Dexcom receiver recall: make sure your low-glucose alarm can still be heard
Dexcom issued a Class I recall of G6, G7, ONE and ONE+ handheld receivers: a speaker fault can silence low and high glucose alerts on 700,000 devices.
If you use a separate Dexcom handheld receiver to get your glucose alarms, there is a recall you should act on. A speaker fault can leave low and high alerts silent, and the fix is quick and free. This does not affect your actual glucose readings, and it does not apply if you get your alerts through the phone app or an insulin pump. It matters most for the overnight low that an alarm is meant to wake you for.
- Dexcom has issued its most serious kind of recall (a Class I recall) on the G6, G7, ONE and ONE+ handheld receivers, because a speaker fault can stop alarms sounding.
- This only affects the separate handheld receiver. If you hear alerts through the phone app or a pump display, this recall is not about your device.
- The real-world risk is a silent overnight low: an alarm that should wake you might not make a sound.
- Check whether yours is affected at dexcom.com/checkreceiver, and test that your receiver actually makes a sound each time you charge it.
- Affected receivers get a free replacement, and you can switch to the Dexcom phone app for alerts in the meantime.
What the recall covers
A Class I recall is the most serious type: it means a fault that could cause serious harm. Here the fault is in the receiver’s speaker, which may not produce an audible alert. More than 700,000 receivers worldwide are covered. The important thing to hold on to is that this is about the alarm sound, not the glucose numbers. Your sensor and readings are not what is being recalled; the concern is that a low or high alert might not be heard, which is exactly the safety net a lot of people rely on, especially at night.
A quick habit and a free replacement
Both low and high alerts can be affected, so the habit is simple: whenever you charge your receiver, check it actually makes a sound rather than assuming it will. Go to dexcom.com/checkreceiver to see whether your device is one of those affected, and if it is, request the free replacement. In the meantime, the Dexcom phone app gives you a second, independent way to hear an alert, so if you have a compatible phone it is worth having the app running with its alarms on, particularly overnight. If the receiver is the only thing you use, that backup is the main gap worth closing while you wait.
Worth paying attention to
Questions that make an appointment useful
When it's urgent
The reason a silent alarm matters is a severe hypo (a dangerously low glucose) that nobody catches in time. If someone with type 1 becomes confused, unable to swallow safely, starts fitting, or is unconscious, that is an emergency: call 999 straight away and do not wait to check glucose first. Lows you catch yourself, treated with fast-acting sugar and a recheck, are routine and not an emergency. If you are worried your kit is not keeping you safe, especially overnight, your diabetes team or NHS 111 can help you put a reliable backup in place.