FreeStyle Libre 3 Reviews: Is It Legit?

Customer Experience

Positive experience12.1% of reviews
Neutral15.8% of reviews
Negative experience72.0% of reviews

~ Based on 783 written reviews from the US App Store.

What users say about FreeStyle Libre 3

Is FreeStyle Libre 3 Safe?

FreeStyle Libre 3 – US does not appear safe based on available data. AppsHunter Safety Score for FreeStyle Libre 3 is 48/100.

This assessment is based on 6,203 user ratings, with an App Store average of 2.4/5.

Safety Analysis

27.0% of ratings point to a safe experience
13.2% of ratings suggest some concerns
59.8% of ratings point to a risky experience

~ Based on 6,203 App Store ratings for FreeStyle Libre 3.

Is FreeStyle Libre 3 Legit?

FreeStyle Libre 3 – US appears to be a legitimate app. AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for FreeStyle Libre 3 is 100/100.

Based on 100 of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

Top reviews

App not working

It keeps saying to retry

Good but needs Apple Watch app

I would rate 5 stars if it had an Apple Watch app like the Dexcom That vibrates when sleeping for alerts

Loses Bluetooth Connection Frequently

Libre 3 sensor & the app are supposed to be an improvement over previous versions. The sensor is accurate, and the app registers readings in the background now. However, the app loses Bluetooth connectivity quite frequently which the last version never did (in the same phone, same iOS version). Thus is an annoyance that needs to be fixed. Would be great if the app added a widget and Apple Watch support.
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Updates remove good features

I have used the Libre sensors for several years. Now using the 3 plus requires a new app. They keep deleting good features, like silent mode, which I use all the time, after eating something to correct my glucose levels. Otherwise the alarms keep ringing, disturbing my wife’s sleep

First Impression -Will update

Right off, there's no way to prevent compression lows and an alarm better not wake me up as I have a hard time sleeping to begin with. Also, there's no overpatch and I'm sure this won't go over well with my employer. I'm going to use it for now. So far, I'm highly unimpressed. If I'd known all this, I would have asked my Dr for something else before I paid for it. Now I'm stuck with it. Right now, the non-prescription Stello has the Libre prescription device beat, right out of the box.
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NO for Apple Watch!

Will not work with an Apple Watch

You should remove the old app

We got a Libre 3 plus monitor to measure our dog's glucose readings after he had a seizure related to low glucose. We did not realize there was a newer app and can't transfer the sensor data to the new app. It is regularly losing signal despite the phone being right next to him - sometimes for hours and despite turning Bluetooth off and on, shutting off the app, restarting the phone, etc. Hopefully the new app works better when we need to replace his sensor.
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Too important safety features

1. Emergency alert sharing:
Please add an option that allows a user to designate a family member, caregiver, or healthcare provider to receive an alert when the user’s glucose reaches a dangerous level. An optional escalation feature would be even better: if the user doesn’t acknowledge a serious low or high alert within a certain amount of time, the designated contact could be notified automatically.

2. Protective waterproof sensor bandage:
Please include a protective adhesive patch with each sensor, or offer one specifically designed for Libre sensors. It should be similar to a waterproof Band-Aid, but with a center opening/hole around the sensor so the sensor remains exposed and can continue reading glucose normally.

The patch would help protect the sensor from catching on clothing, towels, bedding, doorways, etc. and accidentally being pulled off the arm. It should be flexible, waterproof, breathable, and strong enough to keep the sensor securely in place without interfering with the sensor or its readings.

Having the protective patch included in the box would be especially helpful because losing a sensor early can be frustrating and potentially expensive.
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Loud an incessant

When my sensor came off prematurely without a replacement, the app would constantly alarm. The only way to quiet it was to uninstall until I could get to the pharmacy.

Broken

After resetting Bluetooth and resetting the app and also rebooting my phone, I still cannot get the critical error that the devices been shut off to stop beeping at me. And because of this after I discarded the first sensor because of the error, I put a second one on And got the error again and I assumed that one was broken as well and so I took that one off as well but then the error just kept happening no matter what I do to fix it it won’t stop. And now I’m realizing I might have discarded two perfectly good sensors and it was probably the app messing up or at least one good sensor.
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Ok when it works right

This thing false alarms almost every night, sometimes multiple times per night. It alarms and says low glucose , if I wait a couple of minutes and look again, it’s back up in range with no history that it dipped into the low range minutes before.

Talking with support previously they told me that the IOS version is too new? Ummm no thank you I’m not missing phone updates that typically have bug fixes and security updates because you can’t build an app that works right. Buy an Apple developer license get access to beta software and start testing your stuff early, Keep up or get left behind.

I don’t really want to talk to support again because it’s going to be the same old IOS is too new excuse as before.
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U DONT HAVE THE RIGHT!

You don’t have the right to send me a alarm in the middle of the night when I’m sleeping just because my sugar goes to a certain level. You need to put back in the option for the consumer (me) that will allow me to turn off alarms and notifications because you have overridden that and don’t allow a consumer to give the option to turn off notifications you now have a one star review and I’ll be getting my glucose meter strips from a different company.
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So frustrating

They have what 6 apps now and none work. I had to get a reader and carry it with me. Im not going to keep this up. If the company can’t run its own equipment and have a decent app then why should i trust them with my levels? Plus if you open these other apps they will say no open this other one. Well if they know it doesn’t work then why don’t they remove it from the app store???
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Sensors failing

My sensors fail from one day to 10 days in length. With what they cost this is crazy. I’m looking for a better solution now.

Not compatible with OS newest version. However I was told to update the app by Abbott’s

Trust Dexcom.

This is awful!

You can’t go back to review. Just look at a graph. No connection to Apple health without at least two other apps and an hour of giving away your data. This is after plugging my arm to get a “Take it off. We will send you a new one”. This is the last time I use their product. Do better.

Use the regular Libre App

This app is no where as good as the regular Libre App. A lot of features from the original app are missing from this app. I don’t recommend this version

Great device, unresponsive app

Summary:

The app is far too slow/unresponsive (in terms of loading reports or logging carbs/boluses), but otherwise I think it's pretty good. I would never switch because I like how small the 3+ is.

Inaccurate readings aren't a big problem for me, though it does happen, but Abbott replaces faulty sensors for free. And the alarms are fine, they can be silenced and your phone will still vibrate.

I can think of a few QoL updates/features I'd love, but making the app more responsive is the single most important thing I want.

In depth:

If the various reporting features of this app loaded in a reasonable time, I'd be so happy with it. But it is so slow that I check my reports infrequently. It is painful. Checking my time-in-range reports, my daily averages, my GMI - they take ages to load. That's not great, but the worst is when I try and log some carbs or an insulin shot. I tap the button to add a note and will have to wait 30 seconds before the app responds, IF it responds. I'll sometimes have to tap the button multiple times before it does anything, waiting 30-60 seconds after each tap, which means it could take me 3-5 minutes to actually add a note that says I took 2 units of insulin or ate 30g of carbs. That's a big, big pain point for me. It's a task that should be completed in 3-5 seconds, not minutes.

Sometimes the readings are inaccurate, it happens. Abbott is good about replacing faulty sensors for free, and I've been wearing the 3+ for a year and have to say it doesn't happen enough for me to be frustrated by it. Inaccurate readings are a bigger problem when I am eating high sugar, high fat foods regularly (not normal for me). Otherwise, it's pretty trustworthy.

The alarms are loud, yes. The point is to prevent you from entering a diabetic coma, so it makes sense. You can silence the audio for up to 6 hours at a time, and your phone will still vibrate to notify you if you cross a threshold.
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Buggy

Doesn’t work, password issues. Slow customer service, poor sync to cloud. Was instructed to delete and reinstall all to allow a caregiver to use the app, which required a brand new sensor. Not planning to use long term due to usability issues and loud beeps.

Kinda sucks

Randomly logged me out, the password I know is correct stopped working, password reset email thing isn’t working, the connections suddenly got a warning and wouldn’t let me open the tab, etc