Omnipod DASH
These instructions are for configuring the Omnipod DASH generation pump (NOT Omnipod Eros). The DASH driver is a well-established way to loop with Omnipod.
Omnipod DASH specifications
Key characteristics of the Omnipod DASH (‘DASH’):
The DASH pods are identified by a blue needle cap (the older EROS pod has a clear needle cap). The pods are otherwise identical in terms of physical dimensions.
DASH does not require a BLE link/bridge device (NO RileyLink, OrangeLink, or EmaLink needed).
The DASH’s Bluetooth connection is used only when sending a command (e.g a Bolus), and disconnects right after issuing the command.
AAPS will wait for pod’s accessibility to send commands.
On pod activation, AAPS will find and connect to a new DASH pod.
Expected range from phone: 5-10 meters (YMMV).
Omnipod DASH known AAPS constraints/issues
General advice is to run AAPS on Android 14 or 16. Android 15 has many reported issues from the community. However, if you do run on Android 15 you will likely need to turn on Bluetooth bonding (in the Advanced Settings section of the Dash settings) to successfully activate and use Pods, see General Troubleshooting for more info on the Bonding settings.
DST and timezone changes are not applied automatically. After a clock change you must update the pod manually: press Refresh on the DASH pump screen, then press Set time (shown when the pod and phone time zones differ) or perform a Profile Switch (see Timezone change for Omnipod Dash).
Dash only supports basal rate in 0.05 U/h steps. If you try to set Basal with 0.01 steps in your AAPS profile, AAPS will not give a warning even though the pod will round up the rate into 0.05 steps. If you open Pod History on the DASH pump screen, it will display that 0.05 basal was set. This also means the lowest basal rate allowed by the DASH in AAPS is 0.05U/h.
The settings file contains the active Pod session. Export your settings after each Pod activation, and see Export and import settings before importing settings.
When setting a new basal profile, DASH will suspend delivery before setting the new basal Profile. If there is a communication interruption or error, the basal profile won’t automatically re-start. See section Resuming Insulin Delivery for details.
If alerts are configured, and the pod is about to expire, the pod will keep beeping until alerts are silenced, see Silencing Pod Alerts for details.
There are a number of known issues with Bluetooth which can cause pod activation problems. See Bluetooth Troubleshooting for the known issue and solutions to these problems.
Hardware and software requirements
Omnipod DASH is identified by the blue needle cap.
A Compatible Android phone with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) (see Phones for more info). In addition, the following information will help guide you on other key considerations around successfully activating and using the DASH on a compatible phone:
The AAPS Omnipod Dash driver connects with the DASH Pod using Bluetooth.
AAPS will automatically establish a new Bluetooth connection to the Pod every time it needs to send a command (e.g a Bolus), after sending the command the Bluetooth connection is immediately disconnected.NOTE:
The Bluetooth connection can be interrupted/disturbed by other Bluetooth devices linked to the phone that is running AAPS, like earbuds etc… Devices like this can cause connection errors or pod activation issues on some models of phones. It’s a good idea to review the tested hardware setups list for known working configurations when choosing the phone for an Omnipod DASH setup.
There are a number of known issues with Bluetooth which can cause pod activation problems (See Troubleshooting for advice on other Bluetooth issues) specifically the Bluetooth related issues section.
The phone must run Android 12 or newer, with AAPS built and installed using the Build APK instructions. Always run the latest released version.
A supported Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)
The instructions below explain how to activate a new pod session using AAPS. You should wait for your current Pod to be close to expiry, as you will need to activate a new Pod with AAPS. Once a pod is de-activated it cannot be reused/re-activated, the de-activation is final.
Before you begin
Ensure you have read and understand this whole guide, have read and understand the Before You Begin section, as well as Omnipod and AAPS Constraints and Issues to avoid running into a known problem.
SAFETY FIRST - You SHOULD NOT try to connect AAPS to a pod for the first time without having access to all of the following:
Extra pods (3 or more spare)
Spare Insulin and MDI equipment
A working Omnipod PDM (In case AAPS fails)
Supported Phones are a must! (See Hardware/Software Requirements)
Correct version of AAPS built and installed
Your Omnipod Dash PDM will become redundant after the AAPS Dash driver activates your pod.
Before using AAPS you or your care giver would have had to manage the Pod using the Omnipod PDM (or in some regions a Phone app) to send commands to your DASH (e.g a Bolus).
The DASH can only facilitate a single Bluetooth device (e.g PDM or Phone) connection to manage and send commands.
The device that successfully activates the pod is the only device allowed to communicate with that Pod from that point forward. This means that once you activate a DASH with your Android phone using AAPS, you will no longer be able to use your PDM with that pod! For the time that Pod is active the AAPS Dash driver running on your Android phone is now the new PDM for your pod.
DO NOT Throw away your PDM! It is recommended to keep it around as a backup and for emergencies, for instance when your phone gets lost or AAPS is not working correctly.
Your pod WILL NOT stop delivering insulin when it is not connected to AAPS.
Default basal rates are programmed on the pod on activation as defined in the current active Profile.
As long as AAPS is operational it will send basal rate adjustment commands that run for a maximum of 120 minutes.
When for some reason the pod does not receive any new commands (for instance because communication was lost due to Pod ➜ phone distance) the pod will automatically fall back to default basal rates as defined in your Profile.
AAPS Profile(s) do not support 30 minute basal rate time frames
If you are new to AAPS and are setting up your basal rate Profile for the first time, please be aware that basal rates starting on a half-hour basis are not supported.
For example, on your Omnipod PDM, if you have a basal rate of 1.1 units which starts at 09:30 and has a duration of 2 hours ending at 11:30, it is not possible replicate this exact Basal Profile in AAPS.
You will need to change this 1.1 unit basal rate to a time range of either 9:00-11:00 or 10:00-12:00. Even though the DASH hardware itself supports the 30 minute basal rate Profile increments, AAPS does NOT support this feature.
0U/h Profile basal rates are NOT supported in AAPS
While the DASH does support a zero basal rate, AAPS uses multiples of the user’s Profile basal rate to determine automated treatment; it cannot function with a zero basal rate.
Instead a temporary zero basal rate can be achieved through the “Disconnect pump” function, or through a combination of Disable Loop/Temp Basal Rate or Suspend Loop/Temp Basal Rate.
NOTE: The lowest basal rate allowed by the DASH in AAPS is 0.05U/h.
Selecting Dash in AAPS
There are two ways to select the Omnipod DASH driver in AAPS:
Option 1: New installations
When you install AAPS for the first time, the Setup Wizard guides you through the key features and installation requirements of AAPS. When you reach the Pump step, select Omnipod Dash.
If you are not sure yet, you can select Virtual Pump for now and select Omnipod Dash later, after setting up AAPS (see Option 2).
Option 2: The Configuration screen
On an existing installation you can select the Omnipod Dash pump from the Configuration screen:
Open the menu (☰) in the top-left corner of the main screen and select Configuration.
Tap Pump and select the radio button of Omnipod Dash (“Pump integration for Omnipod Dash (the new, Bluetooth-enabled model with a blue needle cap)”).
Once it is selected, the Omnipod Dash card shows two buttons:
Settings opens the Dash settings.
Open plugin opens the DASH pump screen.
Verification of Omnipod Driver Selection
To check that Omnipod Dash is selected, open Manage (bottom navigation of the main screen) and tap Pump. The DASH pump screen opens, as shown in the next section.
The DASH pump screen
The DASH pump screen is where you manage your pods: activate and deactivate them, refresh the pod status, silence alerts and look at the pod history. Open it with Manage > Pump, or with Open plugin on the Omnipod Dash card in Configuration > Pump.
This is the screen without an active pod:
And this is the screen with an active pod:
The Settings (gear) icon in the top-right corner opens the Dash settings.
NOTE: If a field on the pump screen shows (uncertain), press Refresh to update the pod status.
Fields
Bluetooth Address: The Bluetooth address of the pod.
Connection quality: How reliably AAPS connects to the pod, shown as successful connections / all connection attempts :: success rate, for example
412/420 :: 98.10 %. After more than 50 successful connections, the value turns yellow below 90 % and red below 70 %. A low value points to a Bluetooth problem (see Bluetooth related issues).Delivery Status: The raw delivery status reported by the pod. This field is shown only in engineering mode builds.
Unique ID: The unique ID AAPS gave to the pod during activation.
LOT Number: The production lot number of the pod.
Sequence Number: The sequence number of the pod.
Firmware Version: The firmware and Bluetooth versions of the pod.
Time on Pod: The current time on the pod, with its time zone. The text turns red when the time zone of the pod is different from the time zone of the phone, and yellow when the pod time is more than 10 minutes off.
Pod Expires: The date and time when the pod expires (72 hours after activation). The text turns yellow in the last 4 hours before this time. It never turns red, because the pod keeps delivering insulin after it.
Pod Hard End: The end of the pod’s grace period (8 hours after Pod Expires, for a maximum pod life of 80 hours). The text turns yellow when the grace period starts (at Pod Expires) and red in the last 4 hours before the hard end. During the grace period it also shows the time left, for example (17m remaining). The pod stops delivering insulin at the hard end and must be changed.
Pod Status: The state of the pod: No Active Pod, Setup in progress, Running, Suspended or, after a pod fault, ALARM.
Last Connection: How long ago AAPS last communicated with the pod.
Moments ago - less than 10 seconds ago.
Less than a minute ago - between 10 and 60 seconds ago.
XX minutes ago - more than 1 minute ago (and X hours and XX minutes ago after an hour).
Last bolus: The amount of the last bolus sent to the pod and how long ago it was given. An unconfirmed bolus is marked (uncertain).
Base Basal Rate: The basal rate programmed for the current time in your basal Profile.
Temp Basal Rate: The temporary basal rate (TBR) that is currently running, with its start time and duration. This field is only shown while a TBR is running.
Reservoir: Shows Over 50 U left when more than 50 units are left in the reservoir. Below 50 units, the exact amount is shown. The value turns red below 20 units.
Total Delivered: The total amount of insulin delivered from the reservoir. This includes the insulin used for priming.
Active Pod Alerts: Alerts that are currently active on the pod, for example Pod will expire soon or Low Reservoir.
Errors: The pod fault, if the pod has failed, shown in red as Pod Fault: followed by the fault code and name, for example Pod Fault: 020 ALARM_OCCLUDED. Review the Pod History and the log files for past errors and more detailed information. See Pod Failures.
PDM Notification: Shown only after a pod fault. It shows the fault the way the Omnipod PDM would have shown it: a title (for example Occlusion Detected, Empty Reservoir or Pod Expired), what happened (for example Insulin delivery stopped. Change Pod now.) and a Ref: code.
Buttons
The buttons at the bottom of the pump screen change with the state of the pod. Only the buttons that make sense at that moment are shown.
Refresh: Asks the pod for its current status.
Use it to update the pod status and to clear fields that show (uncertain).
See the Troubleshooting section below for more information.
Silence Alerts: Stops the pod alert beeps (for example pod expiry or low reservoir). Shown only while the pod has an active alert. See Silencing Pod Alerts.
Resume Delivery: Resumes insulin delivery on a suspended pod. Shown only when delivery is suspended. See Resuming Insulin Delivery.
Set time: Updates the pod to the time zone of your phone by sending your basal Profile again. Shown only when the time zone of the pod differs from the time zone of your phone.
Activate Pod: Primes and activates a new pod. Shown when no pod is active.
Deactivate Pod: Deactivates the active pod. Shown as soon as a pod is paired with AAPS, also when an activation stopped part-way (for example because the pod failed during activation). AAPS asks you to confirm before it deactivates the pod.
Play Test Beep: Makes the pod play a single test beep.
Pod History: Shows the activity history of the active pod.
Discard Pod: Removes an unfinished pod from AAPS. Shown only when a pod activation stopped part-way. AAPS asks you to confirm. After discarding, AAPS can no longer communicate with that pod: remove it from your body.
Older screenshot
The screenshot above is from an earlier AAPS version, which had a separate Pod Management menu. In AAPS 4 all these actions, including Activate Pod, Deactivate Pod, Play Test Beep and Pod History, are buttons with text labels directly on the pump screen.
Activate Pod
Open the DASH pump screen (Manage > Pump) and press Activate Pod. The activation wizard opens.
Older screenshot
The screenshot above is from an earlier AAPS version. In AAPS 4 Activate Pod is a button directly on the DASH pump screen instead of in the Pod Management menu.
If you have never activated a Profile in AAPS before, the wizard first shows the Profile required step: select the profile to apply on activation and continue.
The Fill Pod step is shown. Fill a new pod with enough insulin for 3 days, at least 80 units. Listen for two beeps from the pod: they mean the minimum amount of 80 units has been filled. Empty the fill syringe completely, even after hearing the two beeps. Do not remove the pod’s needle cap yet.
NOTE: When you calculate the amount of insulin you need for 3 days, remember that priming the pod uses about 3-10 units.
Make sure that the new pod and the phone running AAPS are close to each other and press Next.
If you use more than one insulin in AAPS, the Select Insulin step is shown. It shows the Currently active insulin. If you filled the pod with a different insulin, press Change and select it. AAPS applies a Profile Switch with this insulin when the activation is finished. Press Next.
On the Initialize Pod step, AAPS pairs with the new pod and primes it. You hear a click followed by a series of ticking sounds as the pod primes itself. When this has finished successfully, the Next button appears. Press Next.
NOTE: If an error message such as Scan failed or ‘Could not find an available pod for activation’ appears (this can happen), do not panic. Press Retry. In most cases the activation then continues successfully.
If the pod has failed (for example because its activation time was exceeded), Deactivate Pod is shown instead of Retry. Use it and start again with a new pod.
If you press Cancel before the activation is finished, AAPS asks you to confirm that you want to exit. Press OK to leave the wizard, or Cancel to stay.
If you manage pump site rotation in AAPS (Manage pump site rotation in the Site Rotation settings), the Site location step is shown. Select where you are going to place the pod on the body diagram and press Next, or press Skip.
Next, prepare the infusion site for the new pod. Wash your hands to avoid any risk of infection. Clean the infusion site with soap and water or an alcohol wipe, and let the skin air dry completely before you continue. If the adhesive irritates your skin, consider using a barrier wipe or barrier spray.
On the Attach Pod step, remove the pod’s blue plastic needle cap. If the cannula or anything else sticks out of the pod, or it looks unusual, STOP: press Cancel and start again with a new pod. If everything looks OK, take off the white paper backing from the adhesive and stick the pod to the chosen site on your body.
When finished, press Next.
A confirmation dialog appears: When you press OK, the cannula will be inserted. Press OK ONLY if you are ready to insert the cannula!
On the Insert Cannula step, AAPS sets your basal schedule and the pod inserts the cannula. This can take some time (1-2 minutes maximum). Be patient!
NOTE: It is good practice to pinch the skin near the cannula insertion point before the cannula is inserted. This helps the needle go in smoothly and lowers your chance of occlusions (blockages).
When the cannula has been inserted successfully, the Next button appears. Press Next.
The Pod Activated step is shown. Check that the cannula has been inserted correctly, and change the pod if you think it has not.
Press Finish.
Congratulations! You have now started a new pod session.
You are back on the DASH pump screen. It now shows the information of your active pod, including the current basal rate, reservoir level, insulin delivered, pod errors and alerts. Activate Pod is replaced by Deactivate Pod: you cannot activate another pod without deactivating the active pod first.
NOTE: For more details on the information shown, see The DASH pump screen.
NOTE: It is good practice to export your settings AFTER activating the pod. Export your settings after each pod change and once a month. Copy the exported settings file to a cloud storage location (for example Google Drive) or somewhere off your phone in case you lose your phone (see Export settings).
If an earlier activation stopped after the pod was primed, pressing Activate Pod continues from the Attach Pod step.
Deactivate Pod
Under normal circumstances, a pod lasts three days (72 hours), plus a grace period of 8 hours after the pod expiry warning: 80 hours in total.
To deactivate a pod (either because it expired or because it failed):
Open the DASH pump screen (Manage > Pump) and press Deactivate Pod.
On the Deactivate Pod step, press Next. A dialog asks A deactivated Pod can not be used again. Deactivate this Pod now? Press OK to start deactivating the pod, or Cancel to keep it. Deactivation suspends all insulin delivery and cannot be undone.
The Deactivating Pod step is shown while AAPS deactivates the pod. The pod beeps to confirm that deactivation was successful.
Older screenshot
The screenshot above is from an earlier AAPS version. In AAPS 4 the wizard shows its progress as a row of dots at the top instead of a progress bar.
When deactivation has finished successfully, the Next button appears. Press Next.
If deactivation fails, an error message and a Discard Pod button are shown. See Discarding a pod below before you use it. You can also press Cancel and try Deactivate Pod again later.
The Pod Deactivated step is shown. Remove the pod from your body and press Finish.
You are back on the DASH pump screen. Check that the Pod Status field shows No Active Pod and that the Activate Pod button is shown again.
Discarding a pod
Only discard a pod when all communication with it keeps failing. If AAPS can still communicate with the pod, use Deactivate Pod instead.
AAPS asks you to confirm before it discards the pod.
After that, AAPS can no longer communicate with that pod.
Insulin delivery has NOT been suspended, because the pod was not deactivated properly. Remove the pod from your body!
The Pod Discarded step confirms that the pod state has been discarded. Press Finish. You can now activate a new pod.
Resuming Insulin Delivery
NOTE: During Profile Switches, like when using the PDM, AAPS must suspend delivery on the pod before setting the new basal Profile. If communication fails between the suspend and resume commands, delivery can stay suspended. Read Delivery suspended in the troubleshooting section for more details.
When insulin delivery is suspended, you need to tell the pod to resume insulin delivery. When the command has been processed successfully, the pod delivers insulin again using the basal rate for the current time from your active basal Profile. The pod again accepts commands for bolus, TBR and SMB.
Open the DASH pump screen and check that the Pod Status field shows Suspended. Press Resume Delivery to tell the pod to resume normal insulin delivery.
When the command was successful, the Pod Status field shows Running and the Resume Delivery button disappears.
Older screenshot
The screenshots above are from an earlier AAPS version, which showed a confirmation dialog. In AAPS 4 you confirm the result on the DASH pump screen: the Pod Status field shows Running and the Resume Delivery button is gone.
If the command fails, AAPS shows a warning dialog starting with Failed to resume delivery. Press Refresh and try again.
Silencing Pod Alerts
This section explains how to stop the pod beeps when the pod approaches the end of its life. When these beeps start depends on the Alerts settings (see Dash Settings):
Reminder at hours before expiry (72 Hours): how many hours before the 72-hour expiry the pod starts to beep.
Alert at hours before shutdown (80 Hours): how many hours before the 80-hour shutdown the pod beeps again.
The maximum life of a pod is 80 hours (3 days 8 hours). However, the pod manufacturer recommends not going beyond 72 hours (3 days).
NOTE: The Silence Alerts button is only shown on the DASH pump screen while the pod has an active alert, for example pod expiry or low reservoir. If the Silence Alerts button is not shown but you hear the pod beeping, press Refresh.
When the reminder time is reached, the pod beeps to tell you that it will expire soon and that you need to change it. On the DASH pump screen, the Pod Expires (1) field shows the exact time the pod will expire (72 hours after activation). The text turns yellow 4 hours before this time. After it, Pod Hard End turns yellow and shows the time left until the pod stops delivering insulin. The Active Pod Alerts (2) field shows Pod will expire soon, and the Silence Alerts (3) button is shown.
Press Silence Alerts. AAPS sends the command to the pod to stop the expiry beeps.
Older screenshot
The screenshot above is from an earlier AAPS version, where this screen was the DASH tab. In AAPS 4 the Silence Alerts button is on the DASH pump screen (Manage > Pump).
When the alerts have been silenced, the alert is no longer shown in the Active Pod Alerts field, the Silence Alerts button disappears, and the pod stops its expiry beeps.
Older screenshot
The screenshot above is from an earlier AAPS version, which showed a confirmation dialog. In AAPS 4 you confirm the result on the DASH pump screen: the alert is gone from the Active Pod Alerts field.
If the command fails, AAPS shows a warning dialog starting with Failed to silence alerts. Press Refresh and try again.
The low reservoir alert works the same way. When the insulin left in the pod drops to the Number of units set in the Alerts settings, the pod beeps. The Reservoir field shows the amount left, the Active Pod Alerts field shows Low Reservoir, and the Silence Alerts button is shown. Press Silence Alerts to stop the beeps, and plan your next pod change.
View Pod History
This section explains how to look at the history of your active pod and filter it by type of action. The pod history shows the commands sent to your active pod and their results during its three-day (72 - 80 hours) life.
It is useful to check the boluses, TBRs and basal commands that were sent to the pod. The other categories help with troubleshooting and show the order of events that led up to a failure.
NOTE: Only the last command can be uncertain. New commands are not sent until the last ‘uncertain’ command becomes ‘confirmed’ or ‘denied’. To ‘fix’ an uncertain command, press Refresh on the DASH pump screen.
Open the DASH pump screen and press Pod History.
Older screenshot
The screenshot above is from an earlier AAPS version. In AAPS 4 Pod History is a button directly on the DASH pump screen instead of in the Pod Management menu.
The Pod History screen opens with the All filter selected. It lists every command with its time and result, newest first, grouped by day. Use the filter buttons at the top (for example Boluses or Basals) to show only one type of command. Press the back arrow to return to the DASH pump screen.
Older screenshot
The second screenshot above is from an earlier AAPS version, where you picked the type of command from a Type list. In AAPS 4 you use the filter buttons shown in the first screenshot.
For boluses, the amount is followed by the bolus type when it is not a normal bolus, for example 0.05 U (SMB) or 0.05 U (Basal correction). A basal correction is a very small bolus (one pod pulse, 0.05 U) that the driver sends by itself; you did not request it.
Why basal corrections happen
The pod delivers basal insulin in pulses of 0.05 U, timed by an internal clock. Each time the basal rate changes (for example when the loop sets a new TBR), the pod restarts this clock, and the pulse it was counting towards is lost. Because the loop changes the basal rate often, especially overnight, the pod can end up delivering less basal insulin than expected.
AAPS compares the basal insulin the pod reports as delivered with what it should have delivered. When the shortfall reaches half a pulse or more, the driver delivers one extra pulse as a basal correction, so you still get the basal insulin your profile and the loop asked for. No correction is sent while the pod is suspended, or while a zero TBR is running.
Dash Settings
There are two ways to open the Dash driver settings:
Press the Settings (gear) icon in the top-right corner of the DASH pump screen.
Open the menu (☰) in the top-left corner of the main screen and select Configuration > Pump. On the Omnipod Dash card, press Settings.
The settings are grouped into four expandable sections: Confirmation Beeps, Alerts, Notifications and Advanced Settings. Tap a section to open it:
Most settings are on/off switches.
Confirmation Beeps
Confirmation beeps from the pod for bolus, basal, SMB and TBR delivery and changes.
Bolus beeps enabled: The pod beeps when a bolus is delivered. On by default.
Basal beeps enabled: The pod beeps when a new basal rate is set, or when the active basal rate is canceled or changed. Off by default.
SMB beeps enabled: The pod beeps when an SMB is delivered. On by default.
TBR beeps enabled: The pod beeps when a TBR is set or canceled. Off by default.
Alerts
Older screenshot
The screenshot above is from an earlier AAPS version. In AAPS 4 these settings are in the expandable Alerts section.
Pod alerts for pod expiry, shutdown and low reservoir. When you change these settings while a pod is active, AAPS sends the new alert settings to the pod.
NOTE: An AAPS notification is ALWAYS shown for any alert once AAPS has communicated with the pod after the alert was triggered. Dismissing the notification does NOT stop the pod alert. To stop the alert, open the DASH pump screen and press Silence Alerts.
Expiration reminder enabled: When this is on, the pod beeps when the reminder time is reached. On by default.
Reminder at hours before expiry (72 Hours): How many hours before the 72-hour pod expiry the reminder starts (1 to 24 hours; default 4).
Expiration alert enabled: When this is on, the pod beeps when the alert time is reached, and again 1 hour before shutdown. On by default.
Alert at hours before shutdown (80 Hours): How many hours before the 80-hour pod shutdown the alert starts (1 to 8 hours; default 8).
Low reservoir alert enabled: The pod alerts you when the insulin left in the reservoir drops to the value in Number of units. On by default.
Number of units: The number of units at which the low reservoir alert is triggered (5 to 50 units; default 20).
Notifications
Choose whether AAPS plays a sound with its notifications when it is uncertain whether a TBR, SMB or bolus was delivered, and when delivery is suspended.
NOTE: These are phone notifications only; the pod itself does not beep.
Sound for uncertain TBR notifications enabled: Plays a sound with the notification when AAPS is uncertain whether a TBR was set.
Sound for uncertain SMB notifications enabled: Plays a sound with the notification when AAPS is uncertain whether an SMB was delivered.
Sound for uncertain bolus notifications enabled: Plays a sound with the notification when AAPS is uncertain whether a bolus was delivered.
Sound when delivery suspended notification enabled: Plays a sound with the notification when insulin delivery is suspended.
Advanced Settings
Bluetooth bonding: Bonds the pod with the phone over Bluetooth. Try it only if the pod cannot keep a stable connection, for example on Android 15 (see Omnipod DASH known AAPS constraints/issues). When it is on, the phone shows pairing requests that you must accept. Leave it off if the pod connects fine. It has no effect below Android 15. Off by default.
Insulin and cannula age
The status row on the main screen shows the age of your insulin and cannula. With Omnipod, these work a little differently than with tube-based pumps.
AAPS records a cannula change and an insulin change automatically each time you activate a pod. This resets the Insulin and Cannula ages to zero after every pod change. You do not need to record them yourself with Prime/Fill. This is because the pod inserts the cannula directly into the skin where it is attached: Omnipod does not use a tube.
Pump battery age is not reported: the battery and the insulin reservoir are built into each pod, and the battery always lasts longer than the pod itself (maximum 80 hours).
Older screenshot
The screenshot above is from an earlier AAPS version, where these ages were shown in the Careportal section of the Actions tab. In AAPS 4 they are shown in the status row on the main screen.
Level
Insulin Level
The insulin level shown is the amount reported by the pod. However, the pod only reports the actual reservoir level when it is below 50 units. Until then, Over 50 U left is shown. The amount reported is not exact: when the pod reports ‘empty’, in most cases the reservoir still has a few units of insulin left.
The DASH pump screen shows the level as follows:
Over 50 U left - The pod reports more than 50 units in the reservoir.
Below 50 units - The exact amount of insulin left in the reservoir, as reported by the pod.
Additional note:
SMS - Returns the value, or 50+U when over 50 units, in SMS responses.
Nightscout - Uploads a value of 50 when over 50 units to Nightscout (version 14.07 and older). Newer versions report a value of 50+ when over 50 units.
Troubleshooting
This section covers common known issues and solutions for Omnipod DASH use with AAPS. There is also General Troubleshooting section in the documentation that should be reviewed as it covers relevant topics for some Pod issues too.
Bluetooth related issues
For known issues with Bluetooth connections, dropouts of pump/pods, or activation and connection issues Bluetooth Troubleshooting
Delivery suspended
There is no suspend button anymore. If you want to “suspend” the pod, you can set a zero TBR for x minutes.
During Profile Switches, DASH must suspend delivery before setting the new basal Profile. If communication fails between the two commands, then delivery can stay suspended. When this happens:
There will be no insulin delivery, that includes Basal, SMB, Manual bolusing etc.
There might be notification that one of the commands is unconfirmed: this depends on when the failure happened.
AAPS will try to set the new basal profile every 15 minutes.
AAPS will show a notification informing that the delivery is suspended every 15 minutes, if the delivery is still suspended (resume delivery failed).
The Resume Delivery button is shown on the DASH pump screen if you want to resume delivery manually.
If AAPS fails to resume delivery on its own (this happens if the pod is unreachable, sound is muted, etc), the pod will start beeping 4 times every minute for 3 minutes, then repeated every 15 minutes if delivery is still suspended for more than 20 minutes.
For unconfirmed commands, press Refresh on the DASH pump screen to confirm or deny them.
NOTE: When you hear beeps from the pod, do not assume that delivery will continue without checking the phone, delivery might stay suspended, so you need to check !
Pod Failures
Pods fail occasionally due to a variety of issues, including hardware issues with the Pod itself.
It is best practice not to raise support / replacement cases with Insulet, since AAPS is not an approved method of using the Pods.
A list of fault codes can be found here to help determine the cause.
When a pod fails, it stops delivering insulin and beeps continuously. AAPS shows a notification on the main screen with the fault code and name, and the Ref: code, for example Pod Fault: 020 ALARM_OCCLUDED. Press Dismiss to close the notification. This does not stop the pod beeping.
On the DASH pump screen, the Pod Status field shows ALARM, the Errors field shows the pod fault, and the PDM Notification field explains it, for example Occlusion Detected. Insulin delivery stopped. Change Pod now. Check your BG.
A failed pod cannot be used again. Check your blood glucose, then deactivate the pod and activate a new one.
Preventing error 49 pod failures
This failure is related to an incorrect pod state for a command or an error during an insulin delivery command. This is when the driver and Pod disagree on the actual state. The Pod (out of a built-in safety measure) then reacts with an unrecoverable error code 49 (0x31) ending up with what is know as a “screamer”: the long irritating beep that can only be stopped by punching a hole at the appropriate location at the back of the Pod. The exact origin of a “49 pod failure” often is hard to trace. It can happen, for example, after application crashes, when running a development version or after a re-installation.
Pump Unreachable Alerts
When no communication can be established with the pod for a pre-configured time a “Pump unreachable” alert will be raised. Pump unreachable alerts can be configured by pressing the Settings (gear) icon on the top right of the main screen, then selecting Local Alerts ➜ Pump unreachable threshold. Recommended value is alerting after 120 minutes.
Export and import settings
Exporting AAPS settings lets you restore all your settings and Objectives, for example after reinstalling AAPS or on a new phone. Export your settings right after each Pod activation and copy the file to a safe place off your phone (for example Google Drive), so the active Pod can be restored too. See Creating and restoring back-ups.
Importing settings can end your active Pod
On the phone that is already running the Pod, leave Also replace pump settings unticked: the Pod session is kept and only the other settings are imported. Tick it only on a new phone, with a file exported during the Pod you are wearing now. See Tubeless pumps.
If the imported settings contain a Pod that is no longer active, see the next section.
Importing settings that contain Pod state from an inactive Pod
When importing settings containing data for a Pod that is no longer active, AAPS will try to connect with it, which will obviously fail. You cannot activate a new Pod in this situation.
To remove the old pod session:
On the DASH pump screen, press Deactivate Pod. The deactivation will most likely fail.
When it fails, press Discard Pod and confirm (see Discarding a pod).
Once the old pod is removed, you can activate a new pod.
Generic error: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Trying to set a Bluetooth Address to ***, but it is already set to ***.
If you receive this error when attempting to Initialize a new pod AAPS fails as it still has settings for an old pod stored in configuration.
This can happen if you restore from a backup, or a pod deactivation fails.
To resolve it, press Cancel to leave the activation. On the DASH pump screen, press Discard Pod if it is shown. Otherwise press Deactivate Pod, and when the deactivation fails, press Discard Pod (see Discarding a pod).
You should now be able to Activate a new pod.
Reinstalling AAPS
When uninstalling AAPS you will lose all your settings, objectives and the current Pod session. To restore them make sure you have a recent exported settings file available!
When on an active Pod, use an export made during the current Pod session (see Export and import settings).
Export your settings and store a copy in a safe place (e.g Google Drive).
Uninstall AAPS and restart your phone.
Install the new version of AAPS.
Import your settings.
Verify all preferences (optionally import settings again).
Activate a new pod.
When done: Export current settings.
Updating AAPS to a newer version
In most cases there is no need to uninstall. You can do an “in-place” install by starting the installation for the new version. This is also possible when on an active Pod session.
Export your settings.
Install the new AAPS version.
Verify the installation was successful
RESUME the Pod or activate a new pod.
When done: Export current settings.
Omnipod driver alerts
The Omnipod Dash driver presents a variety of unique alerts on the main screen, most of them are informational and can be dismissed while some provide the user with an action requiring their input to resolve the cause of the triggered alert.
A summary of the main alerts that you may encounter is listed below:
Pod Fault: XXX NAME, followed by Ref: …: the pod has failed and stopped delivering insulin. Change the pod. See Pod Failures.
No Active Pod: no pod session was found. This notification keeps coming back until you activate a new pod. Once a pod is activated, it disappears automatically.
Insulin delivery suspended: the pod has suspended insulin delivery. See Resuming Insulin Delivery.
Setting basal profile might have failed. Delivery might be suspended! Please manually refresh the Pod status on the pump screen and resume delivery if needed. Setting the basal Profile on the pod may have failed. Press Refresh on the DASH pump screen, and press Resume Delivery if it is shown.
Unable to verify whether SMB (X U) succeeded. Refresh pod status to confirm or deny this command. AAPS could not confirm that the SMB was delivered. Press Refresh on the DASH pump screen and check the Last bolus field.
Bolus delivery status uncertain. Refresh pod status to confirm or deny. The same for a normal bolus: press Refresh on the DASH pump screen.
Timezone on pod is different from the timezone on phone. Basal rate is incorrect. Switch profile to fix See the DST and timezone note in Omnipod DASH known AAPS constraints/issues.
Where to get help
All of the development work for the DASH is done by the community on a volunteer basis; please keep this in mind and use the following guidelines before requesting assistance:
Level 0: Read the relevant section of this documentation to ensure you understand how the functionality with which you are experiencing difficulty is supposed to work.
Level 1: If you are still encountering problems that you are not able to resolve by using this document, then please go to the #AAPS channel on Discord by using this invite link. There are also numerous Facebook and other groups you can ask in too (see Getting Help)
Level 2: Search existing issues to see if your issue has already been reported at Issues. If it exists, please confirm/comment/add information on your problem. If not, please create a new issue and attach your log files.
Be patient - most of the members of our community consist of good-natured volunteers, and solving issues often requires time and patience from both users and developers.
When requesting help come prepared with the following information to help those in the community with your specific questions and problems:
Android phone make and model
Android OS version (e.g 15 or 16)
Did you recently upgrade your Android OS version?
The version of AAPS you are running
Plain english description of the problem you are facing considering some of the following things
Was it working before now?
When did it work or not work?
Did you make any changes to configuration or profile settings?
Did you pair a new Bluetooth device?
Did you upgrade or install a new app?
How long was it working before it stopped working?