Restarting G6 sensors and transmitter

“10-day hard stop on G6 sensors.” – love, Dexcom

Did that one thing alone stop you from considering the G6?  Well, good news…you can actually restart the sensors (and the transmitter).

There are several ways to restart a G6 sensor, listed below from easiest to hardest. (Technically, Options 1 and 2 are so much easier than other options…that it’s almost not worth doing the others)

  1. Use the G6 receiver to restart
  2. Use the phone to restart (without receiver)
  3. Use the resetTransmitter app
  4. Remove the transmitter from the sensor

UPDATE:  It used to be that I thought that you could not restart a sensor if it had expired, without using Option 3 or 4…turns out this is not true!  If you accidentally did not remember to start and finish Options 1 or 2 before your sensor session expired, don’t fret.  I have used Option 1 to restart an ended sensor (basically just start on Step 4 of Option 1, but you don’t need to wait for a new BG to come in…because the session has expired).  I haven’t personally tested how Option 2 would work in that situation, but it should work just the same.

However, do not end up in limbo…don’t start a restart process an hour before a session ends.  Either start/finish Option 1 or 2 far enough in advance that you can complete the restart entirely…or wait until the session has ended and then begin a restart.  The in-between process doesn’t work well, so pick a version and follow-through.

Option 1: Use G6 receiver

This is the easiest and preferred method because you don’t have to lose BG data during the restart process.  You can just keep looping (if you are a looper) and watching BG data on your phone, Nightscout, and Follow apps the whole time.

To use this process, you do NOT have to be using a receiver on a regular basis.  We only pull the receiver out in order to do the restarts.  Normally, it sits in the closet, turned off, between session restarts.  I think of the receiver as a magic restart wand that we pull out of the closet every so often.

We start and finish this whole process before the session is due to expire…so about 3 hours before the end of session, or sooner, we start the receiver going on the steps below.

  1. In your Alerts settings for the receiver, it’s a good idea to turn off the “signal loss” alert during this process.  Your receiver is going to have signal loss for two hours and it would be annoying to hear that alert for the whole time.  Just a good idea before you get started.
  2. If you don’t normally use the receiver, go ahead and turn it on.  Get the receiver connected with the transmitter.  Shortly after (about 5 minutes) the receiver connects, the receiver will start reading BGs from the existing session already going on the phone.
  3. Watch the receiver get a fresh BG value.  Usually this happens just seconds after the phone app gets a new BG.  During this process, the transmitter and receiver briefly talk and then disconnect from each other for the next 5 minutes.  We are going to use that disconnected state to our advantage to restart the sensor.
  4. Wait about 15 seconds or so after the new BG value came in and then press the “Stop Sensor” option ON THE RECEIVER (not on the phone).  You’ll be told “Are you sure you want to stop your sensor?  It cannot be restarted, a new sensor is required.”  Answer Yes.  You’ll see a little progress bar go by for stopping sensor.
  5. On the screen that appears after the progress bar, press New Sensor.  You’ll be promoted to choose between “No Code” or “Enter Code”.  You can choose either.  If you choose to “Enter Code”, go find your code from when you originally inserted the sensor (the one printed on the adhesive cover of the sensor).  Contrary to early rumors, not all the sensors in a box have the same code. That code is the calibration code for the particular sensor wire that sensor is using.  If you don’t have that code saved, go ahead and choose “No Code” (don’t just randomly use the code from a different sensor in your supplies).
  6. After you finish with the Code entry decisions, you’ll need to press the “Start Sensor” button that will appear on the receiver.  You’ll see a “starting sensor” progress bar for a few seconds and then the 2-hour sensor warmup countdown circle will be displayed on the receiver.
  7. From this point forward for at least two hours…you need the receiver to NOT COME INTO COMMUNICATION WITH THE TRANSMITTER.  There are several ways to do this, some ideas:
    • Put the receiver in the microwave.  The microwave blocks the communications between the receiver and the transmitter very effectively, just make sure you don’t turn on the microwave during the 2+ hours you’re waiting, or
    • Put the receiver in a faraday bag (costs less than $10 and it can act just like the microwave, but a lot more portable and easy to manage), or
    • Put the receiver “far enough away” that it stays out of range of the transmitter.  Neighbor’s house, the corner of your backyard, etc.  Just so long as it is far enough away that the transmitter and receiver won’t accidentally talk to each other during the 2+ hours of waiting.  This is the second most common failure point for people trying to restart…they do not adequately keep the receiver from communicating with the transmitter during this 2 hour wait.  I highly recommend using a microwave or a faraday bag for this option to prevent accidental communication.
  8. During this 2+ hours of waiting, the receiver will have “signal loss” and “no data” message.  That’s a good thing.  Don’t worry about that. You want that.
    • Also during this 2+ hours of waiting, you’ll have BGs on the phone app uninterrupted.  Your Nightscout site, dexcom follow app, dexcom G6 app, and Loop app (if you use it) will all continue to work as usual.
  9. After waiting 2+ hours at least (I usually go at least 2 hours and 10 minutes just in case), bring the receiver back into communications with the transmitter.  Within 5 minutes, the “no data” message will be replaced with a warmup message when the receiver will connect with the transmitter again.  The warmup circle looks like a 3/4 completed warmup circle, but don’t worry, it only has 5 minutes until you’re session is ready to start again.
  10. 5 minutes after the warmup circle appears, the receiver and phone will start showing BGs again for the newly restarted session (or the “enter 2 calibrations” request if you chose a “no code” session or used a reset transmitter).
  11. If required, enter the calibrations in both the phone and receiver at the same time.  If your session did not require immediate calibrations to start the session, it is still not a bad idea to check and make sure you’ve restarted BGs at a reasonable value.
  12. Congrats, you’ve just restarted your G6 sensor session.  Your newly started session will expire 10 days from the time that you did Step 5, so plan ahead if you are going to do any subsequent restarts.

Here’s the video for the G6 Option 1

Option 2: No-receiver restart

For non-US residents, sometimes you can purchase the G6 system without the receiver.  So while you can still restart the sensor session without it, the disadvantage (vs. using Option 1) is that you will not see BGs for two hours during the restart process.

This process can be a little more prone to errors if using an android phone…some android phones reconnect with BT devices pretty aggressively I’ve heard.

Remember to start this process far enough in advance that you will finish it before the “Sensor Expires” time.

SIDE NOTE:  I have heard from several t-slim users that this method does indeed work to restart the G6 for those users.

  1. In phone’s bluetooth list (in iPhone Settings), “forget” the Dexcom transmitter ID.  In fact, “forget” all your old Dexcom transmitters if you don’t regularly delete them.  Old ones don’t need to be saved.  By forgetting the Dexcom transmitter, we are preventing the transmitter and app communications during the restart process…and that’s a good thing.  We don’t want them paired during the 2 hours.
  2. Go to G6 app on the phone and “stop sensor” from the Settings menu. You’ll be told “Are you sure you want to stop your sensor?  It cannot be restarted, a new sensor is required.”  Answer Yes.
  3. On the screen that appears after, press “New Sensor”.  You’ll be promoted to choose between “No Code” or “Enter Code”.  You can choose either.  If you choose to “Enter Code”, go find your code from when you originally inserted the sensor (the one printed on the adhesive cover of the sensor).  That code is the calibration code for the particular sensor wire that sensor is using.  If you don’t have that code saved, go ahead and choose “No Code” (don’t just randomly use the code from a different sensor in your supplies).
  4. After you finish with the Code entry decisions, you’ll need to press the “Start Sensor” button that will waiting on the app’s main screen.  You’ll see a “starting sensor” progress bar for a few seconds and then the 2-hour sensor warmup countdown circle will be displayed on the phone.
  5. Wait at least 2 hours, but not so long that the old sensor session will expire during your wait.  If the old session expires before you finish the remaining steps…you’ll have to move onto Option 3 or 4 (or replace the sensor).
  6. Your G6 app will also display “signal loss” during this time.  That’s good, too.  You want the transmitter to stay unpaired and “lost” during the warmup wait.
  7. After the 2 hour wait, restart the phone (hold down the power button and slide to turn off the phone).  Open G6 app. This will trigger the phone to try to re-pair with transmitter.  Accept the pairing request now that you’ve waited at least 2 hours.  If you don’t get a pairing request within 5 minutes of the restart, you may need to restart the phone one more time.
  8. About 5 minutes after accepting the pairing request, you’ll be greeted with BGs again for the newly restarted session (or the “enter 2 calibrations” request if you chose a “no code” session or use a reset transmitter).  If prompted, enter the calibrations and you’re good to go.

Option 3: Reset Transmitter

This option resets the day-counter that the transmitter holds internally.  You know how the dexcom transmitter stops working at 112 days?  Well, this process resets that counter to zero and in the process will allow you to start a new session.  HOWEVER, it is a process to unpair-pair-unpair-pair the transmitter several times so, I’d recommend still using Option 1 or 2 above for regular sensor restarts.  Come back to these directions when you simply need to extend that 112 days.  Since it does work to allow a sensor restart…I’ll leave it here for the purposes of complete discussion of alternatives.

  1. Build the ResetTransmitter app as described in my blog post here.
  2. Make sure your G6 session has ended.  You cannot be in an active session for a transmitter reset.
  3. Go to your iPhone’s Bluetooth area (in Settings) and “forget” the Dexcom transmitter.
  4. Delete the Dexcom G6 app.
  5. Shutdown and restart your iPhone.
  6. Open the ResetTransmitter app and enter your dexcom transmitter ID and press the Reset button.  Within 5 minutes you should get a pairing request to accept.  The reset success message will appear within a very short time after the pairing is accepted.
  7. IF you don’t get a pairing request within 5 minutes in Step 6, restart the phone again.  Double check all the dexcom transmitters have been deleted from the bluetooth list on the phone.  Open the ResetTransmitter app again and see if you get a pairing request within 5 minutes.  (The toughest part of this process is getting the transmitter to successfully unpair and re-pair between apps.  Sometimes it takes a few restarts and patience…but it does work eventually.)
  8. After the transmitter has been reset, you can reverse the process.  Forget the Dexcom transmitter again from Bluetooth list, restart the phone.  Reinstall the G6 app and go through the setup screens as if you were starting a new sensor. Once you get a successful pairing established, you can press the start session on your app.

Option 4: Remove the transmitter

The G6 transmitter is surrounded by plastic entirely.  The locking wings for the transmitter are located under and inside the plastic ring surrounding the transmitter, making them very inaccessible by fingers.  Therefore, popping out the G6 transmitter is a bit cumbersome, requires some small pointy tool, and frankly would be a little hard to do if your sensor is in an awkward spot to reach.  I managed to do it with a simple tool by myself with the sensor on my arm (see video below), so it’s not impossible.

Technically, if you remove the transmitter, you can replace it back onto the same sensor (and tape it back down so it stays locked in place, if you’ve busted the hinge point in the process of removing the transmitter).  This would allow you to restart a sensor session on the same sensor.  I’ve heard from others that leaving it out for 15 minutes helps restarts…but I have not experienced the same.

I’m only mentioning this option for full disclosure of ALL the options…but really this shouldn’t be used.  It’s so much easier to use one of the first two options.

Video of how to remove the transmitter:

Restarting G6 Transmitter (avoid the 90-112 days Dexcom shut down)

The Dexcom G6 transmitter is just like the G5 transmitter in that Dexcom artificially kills the transmitter by 112 days of use after first activation.  If you’d like to use the transmitter beyond the 112 days, and instead use the transmitter until the end of its battery life, you can use the same process described in my G5-reset-transmitter post.  The G6 transmitter can be reset at any time just like the G5 transmitters.

187 thoughts on “Restarting G6 sensors and transmitter”

  1. Hi Katie,
    Thank you for this and your other very interesting and informative posts.
    Have you managed to make a G6 sensor last 2o days?
    I self fund and this would make it a practical proposition for me. At the moment I use a G4 & get around 18 to 23 days.
    Using these methods do you still have “no calibration” for the first 10 days.
    Regards,
    Robert

    1. How long a sensor will go will be dependent on the person more than anything. If you get 18-20 days on g4 now, I would expect similar with g6. Only the first 10 days are officially tested/advertised as “no calibration”. After that you will get calibration notices. You can choose to ignore them or not…the session will keep going. How well the g6 holds calibration on its own after 10 days has yet to be tested.

    2. I was on a G4 system from 2015 until the end of 2017 and then a G5 system from the end of 2017 until July 2018 and I probably averaged at least two weeks of use out of a sensor. Usually between 15-19 days. Occasionally less(10-11 days), but almost always at least two weeks. With the G6 I feel lucky to get a full 10 days and I have only successfully extended a sensors life ONCE. And then only by one or two days. Not that extending it would get me much, because I’m usually seeing diminished sensor performance(sensor errors, sensor readings way out of range of actual BS readings and asking for calibrations that are then unsuccessful) approaching the end of the 10 days. Sometimes I experince this as early as 6-7 days in, and a few times even earlier. Dexcom has already replaced more G6 sensors than G4 and G5 sensors for me, combined.

      When it works, it’s great and is dead-on accurate. No calibrations, the new insertion system is a dream and the new low-profile transmitter is great, too. But overall I do not think it’s as robust and reliable as the previous generations. On the G4 and G5 I usually had solid, reliable data up to 19 days on a 7 day sensor. Now I’m barely getting, and feel lucky if, I’m still getting reliable data on day 8 or 9 of a 10 day sensor. If I make it to 10 days without sensor errors and accurate data to the end, it’s the exception instead of the rule. I sort of regret switching to the G6 from the G5.

  2. Thank you for this so much, I have insurance but my part I have to pay is a lot
    I have been wearing the G5 3 to 4 weeks, and it has helped a lot with costs.
    I will be giving this a try
    Shari Rogers

  3. First – THANK YOU so much for your detailed and well written article. I’m sharing it every chance I get 🙂

    Now I do have a question – which really may be more of a curiosity since all of this is still pretty new … It relates to sensors that have the same code – I have 2 in my first box that do. This makes sense based on what you said about the factory calibration codes being matched to the wires. They can use one lot of wire in creating multiple sensors and so – in theory – there could be hundreds of sensors out there with the same codes.

    So let’s assume that I DO actually change the sensor and that I choose the one that has the same code as the first one I used. Let’s say I didn’t notice (or remember) that it had the same code. So now I’m using a new sensor but with the same code – how does the system know that it’s a new sensor so as to not prompt for calibrations?

    Along those lines but from the flip side – if I DON’T actually change the sensor but use the same code on a restart – how does the system know it’s NOT a new sensor in order to prompt for calibrations?

    I don’t mind the calibrations horribly so I will do the restart at day 10 regardless, but this is the kind of thing that just tickles my brain and makes me question “why” and “how” 🙂

    1. As an update… Still kinda wondering the how and why, but I did a restart on Friday the 15th, using this article and a Faraday bag. Completed at 11am and have had no calibration requests since then – so today is day 16 on the same sensor.

      I’ve been doing fingersticks periodically – without entering as a calibration – and it’s maintaining its accuracy so far. I’m optimistic

      1. I’ve successfully restarted my G6 sensor using Option 1 above. Went to do it yesterday but got too close to that two-hour shutdown window. So when I couldn’t restart from the remote, I simply did what you asked about above. Told my phone I’d inserted a new sensor, used the same number, and it’s working perfectly. No calibrations, no fuss!

        1. Yes! Just had occassion to stumble upon testing this fact for a brand new sensor that dexcom told me was reused (it wasn’t). So, going to edit this post to clarify…you can restart an expired session. BUT, you do need to let it expire and THEN start the receiver session…then it works great!

          1. I tried this with your instructions above (the update) after my session expired while I was on a plane. I didn’t have any luck though. When I took the receiver out of the microwave over 2 hours later, it told me I couldn’t restart a sensor. Has Dexcom closed the loophole and made this impossible, or did I do something wrong?

          2. Hi, Katie. I waited too long to restart, so attempted the “restart after the sensor expires” directions using method 1 (with the receiver). When I used this method *before* the sensor session ended, it worked perfectly fine. Unfortunately, today, after the receiver synced up with the transmitter, it gave me the “No Restarts” error and now the phone app is also giving its own version of the “No Restarts” error. I’m pretty sure I followed the steps exactly the same, so what went wrong? Thanks in advance for any feedback you can provide!

          3. So, if I let the sensor expire, then turn on the receiver and hit new sensor, put in the code from the sensor that just expired, and then put the receiver in the microwave, that should restart it if I missed the two hour window to do it? I can let it expire and still restart??

          4. I am trying to restart an expired session. I get through step 10 and it gives me the “no restarts”

            What am I doing wrong?

        2. Can you please explain that further. I am in the two hour window and don’t know if I should do option 1 or option 2 given it will expire in two hours… What should I do?

  4. aha! but you can shutdown the dexcom receiver for 2 hours -what do you think -easier than storing at your neighbors

  5. Started a new sensor this morning, following the instructions to the letter (Using the receiver only method). When I took my receiver out, it said that it was only 30 minutes into the warm-up, but it was actually closer to 2 hours, 15 minutes. I assumed the process failed and just shut down the receiver.
    I looked at my phone about 30 minutes later, after it was due to expire, and was surprised that I was still getting readings. I looked at the settings, and it said that it was inserted at the new time (when I hit the restart sensor on the receiver), and is now due to expire in 10 days!!! Biggest point: No calibration requested!!!!

    1. Update: It has been over 25 hours since my restart, and I have yet to receive a single calibration request, nor have I entered one. I would love to figure out what I did to make this work.
      I hit stop sensor on the receiver, then hit restart, and placed it in a Faraday bag. I took it out over2 hours later, and it still was on the warm up, saying only 30 minutes in. I then powered down the receiver.
      One note: When I first inserted the sensor, I used only the phone. I turned on the receiver several days later, then turned it back off again. I never entered the code into the receiver, UNTIL I RESTARTED.
      Hope this helps!

      1. I’m not getting prompts either after sensor restart. I entered the same sensor code that I originally started my first session on the g6 receiver with. So I am not sure why I am not getting the prompt for calibrations as the article says we should get. I introduced the phone to the transmitter after about an hour after the sensor warmup was running on the first session.

        Hopefully it keeps rocking.

      2. If the receiver hadn’t already had the transmitter in it before…you can restart without calibration requests, I’ve discovered. We have one receiver that has bounced between two transmitters. By pairing with the other transmitter B and getting a reading from that transmitter first, I can then finish the restart with the other transmitter A without calibrations (does require changing the transmitter ID in the receiver before starting the new session). Haven’t been able to reproduce this on a single transmitter past the first restart. Let me know if you are able to restart a second time without calibrations.

        1. So how would you modify the process (overall) for Option 1, to end up with a no-calibration second 10-day session with a sensor? Do initial insertion with phone only… and then? Turn off phone, use receiver for restart process somehow? [We’re only 2 days into our G6 for our little guy, and they forgot to send sensor, so we’re still figuring this out… and thanks for doing this diligence!!]

          1. The only way I have gotten a no-calibration restart was when I had the receiver paired with a different G6 transmitter immediately prior to using it to restart another one. But, not many people have two transmitters going to do that process at any one time. 😉

        2. I have only used one transmitter, and as mentioned above, I was able to restart without the need for calibrations. Of note, I never paired the receiver with the sensor. I only paired the sensor with my iPhone.
          I am only into day 3 of my current new sensor, but will try again! I know there is a trick to this, and one of us with isolate the process.

          1. awesome…i’m sure it’s just a matter of playing around with a bit more like you say…

          2. OK. I just did another restart and no calibration requests were required. I carefully documented each step. One important note: I have no idea if steps 11, 12 or 13 are actually all required, or if one or two of them are. This is the way I did it, and it worked.

            Initial start (new sensor)
            1. Shutdown Receiver. Store it safely away somewhere for the next 10 days
            2. Pair and insert a new sensor using iPhone only. SAVE THE CODE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

            Time of Restart:
            1. Begin restart process well more than 2 hours before sensor expires (I did mine 12 hours earlier)
            2. Use ONLY the receiver. You may look at the readings on your iPhone, but otherwise enter nothing on it.
            3. Turn on the receiver and wait for it to get a fresh BG value. It will get one even if never paired with the sensor currently in use.
            4. Press “Stop Sensor” on the receiver
            5. Press “New Sensor”
            6. Enter the ORIGINAL sensor code from 10 days earlier.
            7. Press “Start Sensor” and wait for warm-up screen.
            8. Immediately put the receiver in a Faraday bag.
            9. After waiting at least 2+ hours, take the receiver out of the Faraday bag. Your should see a “Signal loss” message.
            10. After a few minutes, the receiver will show the warm up screen, but should only be 30 minutes into it. No, I do not know why. But this is consistent on both my attempts.
            11. Put the receiver back in the bag and wait at least 5 more minutes.
            12. Take the receiver back out of the bag, see that it is still in warm up mode, and IMMEDIATELY shut it down
            13. Wait several minutes and turn the receiver back on.
            14. Wait for the receiver to get a glucose reading.
            15. Once a reading is obtained, the iPhone should show a new sensor insert time of now.
            VOILA!

    1. I have not been able to successfully restart with only the receiver. I even tried removing transmitter & restarting that way 🙁

    2. I only use the receiver as my phone isn’t compatible with the app and so far it hasn’t worked. I went through the whole process of option 1, but after it regained a connection after five minutes of lost signal, it said I needed a new sensor. At that point I just inserted a new one. I’ll try again after ten days, but I wonder if the phone app working is the key.

  6. What do you do if you use the tslim pump that connects to the dexcom? Would you put the pump into the microwave for 2+ hours?

      1. I did option 1 before I upgraded my phone with the new app (I was wearing a g5 and g6 at the same time to have a backup and compare readings) and it worked great! My TSlim had the G6 readings while the iPhone showed the G5. When the adhesive on the G5 no longer worked, I upgraded the phone app.
        Now I just received a sensor ending on my G6, and “forgot” the tx on my phone. My confusion when you say it should work using option 2, is that nowhere is it addressed what I should be doing on my pump during this time? I have it still in the sensor ended mode, and have not restarted yet. Once the 2 hrs is up and I restart on the phone, do I then restart on my pump? Or should have I restarted the pump at the same time I pressed restart on the phone?

    1. What seems to matter is to prevent communication between *transmitter* and one receiver (or smart device, or pump).

      G6 isn’t yet integrated with Tandem x2 (but will be in Aug 2018 – next month).

      It’ll be fun to see how long G6 remains accurate “in the field” separate from official FDA studies. Of course, we should also share any negative outcomes from our extended wear – if any (infection, scarring that affects later use of pump and/or CGM use.

      I continue to use my arms for G6.

      1. My Dr and I have discussed the extended wear of G4,5 or 6. Her thoughts are that the Dexcom products are not injecting anything into your body and they should be fine. As long as your results are good. My G5s would normally work for around 21 days. The biggest problem is the tape that they use. I have solved this by using an IV Prep pad to help it stick. You can not use it where the wire goes in.

          1. I have some samples..they do work well…but unable to find where to get more..don’t see them on the Dexcom site. Any suggestions, please?

  7. With the upcoming integration of the TSlim X2 Pump, would you expect Option 1 to work the same, but substitute the pump for the receiver?

    Does Option 1 work if you reverse the phone and receiver?

    1. Not yet, to my knowledge…but I’m not an android user. I believe x-drip+ app would have it some day, if not already?

  8. Or if you’re using xDrip+ instead of the official app that restarts it automatically after 6 days (default option but can be turned off)

  9. Hey I just successful reset my Dexcom G6 Thanks so much for this info I am sending so many others your way! What is your YouTube channel info please can’t wait to join it!!!!!

  10. Hi Katiedis. What a great post. Well done for the research into the fix. Just 2 questions…

    Do you know if the option 1 and 2 work with Android devices running the Dexcom app? Android restarts are also slightly different not using power and slide keys…

    Your fantastic ‘restart transmitter’ app – is there anyone who has developed an Android equivalent??

    Thanks again for a well researched post

  11. Did Option 1 today this today for the first time. Worked perfectly! I only use the phone and dexcom app for my daughters readings. But we keep the receiver on hand as a backup.

    A couple of notes from my restart.

    1. The receiver has been paired with this transmitter previously. However, not with the sensor I used it to restart. And am not getting requests for calibrations!!!

    2. When I took the receiver out of the microwave 3 hours later, I also got the no signal error. Within 5 minutes of being out of the microwave, the receiver showed “sensor warmup” and was only about 30 minutes complete. – I was certainly worried at this point. I did not do anything at this stage but wait. But within 5 more minutes, it was getting BG readings with no calibration request.

    3. The final check in settings, sensor info… insertion time was today with 10 more days to expiration!

    I just turned the receiver off and will not use it for anything until the next restart needed.

    Thank you for this! This is amazing. Mostly because I usually run out of sensors before I can get my daughters prescription refilled, so getting a few more days out of each sensor is a God send to deal with the Drxcom reorder lag time!

  12. This is fantastic – especially useful for those on the new Dexcom subscription model where a sensor HAS to last for 10 days – I had one fall off on day 7 and am now extending my next one to 13 (and maybe more!) days.

    Great website and excellent guide – thank you

  13. Hi! Anyone have any advice for trying option 2 with a samsung s6? We tried unpairing the transmitter and ended up with having to contact dexcom to get it repaired. Can we just shut the bluetooth off for 2 hrs? We self pay and this new g6 is killing us! Thanks in advance!

    1. I have a G7. Option #2 worked flawlessly my first try. The second time… I think I had the same issue as you and Dexcom sent me a new transmitter and sensor.

      I think the issues is that we no longer have the forget Bluetooth device option. Next time I try, I will just turn Bluetooth off for the warm-up.

  14. Strange…..i restarted my G6 for the second time today…..did enter the number code….last week….even with the code….it asked for calibrations and had the blood drop on the screen the whole time….today after it restarted….no blood drop…and no calibration request….and it is spot on…..go figure….(is it going to surprise me and stop later on it’s own????)…I use the signal preventing bag for the time away from the sensor…..CURIOUS….I am used to a weekly restart…and wanted to get 21 days…out on one sensor….so respond….if you have any new information….

  15. It works!! I was so pleased. My next batch of sensors is late due to a change in insurance, but now I have another 10 days (at least) to go. Thank you for figuring this out, writing such clear instructions, and sharing.

    1. I appreciate that other G6 users are working diligently (and sharing the info!) to extend the G6 sensors and transmitters. I just upgraded to G6 yesterday and was incredibly disappointed with the 10-day hard shutdown. Now I’m overwhelmed by all of these options and the amount of TIME you have to invest in more testing, practicing, comparing, etc. on top of all the other T1 stuff. And still risk bad readings on the G6…

      Aaarggghh!!!! Too old for this sh*t!!!

  16. Hi all,

    Thanks for this blogpost! I will use the G6 without the device, just xDrip+.
    Does anybody has experience with restarting Sensor and Transmitter only with xDrip+? How does this work and how is the workflow?

    Thank you, Bastian

  17. Thanks for all the info. I just got the G6 last week. I do not use the iPhone app to monitor my blood sugars and only use the receiver. Today I attempted to restart my sensor, at 9 days, and followed all the instructions for the first option. After waiting 3 hours, and not having the receiver and transmitter communicate, I received the warm up. After a few minutes I received the, “Replace Sensor Now” screen and not the calibration option. Have you seen or heard this happen before?

  18. Hi everyone,

    I just completed the reset instructions for the Dexcom G6 using just the receiver placed in the microwave as instructed. It worked perfectly! There was no need to shutdown the receiver. The sensor continued to take glucose readings during the 2 hours in the microwave and displayed them once the receiver and transmitter were reconnected. No calibration was necessary although I would still recommend it after the initial reset. I started the process 4 hours prior to the sensor expiration time. Separating the transmitter from the receiver and completing the entire process before the sensor expiration time is the key!

    Thank you for all the amazing people providing their experiences. A special thank you to Katie for the easy to follow instructions and YouTube video.

  19. I was able to pry the transmitter out and restart the sensor on my daughter!

    When you pry the transmitter out in your video, you go from the top requiring the transmitter to be taped down when putting back in. I used a tiny thin knife from the bottom side of the sensor casing and was able to fairly easily pry the transmitter out with out breaking the sensor casing and then reinsert the transmitter locking back it to place just like new! It worked!!

    Thank you so much for this idea!

  20. So I messed up the timing to restart my sensor before it told me it was time. On my phone, I simply entered the code from the one already inserted. Waited through the 2-hour warm up and it’s fine. No calibrations required, accurate when I check it.

    I’d previously used Option 1 with success, which is nice since you don’t lose the 2 hours. But simply restarting and reusing the code seems awfully simple.

  21. Thank you for the instructions. This is great. Just one comment, my sensor session had expired before realizing these instructions existed and ended up blindly following Option 2 re-posted to another site. I am happy to say that it worked! Although, I did have to calibrate.

    1. I actually just posted a new blog post that stumbled onto that fact…you can restart an expired session! Going to edit this post to reflec that new nugget

      1. We’re new users, 3rd sensor, but something didn’t go right and it didn’t start up. Transmitter says “no Sensor”, yet my husband has it inserted. We’ve tried a lot of things, but does the sensor have to be “active” to do the procedures you have outlined? Or is it dead and gone, even tho not really used. I’m trying to understand how to revive it. Thanks.

  22. I’m on my first G6 now, just switched from an Enlite. I managed to do something without having read any of this info, and basically did Option 1, doing calibrations for the past 10 days. I let this session go all the way to 10 full days…and have not been able to do anything (including option 4, but not option 3, since I’m just using the receiver for now) to get the receiver to accept the sensor. Im getting “No Restarts” alarms. Is this only going to work once, for two 10-day sessions? How can I extend the sensor for longer? Since I’m coming from the Enlite, I kind of expect the sensor and transmitter to last about the same length of time before a recharge (I could only get 7 days because the Enlite was so irritating to my skin and lost most of its accurracy by the time the transmitter needed a charge), so I was hoping to get in 3 10-day sessions now. Impossible?

  23. If you don’t want to use the microwave or a faraday bag, a soup can and and a piece of foil (Or just some heavy duty foil) should work (according to my husband the radio expert). I’m going to try it on my next sensor. Essentially, if you put the receiver in the can and cover the top very tightly with foil or wrap the receiver in a large pocket of tightly sealed foil (leave some air space inside the foil packet so the receive doesn’t get too hot). This should prevent any bluetooth communication between the transmitter and receiver and allow you to keep your receiver close by (for this who live in apartments or when outdoors is not an option due to weather). Anyone try this yet?

    1. I’ve had varying success with anything tinfoil related. Better to get a metal tin cookie can with the lid than the tinfoil. I’ve had 2 out of 3 tinfoil experiments end in unexpected “breakthrough” communication between receiver and transmitter. If I were ever in a situation where tinfoil was my option…I’d probably instead choose to just leave the receiver “far enough away” for the two hours as opposed to close by and wrapped in tinfoil.

  24. Hello Katie,

    I tried logging into your blog yesterday and for some reason it did not work. I also would like to see a video of option 2.

    Louis

  25. Thanks for this we have receiver and phone… we started both up with sensor code etc BUT how does the restarting just the receiver make the phone forget when it was started up?? I’m nervous after the 10 day expiry the phone will give up and will just be left with receiver and no share

  26. Thanks so much for the tutorial. I followed option 1 and it worked. But, I still don’t have an arrow on the BG reading, some 10-15 minutes later. It is stuck at 103 the number that first came up when the warm up ended. What do I do now…?

  27. Hi Katie,
    I tried option 1 with no success. I waited for a new 5 minute refresh and missed a couple. Instead I put the receiver in the micro for 10 minutes. When I took it out, it had signal loss, of course. I waited 5 minutes and took it out. Waited another 20 seconds and did the restart procedure. Immediately placed the receiver in the micro for 2.5 hours. When I took it out, it gave me the dreaded – cannot restart. Where did I go wrong.

    Louis

  28. Hi Katie!

    Thanks, as usual, for this great tutorial. Question: If we’re using a t:slim X2 pump and the pump is our Dexcom G6 receiver, can we still do a restart on the phone? Or would this require some extra effort? Thanks in advance!

  29. So I’m in a bit of pickle. I did option 2 incorrectly. I stopped the sensor before I did the “forget Dexcom” step in the bluetooth settings. So option 2 didn’t work for me because I did the steps backwards. So now I opted for option 4. I was able to get the transmitter out with damaging the sensor too badly but it’s still saying “no restarts” when I try to set it back up again.

    Option 4 worked for me a few weeks ago when I had my first 10 day session had expired.

    I’m working on an insurance issue right now with Dexcom and Blue Cross Blue Shield and I’m on my last sensor. If I can’t get this sensor to work for a few days I do have a couple of g4/g5 sensors that Dexcom had sent me by mistake. Will those work with G6 transmitter?

  30. Hi, thanks so much for your hard work on this, I have had mixed success with G6 so far- my first one was way out so gotvit replaces on day 8, my second one I successfully restarted ( iPhone only) but by 3 days in I have been getting gaps and ‘sensor problem wait up to 3 hours’
    I’ve had calibration requests, and given it the calibrations, but four days short of my second set of 10 days I think I’m going to have to give up and put a new sensor in. Shame, I was hoping they would last as long as G5 on me, 21 to 28 days! I will go back to using my arm I think.
    Ruth

  31. If you use option 4 do you still have to go through the process of option 2 after you put the transmitter back in?

    1. You should not have to, no. Should be able to just start as normal. However, Option 2 has some checks that the app does to look for signs of trauma that could hinder a normal start. See my blog post about “but I wasn’t restarting…why the error”

  32. I attempted to use option 1. After restarting the sensor, I placed the receiver in a faraday bag. However, when I looked at my Galaxy S9+ phone, the sensor was in the 2-hour warm-up phase. It seems that when I stopped the sensor on the receiver, it also stopped on my phone. I eventually was able to restart it later that evening, but lost a day of readings and had to finger-stick.

    Should I close the bluetooth on my phone to avoid the the next time I attempt to restart? Another other thoughts on how to avoid my phone resetting as well as the receiver?

    1. Should not have to shut down bt on the phone, no. However…it is of UTMOST importance to keep the receiver and transmitter from talking to each other as soon as you’ve pressed the “stop session” command. The ways of doing that are with a faraday bag, metal box, microwave, or physical distance. Perhaps try doubling up on your shielding…faraday bag in a microwave? There are leaky bags and leaky microwaves. Some faraday bags have two pockets and only one is shielded. And some “faraday” bags are really only weak rf-shields and not true faraday bags. The ones I’ve linked are proven to work for us. You also have to make sure that you weren’t close to the 5 minute timer of when the transmitter communicates. Once every five minutes, the transmitter communicates…so when you issue the stop-session command, try to do it just after the transmitter has just communicated (provided a new BG). That will give you the maximum amount of time to get through the stop/code/start process before getting the receiver shielded.

      1. Thank you. I will try it again, working at a quicker pace. I know I put the receiver in the correct pocket of the faraday bag, but it might not have been quick enough. I may even stop and start the receiver with my phone in a different room. Appreciate the information.

      2. Can’t you just shut down the receiver after the sensor start then come back up after at least 2 hours to finish the process? I would sometime do this on my G4 receiver and when it came back up it alerted me to put in 2 blood glucose reading and it was ready to go?

  33. I am currently using Basal IQ on my t:slim pump and I used method 2 to restart my sensor and it worked FLAWLESSLY!! Super impressed with it, honestly 🙂 I was skeptical about whether the Dexcom app would actually pick the transmitter back up after a reboot, but it did, and then it immediately started reading again without calibrating but there was never a gap in readings on the pump (there was on my phone, obviously), but the sensor start date did get updated to the time it reconnected.

    1. Sarah, I just got the G6 with the Basal IQ on my tslim! I’m having a heard time following the instructions above for how to do it with the tslim, can you help me out??

    2. So, did you just leave your pump alone and not do anything to it while you followed the Option 2 steps on your phone?

      We have an iPhone and the X2 pump. Just not exactly sure what to do with the pump while we do step 2.

    3. Did you stop sensor on the T-Slim as well as the phone? Trying to figure out if that was our problem with it not working. thank you.

  34. I attempted to stop and restart my G6 using the receiver. I followed the instructions, placed the receiver in the faraday bag, and then went to my phone. Instead of still giving me my glucose readings, it had also restarted and was in the warm up phase. Are you using the dexcom app on your phone or another app? Thank you.

    1. Yes, using the dexcom app on the phone. If the phone app was also showing warm-up phase, that means that the receiver communicated with the transmitter before you got it into the faraday bag (or that your faraday bag was not working well). Every 5 minutes the transmitter sends out a signal and communicates with the phone and transmitter. If the transmitter is able to connect with the receiver, it will learn about the restart command and pass that along to the dexcom app on the phone. I’d guess your bag might not be well shielded. Some have two pockets and only one of the pockets will actually be shielded.

      1. I think I may have been too slow to place the receiver into the faraday bag. For some reason, I tried it again, past the time when the sensor would have stopped on its own. Two and a half hours later, it had restarted and worked. I just endured half a day without a CGM and used finger sticks. I’ll work faster next time. Thank you.

      2. Hi everyone,

        Just thought I would let you know I have been very successful in re-starting the sensors. I received my kit mid September and started the first sensor with no problem. I tried to restart the first sensor after 9 days and failed. However on my second sensor I was successful in restarting it and have restarted it now for
        3 times and I am now on day 33 and all is well. Sensor is still very accurate. They must have greatly improved on the adhesive, because the sensor shows no sign of coming off. I have put the cut adhesive patch with the hole in it over the sensor for additional protection. When I shower, I put a 6 x 6 inch piece of clear adhesive over the sensor to keep it from getting wet. I think its key to keep the tape and sensor from getting wet.
        I have been using option 1 for the restart. The only difference for me is that I sometimes cannot see the new readings come in after 5 minutes. I put the receiver in the micro for 10 minutes and at that time, it has lost signal. I take it out and wait for the readings to come back, wait 20 seconds, restart, put the receiver in the Faraday bag and put the bag with the receiver in it, into the micro wave oven for over 2.5 hours. (double protection)..
        If the sensor stays accurate, and the adhesive holds, I think I can go for 5 weeks or more with with no problem.

        I would be glad to answer any questions.

        Louis

  35. thank you so very much I thought it wasn’t going to work but it does not to save money on sensor if the sensor is attached to your skin very well it can go for weeks before changing before chancing and still not get infective just be carful and don’t keep on to long but you can double life of your sensor and still be safe and that’s just my personal opinion remember that. again thank you i’m sure Dexcom is not happy about this discovery…

  36. I’ve successfully restarted my sensor with Option 1 in the past, but I needed to attempt Option 2 while traveling without my receiver. After the Bluetooth was off, I ended the sensor session, but no prompt appeared to start a new sensor or to enter a new code. Suggestions? Thank you.

  37. I am interested to try this with my little one. We are on our second sensor, the first having thrown errors for over 7 hours and getting replaced. I’m interested in trying to put the X2 in the bag, as the phone shares the data with me. The only down side is that the pump would stop using Basil-IQ for the two hours, but you get that with a sensor change anyway. I guess the only other issue is feeding the tube out of the bag without letting signals in. I think that should be doable coiling the tube at the fold. I’ll try and report back.

    Side note: anyone have feedback about alternate sites? We used arms exclusively with G5, as it left legs and stomach for pump rotation. G5 wasn’t approved for it, but worked fine. Any experience with G6 on arms? Thanks!

  38. Today is the first day using the G6 on my daughter. We accidentally stopped the sensor and are trying to restart using the receiver and your directions. I’m noticing that our receiver is going to “no data” from the warm up only about 15 min after starting the warm up process. Is this normal? Do I just wait the 2 hours regardless?

      1. Hi Katie– I did Option 2 – the first time I had no issue.
        The last 2 sensors if I go into the Bluetooth settings I can forget the dexcomQQ connection, but the minute I hit start sensor, it tries to pair and I get no transmitter found. I followed the same directions for option 2 all 3 times. Am I doing something wrong this time or should I be doing something else?

  39. Does this work if you have the basal IQ low suspend integration on the tslim pump? The pump now acts as the receiver and the Dexcom receiver needs to be shut down completely. Do you know what steps we would follow? We extended once with success but we now have the basal IQ low suspend integration. Thank you!

  40. I posted the other day that this is amazing and thank you – but can’t see it. Anyway… The sensor I tried this with was terrible when I inserted it originally: it started a bleed and I had to calibrate it multiple times to get it to within what by BG’s actually were. I’ve never had to do that with any of the other sensors I’ve inserted with the G6. BUT – this second 10-day session with that same sensor is SPOT ON! Can’t believe how good it is. I love that I can get extra wear out of the sensor and even if it doesn’t go another 10 days, it’s still something. And that, I love. Thank you, again!!

  41. Katie,

    Thanks for all your work helping us G6 users get a longer life out of the sensors. I’ve been using Dexcom since G4 and regularly got 3 weeks out of each sensor (with the aid of Skin Tac for extra adhesion).

    I moved to the G6 a few weeks ago. My first attempt at resetting didn’t work. Well, it was 2:00 AM when I was doing it as my sensor was set to expire at 6:30 AM.

    This time, I’m a full twelve hours ahead and am following your Option 2. During my two hour warm up, I’m not getting a “signal loss” on my iPhone, but rather a “transmitter not found” with a request to pair the G6 to my iPhone (I declined). I may have got that message the last time too. Outside of that, I followed your steps carefully. Any idea what my be going on?

  42. I just restarted my G6 tonight. So far, looks like it’s working.

    Thank you so very much for the information which allowed me to restart it!

    Sending you hugs and positive karma!

  43. So, has anyone tried iPhone only restart of the expired sensor after the session ended.
    I’m not sure I understand how the instructions for option 2 should be modified if used after the previous session of the sensor has expired.
    Thank you.

  44. So I’m coming up on about the 20 day Mark and getting ready to reset my sensor for a second time. How long have people been able to get out of their G6 sensors realisticly. Just wonder if it’s worth a second restart or if I should just install a new sensor this time. I have had it on the back of my arm with no calibration alerts or needs, even though I have checked it against my BGM and it’s still fairly accurate.

  45. Hi!
    I’m an Android user. Option 2 worked for me one time, but has failed twice since. If I restart the sensor then immediately turn off Bluetooth and wait 2 hours and 15 minutes, will that work?

  46. I’m a New CGM User and have the Dexcom G6. I’ve been using it since the beginning of September and tonight was the 2nd attempt at restarting the sensor, unfortunately with no luck for the 2nd time! I’ve followed the steps exactly according to the video and each time the two + hours are up, i pull the receiver out of the microwave but shortly after all I receive is the message “Replace Sensor Now. sensors can only be used for one session”. At that point I have no choice but to rellace my sensor with a new one. Am I missing something? Has anyone had this same issue that can point me in the right direction?

    Thanks,
    Brett

  47. Is there a way to do this while using the TSlim X2 Pump that integrates with the G6? I was on the G4 forever and wore my sensors 14 -18 days. I read through the described info regarding the use of phones and the receiver but have not found anything about doing so on a pump. It does not pick up info from a phone or the receiver like they can, and my readings are often a lot different on my pump than phone.

  48. Trying to do option 2 and after I stopped the sensor it won’t allow me to restart it, because it says their is no transmitter found. I would have to let it pair so it can find the transmitter. I am afraid of letting it pair, I still have a day before the session expires, but I am afraid it will end the sensor too soon, if I let it pair. My son has the t-slim that he uses as a receiver as well, and so far the readings are still there on his pump. We don’t have any other sensors, right now and won’t be getting any new ones for a couple of days, so really hoping I get this to work a little longer. Any suggestions?

  49. I had successfully used option 2 four separate times with no issues. The last two times I have tried, I get a “transmitter found” alert within 5 minutes of “forgetting” the transmitter and restarting the sensor. Once the transmitter is found, I can’t restart the old sensor. Has anyone else been experiencing this?

  50. Is there a way to find your sensor id within the Dexcom app or some other place? I didn’t record it when I initially started the sensor. Thanks in advance!

  51. Hi Katie,

    First, thanks for all this.

    Anyhow, I restarted a G6 sensor yesterday after the first session expired, using the Dexcom receiver in the microwave method. (I normally use Dexcom app and Loop — hadn’t touched receiver since I got the G5 in April.)

    Anyhow, in the end, the restart was easy and is now working fine, but I did have a couple issues.

    One was a problem the first try because I wasn’t sure of exact time I put receiver in microwave and I think I took it out too soon (though I was pretty sure it had been 2h).

    That first time I took the receiver out (at around 2h), it first showed a 1/4 warmup circle, then the Replace Sensor error message. Then that message came up on my phone, too.

    So I just tried again, leaving the Dexcom app on the page with the start-new-sensor button, and starting new sensor on receiver.

    This time I had to go out, so I left the receiver in the microwave for about 5 hours.

    When I got back and took it out, the receiver already was on the readings screen showing signal loss — I don’t think it ever went through the part of having any warmup left. Wondering it it’s because I left it in the mucrowave so long?

    However, after getting 1 reading, I did get a weird “sensor error — wait up to 3 hours” message on both the receiver and phone.

    For lack of anything else to try, I turned off the receiver, and about 5-10 min later the readings resumed on my phone. I don’t know if turning off the receiver had anything to do with fixing that problem, or if the error just went away on it’s own.

    Anyhow, now, 12 h later, my new session has been fine.

    Also I did have a hold up in updating my receiver from G5 to G6. I didn’t remember that I needed to do that till I tried to pair my transmitter yesterday during this process.

    Then I saw during the update on my PC that I needed an approval code, and Dexcom support told me I’d need to fill in the online request and wait for the code to be Fedexed. However, after a lot of insisting that I couldn’t wait, I was able to get a code from the support guy over the phone.

    Anyhow, any thoughts on my restart?

    Thanks,
    Keith P

  52. WARNING: Option 4 is not a good idea. I just attempted this and managed to chip off the end of my transmitter. Now I will have to tape or otherwise adhere this transmitter to every new sensor I use until it’s time for a new one. Hopefully it works, otherwise I tried to save $20 and lost a couple hundred instead :[

  53. I didn’t see whether anyone had already shared this but I’ve been using option 2 with my phone to restart my G6 which is also paired with my t slim pump and twice I forgot to start the process until I had slightly less than two hours before sensor ending time. I went ahead with the process and just reconnected to the transmitter after about 1 3/4 hours. It worked just fine. Once it reconnected the Dexcom ap screen on my phone said that I still had 15 minutes left in the warmup period and continued to function normally. By the way, I’ve now restarted the same sensor 3 times. Still very accurate. I do calibrate at least once a day even when not required. My previous sensor only lasted 18 days so this is just a lucky one I guess.

  54. Thanks Katiedis for your restart info. I’m going to be trying it today.

    I’ve found a precut waterproof “overpatch” for the G6 sensor made by SIMPATCH and available from Amazon.com. I’ve been using them for a couple of months and have been happy with them. They stick well even with swimming a couple of times a week.

  55. Trying my first restart using your method. Hope it works. Why do you have to use a faraday bag or put it in the microwave? What’s the purpose of the sensor & the transmitter not communicating?

  56. I just got the G6 with the Basal IQ on my t:slim pump and I’ve read through the comments where it says to follow Option 2 above, but I’m having a heard time following the instructions with an android and my pump…

    Do I have to block the transmitter signal to both my pump AND phone? Can someone please write instructions for how to do Option 2 with the t:slim pump and android?

    Thank you all of you for posting!!

  57. I have effectively used method number 1 several times, but the last two attempts have failed? My iPhone automatically pops up “sensor expired”? I was so excited when I found your post and it worked! Now I am unsure what the problem is? Any suggestions? How much time do you wait before placing in the microwave? Thank you!

  58. Attempted a restart using option 1 and followed to a ‘T’….and then I got a “no restarts” error I wonder what went wrong? How is everyone able to restart theirs so quickly?

  59. Once you hit “stop sensor” on the receiver, should you then immediately move away from phone and current sensor before hitting “start new sensor” so as to prevent ANY chance of signal communication with the phone? I’m just worried if I stand there too long hitting stop sensor then “start new” it will communicate with the phone to stop it too… so exactly when is it best to get out of the signal range? Thanks 🙂 Trying this TODAY!

  60. So last night, I forgot to follow this procedure before the 2 hour alert. This was the first time I’d forgotten this, and I knew the normal reset procedure was not going to work. Regardless, I ran to get my Dexcom receiver, did Option 1 steps with code, and threw it in the microwave. This was about 9:40pm or so. I actually left it in the microwave for over 2 hours, maybe about 30 mins extra, so at this point I’m well past the sensor expiration. When I took it out, I believe it just said No Signal, but I’m not sure. At some point the “Start Sensor” appeared again and it started to do the warmup procedure again. I just let it. As I was going to bed, I noticed on my iPhone app, the warm up procedure was *also* going, but at a different timeframe (It was going to complete first). Once it did, it was like every was reset and I had another 10 days. Not sure how I did this, but I was able to reset my sensor *after* the 2 hour alert.

  61. So, my question is. My 14 year old daughter doesn’t use a phone app, she uses her T-Slim pump as a CGM. Does anyone know how I’d restart?

    Thanks!

  62. The phone option (2) worked splendidly for me yesterday (though my Bluetooth settings must be more aggressive than yours, as it wanted to pair with the transmitter all the way through the two hours).

    Where does the waiting two hours come from? What would have happened if I’d re-paired earlier? Would it somehow know that it wasn’t a new sensor?

  63. I want to understand, that I can simply restart the G6 transmitter and I don’t have to replace the battery? I have a transmitter that quit at the 110 approx days. I want to use it again.

  64. We were able to get the G6 restarted for our son; however, after the pairing question, the transmitter would not connect. We shut the phone down, restarted the phone, and the same thing happened except this time we are getting a BG read on the phone. The issue is that the Tslim pump is now not reading the sensor which means the Basal IQ won’t work. Any suggestions?

  65. Option 2 didn’t work for me!

    I followed the instructions to the letter but once I got to step 4 and pressed the “start sensor” button I saw the 2-hour countdown for about 2 minutes and then got a “transmitter not found” error message on the screen (and the countdown disappears and the iPhone bluetooth pop-up comes up, asking me if I want to connect to Dexcom). I ignored this, thinking it was fine and the sensor was nevertheless still “warming up” in the background, but I waited 2.5 hours, did the phone restart, re-connected the transmitter and …. my sensor was still in its original session ????

    Where am I going wrong here?? Any recommendations??

  66. I tried option 1 not sure where I went wrong, but thr iPhone showed the warm-up time, so wasn’t receiving the BG’s.
    When I start my new transmitters, I always have the iPhone and Receiver working. So maybe iissed that initial 5 minute window in the beginning.

  67. The option 2 didn’t work for me after several attempts: transmitter is successfully removed from the Bluetooth list, sensor stopped, sensor started again, 2-hour warm up period launches. Transmitter attempts to be paired but the push-notifs for it gets swiped away since you’re supposed to wait until the 2-hour sensor warm-up is completed before restarting your phone. The problem is, a few minutes after the start of sensor warm up, the Dexcom app starts showing “transmitter not found message”, and the warm-up dial disappears from the screen and there is no longer any option to stop or start a sensor.

    Did the process change for option 2, if the option still works, or might I be doing something wrong?

    Using iPhone. Transmitter was completely deleted from the Bluetooth list and there are no old transmitters or devices on this list.

    I use G6 with Tandem’s TSlim, and stopped the sensor on Tslim pump also. There is no way to forget or delete the transmitter there but I manually overrode it with a fake Transmitter ID to be safe.

  68. I have the Tslim. I’m trying my first G6 restart. I am trying option 2. It did not work. I followed the first step and erased the Dexcom Bluetooth info. I hit stop sensor but it wouldn’t let me go beyond that. It kept trying to find a transmitter. I finally just repaired it and still hit stop sensor and restart . It’s got ME in the two hour warm up now. Will this work? If I get a ” you can’t re use a sensor” error how long would it take to get it? Also, I was told with option 2 I’d still see my numbers on my pump. I can not. This looks exactly the same as continuing a G5 sensor. I have no idea what I did wrong.

  69. We are on day 13 thanks to option 1. But. What will it look like when it’s time to love to a new sensor? Last night Dex was off by 80 points…time for new sensor? We calibrated and we seem ok now…but now I’m hesitant to trust it. Thoughts? (We are newly dx. Thanks!)

  70. This might sound stupid but I am finally getting my pump upgraded so will no longer need to use my receiver. Any tips on resetting the sensor when only using the pump?

  71. I have not been able to restart my Dexcom G6 sensor since the last update, I think. It displays a message like, “Sensors cannot be re-used” or something to that effect. I am look for any info anyone may have on modifying the instructions that previously worked for my G5.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Kay

  72. We just tried a restart and it failed, so I’m thinking our microwave isn’t the best. Katie, do you have a recommendation for a faraday bag?

  73. I used option 2 on my android phone. It did not work…it did the restart count down and after about half hour it keeps saying I need to change my sensor and it can’t be reused.

  74. Thank you for posting this! I tested an even easier method tonight I read on another post and it worked like a charm! We waited the 10 days until it said replace sensor now. We started a “new sensor” but with no code. After 1 minute of session warmup, we stopped the session, started another “new sensor” but this time with code that we scanned in from the tag we saved 10 days prior. The session went the 2 hours and came back with a bg number perfectly!! No need to wipe out the transmitter ID from Bluetooth!

  75. We’ve tried the “microwave method” 3 times – the 1st time it worked and the following 2 times – not, after trying to pair the receiver to the sensor after the allotted warm up time + some, a warning comes up – NO RESTARTS – start new sensor. SO FRUSTRATING!! Any thoughts?

  76. Thank you very much for your post. I am excited to try this, but I have been unsuccessful so far.

    On Option 1, Step 5:
    I press “Pair”
    Enter the sensor code
    Enter the transmitter Serial Number
    Pairing between the transmitter and receiver takes a few minutes
    Then it puts me back at the “Pair” screen

    Has anyone else had this issue?

    Thanks!

  77. Two questions –
    1. For those who use an tslim x2 AND a phone do you run the process through just your phone? Just the pump? or both?
    2. I keep getting “transmitter not found” rather than “signal loss” is that an issue? Or does it essentially mean the same thing? (I’d imagine it does but I’ve had a lot of issues with this process so want to be sure.)

    I managed to get this to work once but it was through a lot of fits and starts and doing it over. Would love a little more guidance there!

  78. Not sure what happened, at the end of 2hr and 20 min both devices say ‘no restarts’. We had the phone by the sensor, but the actual dexcom receiver was totall out of range the entire time 🙁

    Is there still hope?

  79. This process is not working for me. In step 9 of method 1, after I allow the receiver to connect to the transmitter, the “No Data” message does go away, but it is replaced with a “Start Sensor” message.

    Because it’s the only option, I click on “Start Sensor” and it shows the normal “2-Hour Sensor Warmup” message. After two hours, it then tells me that the sensor cannot be used. (waiting now for the exact message — I’ve tried this several times unsuccessfully)

    I am using the G6 system with the receiver only. 10-days maximum for me…

  80. I’ve used your “restart sensor” instructions a few times on my G5, but something is different on my G6. Using option 2 and my iPhone. as I go from step 2 to step 3, I do not get the “NEW SENSOR” button or option, or the place to enter the old/new code so I can re-use. I saved the old code number, just don’t get the opportunity to re-enter it! : (

    This is my second failure at this same point with my G6–what do you suppose I am doing wrong?

    Thanks so much,

    Kay

  81. Attempting option 2… The transmitter keeps popping up in in my bluetooth list even after “forgetting” it. How do I prevent this without turning off my bluetooth completely?

  82. Option 1 worked great. Placed the receiver in the microwave for 2.25 hrs. It connected upon removing it an then updated the setting for 10 more days.

    However, we ended up replacing because of the iPhone app. It had continued to track readings while the receiver was in warm-up. At the expiration time it said “Sensor Expired”. When my kiddo clicked the button it went into restart mode .

    What should we do differently next time? We use the iPhone app only but have a receiver for emergency back-up.

  83. We successfully reset G6 transmitter, I believe 10 days ago. I inserted a new sensor after transmitter was reset (via your instructions using the apple computer and building the reset app). Today I was going to restart my sensor as usual (I use option 1 with the receiver and faraday bag- I use my iPhone daily and only pull out receiver for restarts). However, the receiver prompted me to pair new transmitter and I wasn’t expecting that! I entered sensor code and then entered transmitter code as it prompted me. Anyway, it didn’t work and I ended up trying several different things today and still not working (that’s because I only half-understand how all this works!) At the moment I have receiver off and I tried to do “new sensor” on my phone then put it in faraday bag. I have no idea what I’m doing really!
    I’m trying to extend sensors because I’m waiting for insurance to fix some issues and see how much I will actually owe before I order more expensive sensors!
    Any ideas for how to restart my sensor? (It is already past the 10 day cutoff as of this afternoon.)
    Thanks so much!
    Kira

  84. I got it! After every other thing I tried didn’t work, I went with your option 4- removing transmitter. I used a metal nail file to pry it out. Then waited about 15 min or so then did “new sensor” on iPhone. Then popped transmitter back into sensor and taped it on. Waited the 2 hour warmup period like normal. Success!!
    Thank you so much for all your info here!
    Kira

  85. HOLY CRAP IT WORKED

    a lifesaver, pharmacy wouldn’t send me replacements till friday at earliest and i am out one fell off and i ripped one out taking off my shirt (btw that hurts removing it from the wrong direction)

    ThAnK yOu so very very much

  86. Hello,
    has Dexcom updated the SW recently, I tried this 2 times using the Dexcom receiver, and both say no restarts allowed. 1 time prior to a sensor expiring, last after it expired, but same result. Tried with entering the number and once without. The message comes up after the 2 hour warmup circle appears, then a few minutes later says it cannot be restarted.

  87. Question with restart with the G6 and T-Slim. First time we extended it, it worked fine using Option #2 with the IPhone. Second time it didn’t. I can’t remember if we stopped sensor on the T-Slim also the first or 2nd time trying. So do you only do the method on the phone and not stop and start on T-Slim. Need to try this tonight so would appreciate a quick response if possible. thank you.

    1. I’m in the same boat! First time we extended it no problem. She had her phone near her and her Tslim pump still on. Each time after, I’m not successful.
      I remove the Dexcom QQ connection on Bluetooth(that’s the only one there), but it keeps trying to pair with the transmitter. The phone shows no Transmitter found and the sensor never begins the restart process.
      I’m not sure what I’m doing different this time, I believe I’ve done everything the same from the first time.
      Does anyone have any suggestions?

  88. I tried this 2 times recently, and both say you cannot restart a sensor after it’s been used. Did Dexcom update the SW on the receiver to track the sensor number or something? I followed thre steps, put the G6 receiver in the microwave for 2 hours and 10 minutes, took it out and had the No Data, then the warm up, then the no restart message.

  89. Hi thank you so much for this as due to all the back orders I am forced to find a solution. I attempted to follow instruction #2 since I use the T-slim pump with my phone but it keeps saying sensors can only be used one time and asks me to restart. Am I doing something wrong? Should my iphone and pump be separated and only use one to start sensor? I can’t see in settings how to delete the sensor code. I am at a loss….just tried again, please tell me I missed something important!
    Thank you

  90. Fantastic! I followed steps for method #1 and it worked! Restarted and will expire in 10 days. So now I can get through Thanksgiving with my last CGM, because the insurance company and supplier took a week to authorize each other and when finally straightened out they decided that the slowest ground shipment would be best, so won’t arrive until next week. I would have paid for overnight, but nope, it’s already shipped, just needed to vent.
    Bottom line, thanks to this website for educating me about how to extend my Dexcom G6!

  91. Hello! Do you happen to know if you can use this same procedure using the Spike app?

    Also; do you use the Spike App or do you use the standard G6 app?

  92. I have done many restarts successfully but this last time I my screen had a message
    you can not start a sensor after it’s been used.
    Any suggestions?

  93. I posted above about successfully resetting my transmitter. I forgot to ask though- for future sensor restarts where I try option #1 (using the G6 receiver in a faraday bag and continuing to get bg values on iPhone)- will the receiver continue to ask me to pair new transmitter? I was wondering if I won’t be able to use this option with receiver anymore as long as I’m still using this reset transmitter…? Does the receiver have a clock that also counts the 112 days until the hard stop?
    Thank you!

  94. Just wanted to thank you for this! Due to “operator headspace error” I wound up short one sensor – and with Dexcom’s 5-business day backlog I won’t get a new one for a few days – and my next batch is about a week out. Option 1 worked like a charm.

  95. Thank you for posting this tutorial. I travel professionally and just shifted to the G6, was distressed by the physical size and inability to extend the life of each sensor. I only do carry-on bags so in preparation for a three week trip I bought the Faraday bag, knowing that I would not have access to a microwave oven and hoping I could make do packing just one additional sensor. Sadly, the Faraday bag does NOT block Bluetooth, just RFID, so was still communicating with my iPhone and ended the sessions completely. It happened both times I attempted it so I’m pretty certain it wasn’t user-error. Now that I am back home, I can try again, using the microwave. Alternately, when traveling I will have to leave the hotel room the second it stop the session and not return for two hours.

    These tips are helpful, but I caution anyone away from relying on the Faraday bag as an isolation solution.

    1. Sounds like you have a bad faraday bad. They do block bluetooth. As with everything, there are poorly manufactured bags, or bags with defective seams. Some bags have two pockets, only one of which will block effectively. So, buyer beware a little bit on the bag you use. Personally, I bought a hefty but ROCK solid $50 faraday bag that has a small window so that I can verify signal loss while it is in there. Pricey, but I only have to buy it once.

  96. Hi, I tried to do this as option 1. I do not use the receiver but just use the iphone. When I ‘forgot’ all the dexcom devices in my bluetooth menu and then went to STOP sensor, I got a message that ‘no transmitter was found, please enter SN…’. There was not an option given to start a new sensor, just a ‘help’ button to try to remedy the unpaired transmitter. Can you provide any insight? I am using the G6.

  97. This worked! I used method 2 – I was nervous because I got frequent pairing requests during the 2 hour wait, on my iPhone X, even though I’d deleted all the transmitters from Bluetooth. It even showed as “connected”, but I kept selecting “cancel” when I received the pairing request, and after 2 hours passed, I finally selected “pair”. It took a few minutes, but then it worked! I started getting my BG readings and have had accurate numbers all day.
    Thank you so much for figuring this out and sharing it! It makes a huge difference in cost for me, and with the G5 I got even better numbers the 2nd and sometimes 3rd week, so am hoping it’s similar with the G6.

  98. Thank you for this. I was going to try it with my G6, but had read elsewhere that checking “Preemptive restarts” in the xDrip+ app (Settings/G5/G6 Debug Settings) would do the same thing — and that worked. See:
    https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/restarting-g6-sensors-and-transmitter/4207/13

    I’m pleasantly surprised that this worked. I didn’t have to do a thing, and didn’t have either my receiver or phone nearby when the restart happened. If there was a warm-up period, it happened without my knowledge. I’m on day 2 after the restart and haven’t had to add a calibration. So far the BG values from the G6 and matching my meter.

  99. Hello!
    I’ve been using your restart option 1 since beginning my G6 months ago. Thank you!
    Today, for some reason, my phone noticed the restart even though I did it exactly the way I always have; it is giving a “no restarts… replace sensor now” notification.
    Can you say if something has changed or if there is a way to continue this sensor?
    Thank you!

  100. Hi!
    Thank you for all of your guidance on restarts.
    I tried to restart my G6 sensor today using method 1, as I have done so many times with success, but for the first time, my phone noticed and has given me a “no restarts” notification.
    I’ve never seen this before, so I’m not sure what to do!
    I’ve tried again beginning with step 4, as you’ve suggested above in the “update” area.
    I have my fingers crossed that it restarts.
    What gives, though? Any thoughts on whether there’s been an update or something that’s caused my phone to notice?
    Thanks for all you’ve done on this!

  101. Hi,

    This works great from me some of the time (~60%). I am following method two. Every few restarts, the sensors have had drops (up to a few hours) with no readings and then it’s back. When I do a finger stick, the restarted sensors are more or less on track. I usually bale and insert a new sensor after a day or two of trying to achieve stability.

    Anyone else getting similar results? If so, what do you do to stabilize the sensor during a restarted session?

    Thanks!

    1. Hi David, I am on day 52 of a 10 day sensor. This has gotten to be a game for me. Here is my procedure:
      The day before the sensor is scheduled to expire, I start the reset process. I take the receiver and place it in a faraday bag for 10 minutes to make sure there is no communications with the sensor. I then take is out and it will say no contact. I wait until the first reading comes back on line, wait about 20 seconds and shut down the sensor. It will tell you that it cannot be started, false.

      I go through the procedure for restarting the sensor, place it in a faraday bag and place it in the microwave oven for double protection. I then wait 3 hours and then bring it out. It will go through the last 5 minutes of the warm up and then go back on line with an accurate reading. Hope this helps.

      Louis

      1. Can you please be more specific in what you do. I am only getting two or three days out of a restart before it completely fails. We use an iPhone and have never used the receiver.
        Step by step please if you don’t mind.

      2. Hey, a follow up to my last reply- I don’t have the receiver. I’m using just an iPhone. I presume I can follow your process by isolating the iPhone from the transmitter/sensor as you do with the receiver.

  102. Does anyone have any experience resetting with just a t-slim pump? I don’t have the app, but I do have the receiver.
    Thanks!

  103. I always renew my senser by stopping the senser then poping out the transmitter then isolating it away from the senser i put mine in microwave for one half hour when times up put the transmitter back into the senser and do a new start up very easy works everytime you will have a 2 hour warm up and you will be as good as new. Also i use the rounded end of a ONE TOUCH GLUCOSE TEST STRIP to release the transmitter go to each side of the transmitter push down till you feel it release and pull the transmitter out believe me it’s easy.

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