Guide to using FreeStyle Libre CGM in unsupported countries

Continuous glu­cose mon­i­tor­ing (CGM) sen­sors are great not just for people with dia­betes, but for anyone want­ing to keep their body’s sugar levels in check. These devices give you real-time updates about your blood sugar, help­ing you make smarter choices about what you eat and how you exercise. However, geo­graph­i­cal lim­i­ta­tions on avail­abil­ity pose a sig­nif­i­cant chal­lenge, as these ben­e­fi­cial devices aren’t offi­cially shipped to all countries. This means some folks miss out on the chance to take better con­trol of their health. So, if you’re in one of those places where CGM sen­sors aren’t offi­cially avail­able — coun­tries like Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey — learn­ing how to get around those bar­ri­ers can be a real game-changer.

Step 1. Buy a sensor

You could buy a sensor from retail­ers in your coun­try or have it shipped from abroad through a parcel for­ward­ing service. Try check­ing local mar­ket­places and clas­si­fieds first.

Here’s what a FreeStyle Libre 3 CGM sensor box looks like

Step 2. Find out the sensor’s country

The seller indi­cated that this par­tic­u­lar sensor is meant for the German market. You can also check the list of dis­trib­u­tors in the printed manual that comes with the sensor. You may want to use the address of the first listed distributor.

Step 3. Install and set up a VPN app on your phone

I sug­gest Proton VPN. It’s trust­wor­thy, and it works for me. Free VPN apps are to be avoided at all costs.

Set the VPN to the sensor’s country. Make sure you have the right IP address by check­ing it at whatismyipaddress.com. It should con­firm that you’re vis­it­ing from your sensor’s country.

Step 4. Register an Apple or Google account in the sensor’s country

You need to make sure your App Store or Play Store is for the target country.

It will prob­a­bly ask for an address. You can use a random res­i­den­tial address from Google Maps.

It will also prob­a­bly ask for a phone number. I sup­pose it should be from that coun­try too, but I’m not sure. You might want to ask some­one you know from that coun­try to use their phone number or get a vir­tual number at zadarma.com.

Step 5. Switch your phone’s App Store account

On an iPhone, you can do this with­out chang­ing the main Apple ID you’re logged into, the one tied to your iCloud.

Here’s a manual: How to Use a Different Apple ID for App Store & Purchases on iPhone & iPad.

Step 6. Install the FreeStyle Libre app

Use the new account to install the FreeStyle Libre app from the App Store or Google Play. Then follow the instruc­tions to set up the sensor.

Godspeed! ❤️