Dexcom Clarity App Updates: Time-in-Range Goals, “Best Day,” and Estimated A1C
By Jimmy McDermottAdam Brown
By Jimmy McDermott and Adam Brown
Updates to the Clarity app allow G5 and G6 CGM users to set a daily time-in-range goal and be notified when it is reached, awesome Bright Spots pattern recognition in CGM, and more!
Dexcom has updated its Clarity mobile app (Apple iOS, Google Play) to add three continuous glucose monitor (CGM) data analysis features:
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The ability to set a daily time-in-range goal and be notified when it is reached;
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Identification of a user’s “best day” over the last seven days; and
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Analysis of 14 days of CGM data to provide an estimated A1C, which is now rebranded as “glucose management indicator” (GMI).
The Daily Time-in-Range Goal and “Best Day” notifications are exciting additions, as they should help users identify Bright Spots – “When things go well, what did I do?” CGM has historically focused on detecting mistakes – “When are my highs and lows occurring? What did I mess up?” – but reinforcing what is working is also key for improvement, engagement, and preventing burnout.
Users must opt-in to receive these new notifications in the settings menu, and the “Best Day” notification is generated for the most in-range day over the last seven days. The default time-in-range goal is 70% in 70-180 mg/dl, aligning with recently discussions on the consensus goal.
This is the biggest update to the Clarity mobile app since weekly notifications launched last year. We like that these CGM data and patterns are generated with nearly zero user effort – all G5 and G6 mobile CGM data is uploaded automatically, Clarity finds the patterns (the app does not need to be open), and the key information is pushed to the user as a notification. Medtronic has also moved in this direction with its Sugar.IQ app, which has been marketed as a “personal diabetes assistant,” using patterns in diabetes data to provide insights – e.g., “I noticed that when you take less than 10 g carbs from 6-9 AM, you often go low.”
These updates are an exciting step in simplifying CGM data analysis and providing more information for people to identify Bright Spots for improving diabetes management. For more on time-in-range, see the latest expert views on goals here and Adam’s column here.