Omnipod 5 & Freestyle Libre 2 Plus Hybrid Closed Loop

[BadaBing]

That's a shame, I wonder why?

There's been lots of speculation on the UK FB Omnipod 5 group. One commentator, who I believe has a background in software, has said it is significantly easier and less expensive for Insulet to give non US customers a dedicated pdm controller than to have to seek multi-country regulatory approval for iPhone and Android smartphone software apps, and then have to update those smartphone apps every time Apple or Google make changes to their iPhone and Android operating systems.

It also can't help that, at present, Insulet have a de facto monopoly on tubeless insulin pumps (although hopefully that will change in the next 18 months/2 years), so there is no effective competition to push them to provide smartphone apps outside of the US.

 

[evilclive]

There's been lots of speculation on the UK FB Omnipod 5 group. One commentator, who I believe has a background in software, has said it is significantly easier and less expensive for Insulet to give non US customers a dedicated pdm controller than to have to seek multi-country regulatory approval for iPhone and Android smartphone software apps, and then have to update those smartphone apps every time Apple or Google make changes to their iPhone and Android operating systems.

It also can't help that, at present, Insulet have a de facto monopoly on tubeless insulin pumps (although hopefully that will change in the next 18 months/2 years), so there is no effective competition to push them to provide smartphone apps outside of the US.

I was wondering a bit about the monopoly thing being why they're not very good at making what I think would be simple and useful improvements.

 

[Richard F]

I was wondering a bit about the monopoly thing being why they're not very good at making what I think would be simple and useful improvements.

If anyone from omnipod is reading this, how about BG on the 'lock' screen instead of tge time?

 

[Antje77]

If anyone from omnipod is reading this, how about BG on the 'lock' screen instead of tge time?

BG comes from the Libre or another CGM, not from Omnipod which just delivers the insulin.

I use DiaBox alongside the official Libre app (more on DiaBox on Facebook if you use this: https://www.facebook.com/groups/974278412920319).

This allows me to have my BG on my lock screen, and also a widget on my home screen. Which is particularly useful when driving. I put in my route on a partial screen on google maps, which keeps my screen alive and my numbers clearly visible while driving without having to touch my phone.

Screenshots of lock screen, home screen, and my driving set-up:

 

[evilclive]

BG comes from the Libre or another CGM, not from Omnipod which just delivers the insulin.

Sort of accurate, but also sort of not accurate. The Omnipod 5 doesn't just deliver the insulin, it is the device which talks to the libre (or dexcom), and the calculations to determine how much insulin to deliver based on the BG level are entirely within the Omnipod itself.

(If you don't need to bolus or use activity mode, you can lose the controller for the entire life of a pod. This happened to me when my controller blew up - I bolused using a conventional insulin pen, but let the omnipod take care of basal. And monitored by scanning with librelink on the phone.)

The Omnipod controller then talks to the Omnipod, and records the BG value for display to the end user, and to go buzz or whatever when the BG level goes high or low - and because of those warnings, it needs to regularly poll the omnipod for the current BG level.

So the controller knows the BG level in close to real time, and it really ought to be able to display it on the lock screen.

Unfortunately the Bluetooth comms of the libre are only able to talk to one device, and that device is the omnipod. Librelink on the phone runs, but it only works off scans, not values pushed from the libre. Like it was back in the Libre 1 days.

 

[Antje77]

Sort of accurate, but also sort of not accurate.

Thanks, and this should teach me not to meddle in threads on things I know not enough about!
I've never been on Omnipod or any other pump and I should have made this clear in my post.

Unfortunately the Bluetooth comms of the libre are only able to talk to one device, and that device is the omnipod.

I suppose this means you'll need the bluetooth link for the Omnipod and can't use it for DiaBox or other 3rd party apps, and @Richard F was completely right in trying to address Omnipod here.
Richard, I'm pretty sure Omnipod isn't following this thread but I do think it's worth sending them an email on the issue. Being able to see BG on a lock screen or while driving does make life a lot easier.