The difference between Dexcom Share and Dexcom Follow is simple: Share is the feature the CGM wearer turns on to send their glucose data out, and Follow is the app a family member or caregiver installs to receive it. They are two halves of the same system. The person with the sensor uses Share (inside their Dexcom G6 or G7 app) to invite people, and each of those people uses the Dexcom Follow app on their own phone to watch the readings. You cannot use one without the other for remote monitoring to work.
The short version: Dexcom Share is the setting the wearer enables to broadcast their glucose; Dexcom Follow is the separate app followers download to see it. One sends, the other receives.
What is Dexcom Share?
Dexcom Share is a feature built into the main Dexcom app (the one connected to the sensor). When the wearer turns Share on, they can invite followers by email. Each invitation lets that person see the wearer’s real-time glucose number, trend arrow, and history.
Key points about Share:
- It lives inside the wearer’s Dexcom G6 or G7 app, not a separate download.
- It requires an active internet connection on the wearer’s phone to upload data.
- The wearer controls who is invited and can remove any follower at any time.
- The wearer chooses which alerts followers are allowed to receive.
Think of Share as the outbound switch. If Share is off, no one can follow, no matter what app they install.
What is Dexcom Follow?
Dexcom Follow is a free, separate app that caregivers, parents, partners, and friends download to their own iPhone or Android phone. After accepting a Share invitation, the follower opens Follow to see the wearer’s glucose in near real time.
With Follow, a caregiver can:
- See the current glucose reading and trend arrow direction.
- Get high and low alerts based on settings the wearer allowed.
- Follow more than one person from a single app (helpful for parents of more than one child).
So the wearer never installs Follow, and the follower never installs the main Dexcom app. That split is the single biggest source of confusion, and now you know the rule.
Why do people mix them up?
The names are nearly identical, and both appear in Dexcom’s marketing about “sharing.” It helps to remember the direction of the data:
- Share = the wearer shares out. Setting inside the main app.
- Follow = the loved one follows in. A separate downloaded app.
There is also an older, standalone Dexcom Share receiver from the G5 era, but for G6 and G7 users today, Share is simply a feature inside the main app.
How to set up Dexcom Share and Follow
On the wearer’s phone
- Open the Dexcom G6 or G7 app.
- Tap the Share icon (it looks like a person or arrow depending on your version).
- Follow the prompts to enable Share and invite a follower by email.
- Choose the alert permissions you want that follower to have.
On the follower’s phone
- Download the free Dexcom Follow app from the App Store or Google Play.
- Open the email invitation and accept it.
- Confirm the connection in the Follow app.
Once both sides are connected, readings usually appear within a few minutes. If they do not, our Dexcom troubleshooting guide walks through the common fixes.
Common problems: Dexcom Share no data
When a follower sees “No data” or a blank screen, the cause is almost always on the wearer’s side, because the wearer’s phone is what uploads the readings. Check these first:
- Wearer’s internet: If the wearer’s phone has no Wi-Fi or cellular signal, nothing uploads. This is the most common reason.
- Dexcom app closed or force-quit: The main app must be running in the background on the wearer’s phone.
- Share turned off: Confirm Share is still enabled and the follower is still on the list.
- Sensor warm-up or signal loss: During a new sensor’s warm-up period there is no data to send.
- Follower notifications disabled: If alerts are not coming through, check that the Follow app has notification permission in phone settings.
Because the data travels from the wearer’s phone to Dexcom’s servers and then out to each follower, delays of a few minutes are normal. Follow is meant for awareness, not for split-second decisions.
Is there a Dexcom Follow alternative?
Dexcom Follow works well, but some families want everything in one place: Dexcom data on an Apple Watch face, a home screen widget, a predictive low alert, and the ability to follow more than one loved one across brands. That is where a companion app like Sugar Sense fits in.
Sugar Sense reads Dexcom data through Dexcom Share, the same official pipeline Follow uses. So the wearer still enables Share exactly as described above, and the follower can choose Sugar Sense instead of, or alongside, the Follow app. This is useful if you also want glucose on your Apple Watch or a predictive heading-low alert that warns before a low arrives.
Whichever app you choose, remember that a companion app is for convenience and peace of mind. The Dexcom device and its own alarms remain your primary safety net.
Which one do I actually need?
- You wear the sensor: You use the main Dexcom app and turn on Share. You do not install Follow.
- You watch over someone else: You install Follow (or a Follow alternative) and accept their invitation. You do not install the main Dexcom app.
- Both: A wearer who also follows a family member would use the main app for their own data and Follow for the other person.
If your goal is helping a child at school or an older parent from a distance, our caregiver’s guide to remote glucose monitoring covers setup, alert planning, and staying calm when numbers move.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Dexcom Follow without Dexcom Share being on?
No. Follow only receives data that the wearer chooses to send through Share. If the wearer has not enabled Share and invited you, Follow will have nothing to display.
Does Dexcom Follow work when the wearer’s phone is off?
No. Data is uploaded from the wearer’s phone, so it must be on, connected to the internet, and running the Dexcom app in the background. If the wearer loses signal, followers pause until it returns.
How many people can follow one Dexcom user?
Dexcom allows a wearer to invite up to ten followers. Each follower needs their own Follow app and their own accepted invitation.
Is Dexcom Follow the same as sharing on an Apple Watch?
Not exactly. Follow shows the wearer’s data on a caregiver’s phone. Seeing your own glucose on your wrist is a different setup, which we cover in our guide to CGM on Apple Watch.
Sugar Sense connects to Dexcom through Dexcom Share, so you can put real-time glucose on your iPhone, Apple Watch, home screen widget, and lock screen, with high, low, and predictive alerts and Care Circle sharing for family. If you want a single, friendly place to watch your own numbers or a loved one’s, see how Sugar Sense works.
This article is for education only. A companion app never replaces your Dexcom device or its built-in alarms, and delayed or missing data can happen. Always confirm important readings on your CGM or with a finger stick, and make all treatment and medication decisions with your healthcare provider. See our medical disclaimer.
