Smartphone and CGM compatibility

So the health authority have switched from supplying Libre Freestyle 2 to 3. Been happily using the Libre freestyle 2 on a much maligned (by senior daughter) Hauwei , now 5 years old, but takes very nice photos! Decided it would be good to get new phone, before old one died. OH agreed to stump up, as my Christmas present.
On a trip to the city, we live on a rural Norwegian island, went into the electrical store and asked for a phone. Want a good camera(s) and must be able to run my CGM app……bought a Samsung Galaxy s24. Nearly swayed by the S24 Ultra, but decided it was too big and heavy for me…little old lady who likes to go for walks, phone monitoring Glucose level in one jacket pocket, box of jelly babies in the other!
PaI’d for all the data and apps to be switched from old to new phone. Went home and fitted new Libre 3 and tried to scan it to start it up… Tried all of the next day…so where is the reader on this phone?… eventually found my way into the user manual for Libre Freestyle 3 and the list of compatible phones… in the list in English the S24 was not there. Looked at the list in Norwegian, Sami, Italian, French, German…no still not there! Was convinced it was a typo and someone had just left it out…by mistake.
Found out that Samsung fitted a different NFC reader to that model and it won’t work with the Libre 3…atm!
Made a return visit to the city and returned the phone and consider ourselves very fortunate to have got a refund. Staff in the store got some lessons in CGM apps, we got a lesson in doing our phone homework before going into the store.
Going to try again after Christmas, armed with print out of compatibility list this time!
My day without a CGM was ‘difficult’ can’t believe I managed for a whole 2 months after diagnosis doing finger sticks, and just found the little booklet I had, noting down my insulin shots and food intake and exercise. Made me appreciate how lucky I am to have the tech provided for me.

SimonP78 said:

Interesting to hear that the NFC chipset is not compatible, I always assumed the list of compatible phones was simply the ones they had tested and that all phones would generally support ISO 15693 by default.

Did anything NFC-related (i.e. other things like access cards) work (at least produce a bong) with the phone - from a quick Google it looks like NFC must be enabled in the Settings app. I didn't find anything about the supported NFC standards from a quick Google, but perhaps someone else will have more luck.

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Hei Simon, thanks for your response. I realised the phone did bong, so it’s NFC reader was working. Ironically it picked up the Sibionics CGM I was wearing, but when I tried to get it to read the Libre 3 it gave me an error message saying it had found a device, but it was incompatible! At that point I ripped off the Sibionics CGM so as not to confuse the NFC!
One of the tech guys in the store looked it all up and found out that phone has been fitted with a different NFC reader..can’t remember it’s name and can’t think why they have used a different one just on that model of phone.
Have since researched phone models with good cameras and I keep getting back.. Galaxy S24….Grrr!
The guy in the store had a Fold 6 and he noticed that wasn’t on the list of Libre 3 compatible phones either. It goes up to a Fold 4.
He had an issue with his Fold 4 not being able to fly his drone!

GerryBolger said:

Is it possible to read the CGN without a smart phone. I’m move away from a smart phone because of my sever FOMO but use Freestyle Libre

. Any thoughts anyone how to get around this. Much appreciated.

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There is a dedicated reader for the Libre freestyle 2 , contact Abbott?

Jaylee said:

Hi,

Stupid question.
But did you download the actual “Librelink 3” app & not the Libre 2 app, if you cloned your new phone? (To transfer everything over.)
If you go to the App Store on your older Hauwei, is it compatible to download & try with the sensor you’re wearing? (If you still have it fitted?)

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Hei Jaylee, yep I downloaded the Libre 3 app and my current Libre freestyle 3 is happily connected to my poor old Huawei phone, and giving readings. And telling me my GMI, glucose Managment indicator has slipped a bit. Am blaming lack of activity due to being snowed in and too many Christmas chocolates hanging round the housethink I’ve fixed it by upping my insulins and trying to do a little bit of exercise each day..
We have been somewhat snowed in, today was our first foray off the premises, to do some food shopping, in a fortnight. Maybe make it to the electrical store on the next island by the weekend and see if we can find a compatible phone. With all the pictures taken of the snowy scenes, phone is struggling even more!

Jaylee said:

Find your phone online. You may get a cheaper deal than in the shops…?
I’ve been to Oslo. You seem to do a better job of clearing snow than in the UK.

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Hei Jaylee, Thanks for the heads up about getting a phone cheaper on line, but I am a bit old and therefore a bit old school, so like to go into an actual shop to buy most things. Also need a person, a techy person , to swap things over from old phone to new phone
Yep everything just carries on here despite the snow, except for us, we knew the snow was coming, so stocked up on essentials, and reckon we could have lasted another 2 weeks without needing any shopping. The roads were all cleared, it was just our driveway that was impassable. Evidently people over 40 are not supposed to shovel snow. So we didn’t! Snow eventually disappeared by itself, with the help of some rain and a big rise in the temperature.