The maker of the FreeStyle Libre 3 glucose monitor is warning users to 'disable automatic system updates on your iPhone' because it could break a core functionality of the device.

Owners of the FreeStyle Libre 3, one of Abbott Laboratories’ flagship glucose monitors, received an email this week warning them to “disable automatic system updates on your iPhone” because the new operating system’s StandBy Mode and Assistive Access Mode “may impact your ability to receive time-sensitive notifications including glucose alarms and notifications indicating that alarms are unavailable.”

“Key Steps to Optimize your FreeStyle Libre System on iOS 17,” the email reads. “While our teams are working quickly to verify and confirm compatibility, we recommend that you disable automatic operating system updates on the smartphone using the mentioned apps. Please check the compatibility guide on myfreestyle.com before the new operating system is installed.”

Abbott is telling customers who have already upgraded to disable StandBy Mode, which activates the iPhone’s Lock Screen while it’s charging and placed on its side. They are also being advised to turn off “Assistive Access” mode, an accessibility mode for people with disabilities. Abbott says that this mode “will impact your ability to activate a sensor, modify your alarm settings, or receive glucose alarm notifications from our apps.”

Abbott writes on its website that failure to take action when users get an alarm, or failure to use the device “as instructed in labeling may result in missing a severe low or high glucose event and/or making a treatment decision, resulting in injury.”

  • GhostalmediaEnglish
    6•9 months ago

    TL; DR for what’s actually happening

    • Standby mode is a mode that turns your phone into an Echo show if you plug it in and put it on its side. Like other focus modes in iOS (do not disturb, bedtime, etc) users can disable notifications for this mode. This is bad because it looks like Abbott didn’t ensure their notifications are set to “critical.” Critical alerts ignore settings that hide notifications. Critical alerts was a feature that was introduced 5 years ago.
    • Assistive Access is basically a new grandma-mode for phones. It allows a guardian or caregiver to turn an iPhone into a super dumb phone. Abbott has not built support for this yet. You have to go through a complex setup process for Assistive Access, so this is likely another edge case.
    • Instead of telling people to keep notifications on, and not to enable a new lockdown mode, Abbott is telling people to disable system updates. This smells like they actually didn’t test iOS 17 over the last 5 months, and now their legal team is worried that there might be other hidden issues.

    IMHO, this story makes things seem worse than they are. That said, if you depend on some software for your anything critical, it is a best practice to NOT upgrade to the latest and greatest major point release of any operating system. Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, etc. Wait at least 3 months until the kinks are ironed out.