Android 13 update - Issues with Freestyle Libre 2 sensor & Bluetooth Low Energy

[AJKohl]

Merry Christmas!

My Samsung Galaxy A53 5G updated from Android 12 to Android 13 sometime in November 2022/early December 2022.

I have a piece of medical software on my A53 called Freestyle LibreLink. 

Freestyle Librelink is supposed to receive Bluetooth Low Energy signals from a Freestyle Libre 2 sensor attached to my arm and trigger an alarm on my A53 when my blood glucose has gone too low, or too high.

Both the Freestyle LibreLink app and Freestyle Libre 2 sensors are made by Abbott Laboratories.

Since the update on my A53 from Android 12 to Android 13 I no longer receive low or high glucose alarms. 

The update of my A53 from OS 12 to OS 13 also coincided with the manufacturer of the Freestyle LibreLink app updating the LibreLink app twice: the first time on or around 15 November 2022 and the second time around 1 December 2022.

This failure to receive low and high glucose alarms can be very dangerous.

The Internet suggests the issue of Android phones with OS 13 having the Freestyle LibreLink app on such phones not being able to receive low and high glucose alarms was known about and reported on Google's Issue Tracker as early as August 2022. 

Clearly the issue has still not been fixed yet.

Abbott Laboratories's customer services have suggested every possible permutation to try to resolve the failure of low and high glucose alarms on my A53 (checking all app permissions are granted, including overriding "do not disturb"; clearing cache of Freestyle LibreLink; force stopping and restarting Freestyle LibreLink; uninstalling and reinstalling Freestyle LibreLink; switching Bluetooth off and on; switching A53 off and on).

No solution suggested by Abbott Laboratories has resolved the issue of no low/high glucose alarms permanently, only temporarily and only for a few hours at best.

The Internet also suggests that this problem may be unique to Samsung mobiles (although I have read that it has affected dome Google Pixel mobiles as well as iPhones).

Does anyone know when the issues with Android 13 disrupting Bluetooth Low Energy signals stopping high and low glucose alarms being received and given off via Abbott Laboratories's Freestyle LibreLink app on Android phones, (and my Samsung Galaxy A53 5G specifically) will be resolved permanently?

Thank you!

[AmySmile]

I have a galaxy s20fe and having the exact same problem. Constantly getting alerts for "signal loss", so I scan and then 5/10minutes later it does the same again. I also havnt received a signal alert/alarm to say when my sugar has gone too high or low, very frustrating. 

Don't know if it is linked but also since the update I have had issues with Bluetoothing songs to my car. It connects fine and stays connected, but the sound is so low you can barely hear anything. I've checked all the volume settings on the phone and car and everything is the same as was before the update.

[Members_dLUPsjM]

Same here after the update but on Galaxy s20. The Bluetooth connection had been super stable for years and the Libre alarms were a godsend, especially during the night. Now the connection is up only for about 10-20% and that is a BIG problem when it comes to sugar management. Whatever was changed needs to be reversed ASAP!

[yanvu]

Same here on S20+

[Anders818]

Same problem for my S20FE. The alarm works for about 24 h after the phone settings has been resetted.

[miksuh]

I have exactly the same problem since I updated my phone to Android 13. My phone is Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G. Before updating from Android 12 to Android 13 alarms did work just fine whithout any problems. But my phone is now running Android 13 and the low and high glucose alarms do not work anymore. Alarms stopped to work when I updated my phone to Android 13. If I turn Bluetooth off and then on again alarms may start to work. But then e.g 2 -3 hours later alarms suddenly stop to work again whithout any warning. This is really dangerous because I have type 1 Diabetes. This proplem really must be fixed ASAP.

[AJKohl]

Thank you everyone who has replied to this post so far.

Please may I suggest two things?

First, the country in which you are based will have an official government-backed medical devices regulator who will have licensed and authorised Abbott's Freestyle Librelink app to be provided to diabetics (who want it) to give low and high glucose alarms on a compatible mobile phone when the Freestyle Librelink app is used under normal circumstances and in accordance with Abbott's user instructions for use of the Freestyle Librelink app.

Please would you consider contacting the official medical devices regulator in your countries and notify them that Abbott's Freestyle Librelink app has not been working as it is supposed to on your Samsung phones?

The medical devices regulator in each country will have the legal powers to order that Abbott take Freestyle Librelink off the market. The regulator will exercise that power very rarely. However, if the regulator knows that there is a problem with Freestyle Librelink, the regulator will hopefully contact Abbott and put pressure on them to make Freestyle Librelink fully compatible with Android operating systems updates and security patches and Samsung system updates snd security patches.

The second thing I ask you to consider doing is to file an error report through Samsung's Members Community. Explain to them (in 1000 characters or less) what has happened and suggest that both Google and Samsung give proper consideration to the future functionality of official medical device apps when they test and roll out operating system updates and security patches.

I set out below suggested text for a Samsung error report.

[AJKohl]

Suggested text of Samsung Members Error Report.

" I own a Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

I am diabetic. Diabetics are required to keep their blood glucose within strict ranges (4 mmol/l to 10mmol/l)

Since 2017 I, like many millions of diabetics, use a continuous glucose sensor to monitor my glucose levels and to provide me with alarms when my blood glucose is too low or too high so that I can either administer food (low glucose) or insulin (high glucose).

I use the mobile app Freestyle LibreLink made by the well known medical devices company Abbott Laboratories to receive alarms on my A53.

Since November 2022 I have been unable to receive low and high glucose alarms on my A53. This failure coincides with the Android OS on my A53 (and many other people's phones) being upgraded from OS 12 to OS 13 which I understand has affected how Bluetooth Low Energy works on my A53.

PLEASE can Google and Samsung give proper consideration to the future functionality of medical device apps when testing and rolling out OS and security updates?"

[alanek]

I have the same problem. Galaxy M23 which has just been updated to Android 13.  Last year with the same phone but Android 12  and dexcom G6  using X-drip+ app,  bluetooth  connection was 100% ok.

The Abbott app, seems to me, to be far inferior to  X-drip +.  The problem is of cause if you use X-drip + and anything goes wrong,  Abbott would blame the X-deip+ app.

I had huge problem with Free Style Libre 1 one last year, I had six sensors replaced within a 4 week period.  I live in Poland, and last year Abbott "ran out" of sensors in Poland - none available for 2 months, that is why I moved over to Dexcom.  Makes you wonder how a an "international Pharma company" like Abbott is managed, to actually run out of medical devices that people depend on.

How Free Style Libre 2 is available with refund from the Polish health service, so I am back with FSL.

[PauloD]

Abbott ( Portugal ) recognized the problem with their app and Android 13.

Supposedly  there is a newer version with the problem solved.

Did not tried it yet. Waiting for the current sensor to end before migrating again to the new phone.