For Buddies
Welcome, Buddy
A Buddy is someone a person living with type 1 diabetes chooses to share their glucose with. Here's what you'd see, what the alerts mean, and how setting up works.
9:41
Sunday, October 25
How setting up works
For Buddies in the private test, it takes about five minutes.
Link to your Beet
In Settings, Shared access, tap Connect to a Beet and enter the code your Beet shares with you.
Choose your alerts
Low and High alerts start off. In Settings, Glucose alerts, pick up to three Low and three High numbers, and the sounds you like. The No data alert is already on.
Send yourself a test
Home lists anything on your phone that could stop an alarm, with a button to fix each one. Then send a test alarm to be sure.
Keep Dexcom Follow on
Beet Buddy works alongside it, never instead of it.
Quick start for Buddies
The guide inside the app, under Settings, How Beet Buddy works, word for word.
“Please check in” alerts is built, but not switched on in the private test yet. Everything else here works in the private test.
You are the Buddy
Thank you for looking out for your Beet. Beet Buddy lets you see their glucose, so you can check in when it matters.
Beet Buddy is a companion to your Beet's own CGM alarms, never a replacement. It shows information only: no advice, no doses, and it cannot control any device. Keep Dexcom Follow on as your main alarm.
What you see
Your Beet's latest glucose, its trend arrow and how old the reading is. Every number shows its age. An old reading is marked as old and is never shown as current.
Insulin on board shows only when your Beet has shared it with you. If it is shared but no number is available, Beet Buddy says so.
What the alerts mean
- Low BG or High BG: your Beet's latest reading passed a number you chose. The alert shows the reading and how old it is.
- No glucose data: new readings have stopped arriving, or your phone cannot reach Beet Buddy. It tells you how old the last reading is.
- Please check in: your Beet may be low and has not answered. You only get this if your Beet allowed it and you turned on Low check-in alerts.
- Nudge: a message from your Beet. A "Need help" Nudge is urgent.
When an alert rings
- Stop the alarm, then open Beet Buddy and look at the reading and how old it is.
- Check on your Beet in the way the two of you have agreed, for example by calling or messaging them.
- Follow your Beet's own care plan. Beet Buddy cannot tell you what to do about a number.
- If you think your Beet is in danger, call your local emergency number.
Nudges
A Nudge is a small message between you and your Beet, such as "Thinking of you". Send one when you want them to know you are there.
When your Beet sends one, it arrives with their latest reading and its age, if one is shared with you. Opening it tells them you saw it, and you can send a heart back.
Keep it working
- Low and High alerts are off until you turn them on. The No data alert is on, after 20 minutes. Open Settings, then Glucose alerts, to set them.
- Keep Beet Buddy's notifications switched on in Android settings.
- Allow Do Not Disturb access, so your alarms and "Need help" Nudges can sound through Do Not Disturb. In Beet Buddy, Settings, then Alert health, shows anything that is missing.
- Let Beet Buddy run in the background. Battery saving can make alerts late.
- Alerts can arrive several minutes late, because Beet Buddy looks for new readings about every 5 to 15 minutes.
- Keep Dexcom Follow on as well. Beet Buddy never replaces your Beet's own alarms.
Parents and guardians
A way for a parent or guardian to be a Buddy for a child is in the works. The current plans are for adults, so it isn't part of Beet Buddy yet.
If you look after a child with type 1 diabetes, Chris would love to hear your perspective, what you'd need, and any concerns. Email contact@beetbuddy.app. Please leave out your child's name, readings and other health details.
Questions Buddies ask
What would a Buddy see?
Only what their Beet chooses to share: the latest reading, which way it's heading and how old it is, the graph, and when devices are due for a change. Insulin on board shows only if the Beet allows it for that Buddy. A Beet can have several Buddies, and a Buddy follows one Beet at a time.
Does it replace my CGM's own alarms?
No. Please keep your CGM's own alarms on, and Buddies, keep your CGM's own follow app on too. Beet Buddy is being designed to work alongside them.
How quickly would alerts arrive?
Usually within a few minutes, but not instantly. Beet Buddy is being designed to check for a new reading every 5 to 15 minutes or so, and it needs the internet, notifications and background activity on the Buddy's phone. Phone settings can still silence an alert. That's one reason it isn't a medical alarm and never replaces your CGM's own alarms.
What if the Beet's phone loses signal?
New readings stop arriving. The Buddy still sees the last one, clearly marked with how old it is, so it never looks current. A No data alert lets them know readings have stopped, and a short note follows when they're back.
Can I follow more than one Beet?
Not at the same time: a Buddy follows one Beet at a time. A Beet can have several Buddies, though.
I have an iPhone. Could I use it?
Not yet. Beet Buddy is being built for Android first, and it isn't available to download on any phone yet. If you'd use it on an iPhone, tell us on the Stay in the loop list. It helps decide what comes next.
Can I get Beet Buddy now?
Not yet. It's a project in development, tested privately. A public beta is planned, with no date. Stay in the loop and we'll email you if a beta opens.