Anyone solved the libre alarm problem

Status
Not open for further replies.

Tdm

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Pronouns
She/Her
My libre has come down with the libre alarm problem, and i am going through the 'trouble shooting' with customer service. Just deleted and reinstalled libre link, which didn't work, and of course lost all my data in the process.
Has anyone actually fixed the issue with customer service?
How many more steps do i have to follow before they send me a reciever?
Any one know if they have an receivers left?
(I suppose i could challenge them just to cut to the chase but it seems rather rude, and they probably have to follow proceedure)
I do feel a bit frauduent doing all this as I hope to get moved to dexcom, and have about a week left of self funded dexcom, but given I have been waiting for DSN to get back to me a re getting dexcom since nov, and the DSN has not replied to my email chasing it up, if i don't persue this now i may be left alarmless.
 
My libre has come down with the libre alarm problem, and i am going through the 'trouble shooting' with customer service. Just deleted and reinstalled libre link, which didn't work, and of course lost all my data in the process.
Has anyone actually fixed the issue with customer service?
How many more steps do i have to follow before they send me a reciever?
Any one know if they have an receivers left?
(I suppose i could challenge them just to cut to the chase but it seems rather rude, and they probably have to follow proceedure)
I do feel a bit frauduent doing all this as I hope to get moved to dexcom, and have about a week left of self funded dexcom, but given I have been waiting for DSN to get back to me a re getting dexcom since nov, and the DSN has not replied to my email chasing it up, if i don't persue this now i may be left alarmless.

I don't know what type of mobile phone you use.

If it's a Samsung mobile, apparently Samsung are rolling out gradually (i.e. only the S22 has been done so far I think) their January 2023 Android OS and Samsung system updates. I read elsewhere the January 2023 updates may (only may) resolve the issues some Samsung-Libre users have been having over the last few months.

Although my gut tells me Abbott probably still need to do something their end following the two updates they made to the Freestyle Librelink app at the back end of last year.

It shouldn't be a problem for you to contact Abbott Customer Services and insist that they send you a Libre 2 Reader because Librelink no longer works fully/properly on your mobile phone. I did so and they sent me a Libre 2 Reader immediately.

Do Abbott still have Libre 2 Readers? Who knows. They have had to send out a lot of them in the last few months.

Good luck!
 
I've samsung a12. I didn't have an issue until a couple of days ago. I think there was an update before then. I sometimes have alarms but it seems intermitent.
I don't really have hypo awareness, but then again i am quite stable overnight.
 
I contacted Abbott to complain / solve the problem by email. After about four emails, back n forth, will no solution in sight I insisted they send me a reader...which they did. 🙂
 
Just finished my 3rd call. I did some fiddling with the app whilst on the phone and the 'no alerts' msg disappeared. I think the error will come back, but i tried to tell the agent it appeared to be working again, and if/when it stopped working i would call back, but he didn't seem to understand and is sending me a new sensor.
 
When the alarm warning makes an appearance, I'll re-scan a couple of times, look at the logs, look at the graph, leave the program on in the fg for a couple mins tops, the alarm goes away, sometimes after a few seconds, other times it'll take over a minute.

The issue doesn't happen as often as it did when I started on libre2 6 months ago.
 
When the alarm warning makes an appearance, I'll re-scan a couple of times, look at the logs, look at the graph, leave the program on in the fg for a couple mins tops, the alarm goes away, sometimes after a few seconds, other times it'll take over a minute.

The issue doesn't happen as often as it did when I started on libre2 6 months ago.
Not sure if I am understanding you correctly but I think the sensor only sends a Blue tooth message every few minutes, so the out of range alarm warning may not cancel until the next time the sensor sends a BT pulse or whatever you want to call it, even if you are back in range before that. At least that is what I find with my reader. I have the "out of range" alarm switched off but I still get the icon showing on the reader when I have been out of range and come back to it..... until it gets the next signal from the sensor which might be that second or 3 mins hence. I still get the high and low alarms even when the reader is supposedly "out of range" ie in the next room charging. This is just my experience with the reader. I don't use my phone for Libre.
 
I'm talking about when the notification comes up something like "out of range: scan sensor" so it's scanned, (i presume this makes the bluetooth bit send data) and the warning persisting beyond that point. It's never taken 3 mins or so, a minute, 2 mins tops (and not lately) and usually within 30-45s
 
I wonder if it uses NFC to scan and the blue tooth just pulses every few minutes, hence the alarm warning not resetting until it gets the next BT pulse. I could well be talking through my hat though! I am such a tech dinosaur. I have to be honest I haven't timed it to know how long is the longest it takes to reset the out of range warning, I just know that it doesn't cancel straight away every time and that is the best explanation I can come up with. I might test it when I have a few spare minutes and see how long is the longest it takes to reset.
 
There seems a remarkable lack of 'hussle' on abbott's part to sort this out. I made 3 calls and still didn't get to the part where they send me a receiver, and i bet quite a few people are now moving over to dexcom.
I wonder if the reason they aren't more bothered is some sort of deal they have so much of the nhs is locked into libre? Perhaps they rely on everyone thinking is just their phone? That, or they simply don't care?
And remember, as far as i know the libre 3 can't be used other than by a phone, so if they have a problem with that, you're stuffed
 
I wonder if it uses NFC to scan and the blue tooth just pulses every few minutes, hence the alarm warning not resetting until it gets the next BT pulse.
Doesn't it stop when you scan it? It's been a while since I used the reader for alarms so I don't remember.

With Juggluco the alarm stops when I cancel it (no need to scan because it knows what the BG value is). (Similarly with my watch.)
 
I wonder if it uses NFC to scan and the blue tooth just pulses every few minutes,
Certainly NFC to scan. It pulses every minute, unless it is in error 373 mode, when it has been surmised that the algorithm is in its "own world" and catching up.

I use the Diabox app to keep a constant display on my android phone, without needing the NFC scan (unless the feed to Diabox breaks and a scan is needed to force the reconnection). Diabox has an option to have readings every minute, rather than every 5 minutes, which proves that Libre 2 is transmitting every minute. However this is a demanding mode, so I only switch to every minute when I'm very low and want to see relatively precisely (after some lag) that my snack is taking hold. Once the restoration to recovery has taken hold, I go back to the every 5 minutes setting. In every minute mode, Diabox sometimes loses its Bluetooth Low Emission (BLE) connection. But also sometimes when Libre 2 is declaring senor error, wait 10 mins, Diabox sometimes (not always) continues to receive readings every minute - yet Libre 2 refuses to scan. I deducec the Diabox algorithm is smoothing the Libre 2 emissions and working through the L2 'fog'.

The fact that L2 is definitely transmitting every minute begs the question: when original Libre was replaced by L2, why didn't Abbott make L2 a real time CGM? Why wasn't the replacement L2 Reader given that capability - even if too much development was needed for LibreLink to work with an array of smart phones, that are continuously developing? My perception is that Abbott and their L2 didn't just miss a commercial opportunity, but seem to have put on the market a sloppy product, fit to compete with 20 Yr old Nokia phones in clumsiness but inappropriate for the current tech capabilities. My perception is that L2 has been developed without considering the User.
 
The fact that L2 is definitely transmitting every minute begs the question: when original Libre was replaced by L2, why didn't Abbott make L2 a real time CGM? Why wasn't the replacement L2 Reader given that capability - even if too much development was needed for LibreLink to work with an array of smart phones, that are continuously developing?
We'll probably never know, but my guess is they were working on Libre 3, and thought (rightly) that Libre 2 with its alarms would be a really good product in its own right. I imagine there's some effort needed for regulatory approval and they just didn't want to go through that for Libre 2 as a CGM. (They have allowed other companies (including another Abbott subsidiary, I think) to offer it as a CGM for exercise purposes, presumably because that's not really regulated.)

I think they wouldn't want to do it now because they've got Libre 3, and people say that Libre 3 is cheaper to manufacture. Presuming that's true, they wouldn't want to discourage people from switching to Libre 3.
 
And remember, as far as i know the libre 3 can't be used other than by a phone, so if they have a problem with that, you're stuffed
This is a bit off topic, but there is a reader for Libre 3 (I'm using it right now).

I'm in Germany and Libre 3 was app-only (initially iOS-only then they rolled out an Android app) for about a year, then they made a reader available.

The Libre 3 reader looks exactly the same as the Libre 2 reader (just grey instead of blue), but no scanning is needed besides one scan for sensor activation.

Others have said the Libre 3 reader isn't available at all in the UK right now, but I assume it will be at some point.
 
Thats good. I got my info from a youtube review filmed when L3 was released so clearly things are changing.
 
That’s great to hear @Finn. I’m using a Libre 2 reader, after losing the alarms on my phone, and find it much more practical. Having the option to use a Libre 3 reader (if L3 ever becomes available!) makes me very happy. 🙂
 
I think the whole alarm marlarky has made alot of people think its good to have a dedicated reader, even if only used as a back up
I also like the idea as i'd like to get back to real life and go to plays, theatres etc, and am not sure if i'd feel confident with a phone which may start making noises for non diabetes reasons, whereas with a reader you can just keep your eye on it so no one is disturbed, plus people will know your not just checking your phone mid performance which could irritate them.
 
Doesn't it stop when you scan it? It's been a while since I used the reader for alarms so I don't remember.

With Juggluco the alarm stops when I cancel it (no need to scan because it knows what the BG value is). (Similarly with my watch.)
Yes the alarms stop when you acknowledge them but the "out of range" warning icon remains on the phone for a while longer and I assume it cancels when it gets it's next bluetooth pulse/message, Personally I don't have the out of range alarm activated but it still shows the warning icon on the reader for a short while when I have been out of range and come back to it, before the warning icon disappears from the screen.
 
Yes the alarms stop when you acknowledge them but the "out of range" warning icon remains on the phone for a while longer and I assume it cancels when it gets it's next bluetooth pulse/message,
Oh, that alarm. (I misunderstood "out of range".) Yes, it would make complete sense for into stay until it's received another signal.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top