Dexcom Follow 4+

Wasted Potential

Two stars because Dexcom as a product is amazing and has changed my fiancé’s life. However, it seems pretty clear that the company’s product strategy focuses only on the hardware and not their mobile apps. Least of all, the Follow app which hasn’t been updated beyond minor bugs fixes possibly ever. But even the Dexcom G6 app is basic and limited.

There are major bugs, inconsistencies, grammatical errors, and even duplicates of the exact same question on the FAQ page. Dexcom releases app updates maybe once a year, if we’re lucky, and they certainly don’t have anywhere in their apps or on their website to report bugs or give feature suggestions. There is so much potential for the Dexcom apps, but it’s wasted (it doesn’t look like they even employ a software product manager).

Thankfully, they have open APIs, so there are some great third-party apps that are way better than Dexcom’s app, but it’s really disappointing that they don’t put more focus here. While their hardware is much better than their competitors due to being so hands-off, it’s not that huge of a competitive advantage and the mobile space is definitely where their competitors can quickly gain some ground on them. I hope Dexcom puts more strategy behind their entire product solution in the future instead of only focusing on the hardware.

Fantastic Device!

I started CGM with Medtronic (I’m T1D), and had to constantly calibrate and change out the sensors, which was nice to know of alerts, but in comparison to Dexcom, is really painful. Dexcom still gets out of range sometimes, but when I set it up, after checking that it’s accurate, unless it’s knocked loose from the skin it reads great. I started with Dexcom almost a year ago with the g6, and have loved it. My 3yo son was diagnosed last week with T1D. We were able to get him a prescription, and have set him up with one of mine while we wait on it and try to figure out good set points for his insulin dosages. The follow app has been great for me. My wife stays at home with him while I’m able to go to work, which takes me away from home about 2 days a week, with peace of mind. Thank you for your hard work Dexcom team! I’ve read several of the reviews and have noticed that the team has fixed -nearly- all of the issues with the follow app. I’m sure that y’all will continue to do so to keep this device as the best for monitoring t1d. I’m excited for the Dexcom to be partnering with omi-pod because I’m wanting to get that for my son. I already use t-slim, but he’s on the pump and doesn’t go through nearly as much insulin as I do. Plus he’s 3…. An insulin cord isn’t feasible for him. God bless you all and thank you for your innovation. ❤️

Developer Response ,

Hello. We would like to follow up with you. If you would like a member of our team to reach out, please submit a request through our Self-Service Patient Support Portal located at https://www.dexcom.com/priority-support. Thank you.

Maybe add a Chat?

We absolutely love this app! My brother-in-law is 15 and has a CGM. Me, his mom and dad, grandma, and girlfriend all have the app. It is such a comfort to know when he is high or low. Especially when he is playing a sport or is asleep and can’t feel when it drops or rises. One thing I wish they could do is maybe add a chat in or something. In the middle of the night his mom and dad may have him drink a juice or something, but the rest of us don’t know. Early this morning the app was only registering LOW. I woke up to my phone going off that it was an urgent low. I texted and called my mother and father-in-law, but they wouldn’t answer me. After a few minutes my husband and I drove to there house in a panic that no one knew he was that low. Thankfully they only live a few miles away. Long story short, they were all asleep but had given him a juice an hour earlier. So his sugar wasn’t as low as we thought, it was just registering with the app a lot slower. If there was some kind of chat or a way to leave a notification I think that would be great. That way the rest of us will know that they got him, or gave him a juice at a certain time. It would give us some peace of mind if nothing else. And be a lot easier than just texting each of us. I love the app though! It’s a real blessing to have!