Dexcom Upgrades Clarity Mobile App to Add Weekly Notifications

By Jim Hirsch, Kelly Close, and Adam Brown

Get weekly email and phone notifications summarizing time-in-range and glucose trends from the updated Dexcom Clarity app

Dexcom Clarity is offering a bit more clarity, and simplicity, for users – an upgrade that takes advantage of smartphones and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in the digital age.

Clarity, Dexcom’s web-based application (clarity.dexcom.com) and mobile app on Apple iOS and Google Play, is all about giving users information about their recent CGM trends and statistics.

• For those using Dexcom G5 app, CGM data is automatically uploaded to Dexcom Clarity– no dealing with uploading or cables (this is a big deal for many);

• Users can view CGM data on the Clarity mobile app or the website, and can share data with a clinic;

• Those with the mobile app can get access to all CGM reports on the phone, helpful during appointments and for analyzing recent CGM trends on-the-go.

Now, the upgraded Dexcom Clarity mobile app can send a weekly notification summarizing time-in-range for the week, how it compares to the previous week, any high or low glucose patterns, and other key CGM stats (see below). Users opt in to receive these reports, which are available as a smartphone notification and an email summary. They come just once a week, offering a nice snapshot of how the previous week went and where to potentially focus in the coming week. It’s especially useful that these notifications don’t require logging in to a dashboard or plugging in cables – they are automatically sent to the G5 user.

The Clarity software was an added feature to the Dexcom G5 system - which was introduced two years ago and was a major innovation in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The Dexcom G5 sends data straight from a sensor attached to your body to your iPhone or Android device, which conveys real-time blood sugar numbers, trend lines, and alerts.

But the greatest benefit is that the real-time and historical CGM information is now there, on the phone, without you having to do anything except keeping your phone accessible. Fitbit actually already does a great job with a similar weekly email summary, and we’re eager to see how other diabetes device companies find creative ways to communicate, support, and gently nudge their customers to improve management.

Dexcom reminds us that while we embrace data as critical to diabetes care, sometimes more isn’t better. Sometimes flashier isn’t more productive. Sometimes concise summaries, pointed pings, and predictable emails are what’s needed to get results.