CGM features and fixes · Dexcom G6

Dexcom G6 signal loss: what the maker says to do

Signal Loss means the phone or receiver is not getting readings from the G6 transmitter, usually because of distance (more than 20 feet), a body, wall or water in between, or phone settings. Missed readings (up to 3 hours) can fill in after it reconnects. (Dexcom; Dexcom user guide, p. 147)

What the maker says to do

1. Use your meter for treatment decisions until readings return.
2. Keep the transmitter and phone within 20 feet of each other and wait 30 minutes.
3. Bring the G6 app to the foreground and do not swipe it closed.
4. Turn Bluetooth off and on, then wait 10 minutes.
5. Restart the phone, reopen the G6 app, and wait 10 minutes.
6. Keep the phone charged, because Low Power Mode turns off Bluetooth.

A call when readings stop

Glide sends every phone on the profile a lost signal banner after 30 minutes without a reading, and overnight it can call a phone number you verify (Premium). How the lost-signal call works.

More on the Dexcom G6

• Follower app not updating
• Sensor error
• Warm-up
• Sensor failed early
• Compression lows
• Alarms not sounding
• Follower not getting alerts
• Compatible phones

Signal loss on other CGMs

• Dexcom G7
• Dexcom ONE+
• Dexcom Stelo
• FreeStyle Libre 2 and 2 Plus
• FreeStyle Libre 3 and 3 Plus
• Medtrum TouchCare Nano CGM
• Eversense 365
• Medtronic Simplera
• SIBIONICS GS1

Sources, quoted

• Dexcom: “Your display device may be too far from your transmitter or there may be something, such as a wall or water, between your transmitter and your display device.”
• Dexcom: “Bring the running G6 app to the foreground. Do not swipe kill your app; it is intended to run at all times”
• Dexcom: “If that doesn't work, turn Bluetooth off and on. Wait 10 minutes.”
• Dexcom: “If that doesn't work, restart the smart device, unlock the main display and reopen the Dexcom G6 app. Wait 10 minutes.”
• Dexcom: “Make sure your phone is charging/charged. Low power mode on smartphones will turn off Bluetooth.”
• Dexcom: “During signal loss, use your meter to check your glucose levels and make any treatment decisions.”
• Dexcom user guide, p. 147: “Keep your transmitter and display device within 20 feet of each other. Wait 30 minutes.”
• Dexcom user guide, p. 147: “When the display device and transmitter connect after a signal loss or similar issue, up to 3 hours of missed G6 readings can fill in on the graph.”

Every quote is checked against its source page before each update of this site; last checked 2026-10-06. Makers change their apps; the source page is the authority when it differs.