy you still need a BG Meter.

Hi Ian
The smartwatch will mirror my Freestyle Libre 2 and as the latest update on the Libre 2 sends the data now every minute to your Phone, with an added app(s) to your phone and watch, it will mirror the data to your watch as well. With this I will not have to scan every time I want to know my Blood sugar level, I can just look at my watch. You can set the watch face to show the BG level and trend and of course the time. Plus a few other details if you want. It is all configurable.
I will still need to scan with the phone once every 8 hours or so, to capture data for when I send graphs to the diabetic specialist. (There is in France a system, whereby I download my data to a database and anyone you allow, can read the file).
I do still of course occasionally use my BG meter to check that the Libre 2 sensor is within an acceptable range.

 

[Sizewell]

I use a Garmin fenix 6 (though lots of the Garmin smart watches will work - just have to check compatibility with the ConnectIQ watchface that receives the data) which displays the values from XDrip+. I quite like the Garmin ecosystem and this works well for me. Battery life is very good, on the order of a week - I tend to pop it on charge for 20min when I get in the shower, and then wear it all day and all night.

Were it not for the cycling link to the Garmin ecosystem, I could be tempted by a Google Wear smartwatch (though the battery life would be an annoyance), but only if I were able to dispense with my phone completely and have the sensor talk to the watch directly (because it would be nice to not always have my phone in my pocket, especially when near water.)

Which health metrics are you interested in, I'd be tempted to look at that first, and then work out whether a given device can also display the data?

I hear good things about Apple watches too (but I guess no Apple user could possibly bad-mouth their investment ) and these can also display the libre data (though this is now outside of my experience!)

Hi Simon,
The Garmin Fenix 6 is a bit too expensive for me. and looking at other Garmin's, they seem oriented towards sport. I am 73 and with my 2 recent operations, I need something geared more towards health. The Fitbit Sense and Galaxy 4 had heartrate, ECG, BP, SP02 & sleep amongst other apps. But the reviews on the Sense are quite bad with them breaking down and the Galaxy 4 not just the bad battery level it seems you have to ensure you are getting the correct version ie EU for me as it seems there are some sellers are claiming they are EU and send you a middle east or Asian version, which voids the warranty and you wont be able to receive any updates because your watch is in the wrong region.

I would like to get an Apple watch, but then I would have to buy an iphone as well, way out of my budget (which is around 200).

I just need to keep looking.

 

[Paul_]

Have you looked at the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro? It has far improved battery life over the Watch 4, but not the cheapest on the market.

If not, what's your budget if you don't mind me asking? How long do you want the battery to last between charges?

 

[SimonP78]

Hi Simon,
The Garmin Fenix 6 is a bit too expensive for me. and looking at other Garmin's, they seem oriented towards sport. I am 73 and with my 2 recent operations, I need something geared more towards health. The Fitbit Sense and Galaxy 4 had heartrate, ECG, BP, SP02 & sleep amongst other apps. But the reviews on the Sense are quite bad with them breaking down and the Galaxy 4 not just the bad battery level it seems you have to ensure you are getting the correct version ie EU for me as it seems there are some sellers are claiming they are EU and send you a middle east or Asian version, which voids the warranty and you wont be able to receive any updates because your watch is in the wrong region.

I would like to get an Apple watch, but then I would have to buy an iphone as well, way out of my budget (which is around 200).

I just need to keep looking.

Most of the Garmins are oriented towards sport, though there are also some "fashion" type watches (though usually for ladies). There is a pretty wide range of styles and sizes for both men and women. The sport orientation doesn't matter though, you don';t need to use those features and by default they have more health related metrics such as HR, resting HR, SPO2, sleep tracking, stress tracking, etc., as these are also useful for sports recovery.

Something like the Garmin Vivoactive 4 is significantly cheaper and will still display the output from XDrip+, you may even be able to find a Vivoactive 3 somewhere online, though I'm not sure how well the battery will have fared without being charged while sat in a box waiting to be sold.

You can check compatibility with the watchface here (assuming that's the one you want to use, works for me): https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/8fab3746-f56f-4b41-b3c7-5f4aaeaed6c9

The one caveat is that the Vivoactive range don't report overnight heart rate variability, which is something I find very useful to work out whether I'm recovered or not (cycling), though whether it's that useful if you're not doing that sort of activity I don't know. They do all tend to report a "stress" metric and "body battery" type display which is probably linked, I should check really.

For reference, there's a list of watches which do support HRV status here: https://support.garmin.com/en-GB/?faq=HnFAR4oFRF4kHeqYme3bU6

Regarding the other metrics, I don't find SPO2 particularly useful, it just sits there, perhaps it has a use if one suffers from sleep apnoea or is changing altitude significantly. I'm not sure how accurate write BP measurements are (not very afaiu), I think a cuff is still the gold standard.

Regarding Android watches, it looks like one can purchase a new Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 from Samsung themselves for ~£150. Do you have a Samsung phone, I read something about some of the features only working if you have one of their phones (or sideload their health app which comes pre-loaded). Another option might be the TicWatch Pro 5, which looks like a decent bit of kit.

 

[Paul_]

Do you have a Samsung phone, I read something about some of the features only working if you have one of their phones (or sideload their health app which comes pre-loaded).

That's correct, Galaxy watches are generally best paired with Galaxy phones, and this applies to all Samsung watch versions:

Can you use Galaxy Watch 5 with non-Samsung phones?

All in the same Galaxy.

www.androidcentral.com

Essentially, the features you'll be missing on a non-Samsung phone are ECG, blood pressure monitoring (questionable accuracy anyway in my experience), and phone camera control.

For Samsung options, the Galaxy Watch 4 is the cheapest Samsung option, followed by the latest Galaxy Watch 6 (non-Classic version). The 5 Pro is more expensive, but that's the price of a bigger battery if that's important on a Samsung option

My decision boiled down to Samsung vs Garmin, however I own a Samsung Galaxy phone. From there, it comes down to the features needed, with Garmin far superior for sports tracking accuracy and options, but Samsung probably offers a better general, broad smart watch experience, where fitness tracking is very good but just one of the things you want to do with it.

Another option might be the TicWatch Pro 5, which looks like a decent bit of kit.

It gets good reviews, it's one of the ones I considered. It's over £300 in the UK, not sure about EU pricing. If @Sizewell is looking in this price range, another option to consider is the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (£289 in the UK for the non-Classic version), plus some lower end Garmin options that @SimonP78 has outlined.

 

[SimonP78]

Two more possibilities on the Android Wear front both from TicWatch - the TicWatch Pro Ultra 3 (~£200) which is last gen chipset but still seems to have decent battery life, or the TicWatch E3, again last gen chipset but only £113.50 at the moment.

I'm not sure what they have by way of health metrics, I assume most products will work reasonably well now as the technologies have been around for quite a while, but would be worth checking reviews of course.

Let us know what you decide on @Sizewell

 

[Sizewell]

Most of the Garmins are oriented towards sport, though there are also some "fashion" type watches (though usually for ladies). There is a pretty wide range of styles and sizes for both men and women. The sport orientation doesn't matter though, you don';t need to use those features and by default they have more health related metrics such as HR, resting HR, SPO2, sleep tracking, stress tracking, etc., as these are also useful for sports recovery.

Something like the Garmin Vivoactive 4 is significantly cheaper and will still display the output from XDrip+, you may even be able to find a Vivoactive 3 somewhere online, though I'm not sure how well the battery will have fared without being charged while sat in a box waiting to be sold.

You can check compatibility with the watchface here (assuming that's the one you want to use, works for me):

The one caveat is that the Vivoactive range don't report overnight heart rate variability, which is something I find very useful to work out whether I'm recovered or not (cycling), though whether it's that useful if you're not doing that sort of activity I don't know. They do all tend to report a "stress" metric and "body battery" type display which is probably linked, I should check really.

For reference, there's a list of watches which do support HRV status here:

Regarding the other metrics, I don't find SPO2 particularly useful, it just sits there, perhaps it has a use if one suffers from sleep apnoea or is changing altitude significantly. I'm not sure how accurate write BP measurements are (not very afaiu), I think a cuff is still the gold standard.

Regarding Android watches, it looks like one can purchase a new Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 from Samsung themselves for ~£150. Do you have a Samsung phone, I read something about some of the features only working if you have one of their phones (or sideload their health app which comes pre-loaded). Another option might be the TicWatch Pro 5, which looks like a decent bit of kit.

Hi Simon,

I will look at the Vivoactive range a little closer.
SPO2 would be useful for me as I did suffer from Sleep Apnea for the last 3 years, but after my bypass operation, I was told by my specialist I no longer had it, so I no longer needed the CPAP machine, I also lost 7kg in weight whilst in hospital so don't know if that had anything to do with it. I had a minor stroke whilst on the operating table which effected my left hand, but that cleared up after about a week. The operation (or loss of weight) affected my diabetes as well. Before the op, I took 10-15 units of insulin before every meal, but now I only need 5-10 units per day. My diabetic specialist says its down to a bit of both.

With Samsung watches, XDA-Developers have come up with a patched version of Samsung Health monitor app for non-Samsung phones, so all the features should work.

I am going to have a closer look at the Ticwatch Pro Ultra 3, it has got some bad reviews plus some good (like all items).
But there has been a lot of promises from the company who makes them that it will be upgraded to Wear 0S 3 and give dates, but then don't keep to those dates. The next promise is 3Q 2023.

 

[Paul_]

But there has been a lot of promises from the company who makes them that it will be upgraded to Wear 0S 3 and give dates, but then don't keep to those dates. The next promise is 3Q 2023.

Tic started the beta testing for Wear OS 3 in June this year, which was around the time I was looking. However, as you say, when beta becomes a release version is anyone's guess (as with most manufacturers in this space).

 

[SimonP78]

You never know how well the new software will run either (which was my experience of some of the early Android mobile phones which were updated to a newer version), if I were buying one it would be for the current feature set rather than in the expectation of something new working on it.

Though with that said the only reason I'd buy an Android Wear device anyway is to be able to use it as an XDrip+/juggluco collector (i.e. no phone required) and I don't really have any need for a smart watch that does anything more than my Garmin does (passing along notifications from my Android phone, and letting me cancel alarms, etc. without getting my phone out).

I sound like a Luddite, I'm not, I promise! I just don't really need a watch to do much more than mine already does

 

[Sizewell]

I received my new Smartwatch yesterday. It was an Amazfit GTR2e.
It took a while all the tweaking of apps (OOp2, Xdrip+ & Watchdrip+) but I got there in the end and it all seems to be working fine and it is mirroring my Libre 2. So thanks to all for their suggestions.

 

[SimonP78]

Glad to hear you're all sorted

It would be interesting to hear how you're finding everything after a few weeks, battery life, drop-outs and the like.

 

[Sizewell]

I am getting occasionally signal loss on Xdrip and so watchdrip and My watch is not updating. I also get on my watch sometimes that sync has failed and to try syncing manually. (I do keep everything close). So I guess its Bluetooth that is the problem.
I have force stopped Libre Link, NFC scanned with Xdrip and/or stop start Bluetooth on the phone, all of which seemed to get Xdrip running again. I do need Libre Link scanning for my Diabetic specialist.
Battery life on the watch is not too bad, after 6 days it was showing 37% but nothing like the advertised 24 days battery life.
I do have heart rate and sleep monitor running.

I do need to get the signal loss sorted so I don't have to keep tinkering with it.