Hi, my name is Renza and I never update software, operating systems, apps or anything that needs updating on anything. If I needed some sort of personal software update each year upon my birthday, I’d still be running whatever I was using when I was seventeen. I don’t have auto updates set up because 1. I’m an idiot and, 2. I used to, and once that caused problems with…something. Can’t even remember what, but obviously it left some deep scar somewhere and now I won’t do it again.

Most days, this apathy makes no difference to anything at all. I eventually get around to updating and on I go. No big deal.

Except for when it becomes a big deal. Because then I find myself #LooplessInMelbourne.

On the morning of Good Friday, my Riley Link died. Let me set the scene here by saying my RL had been dying for some time. This was not something that ‘just happened’. It had started needing a charge around mid-afternoon as well as the overnight charge it had been getting since I started using it in August 2017.

But on Good Friday, it decided that was it. No more charging. My Loop turned red and that was it. RL dead. Done. Gone. Finished. Just as it had been warning me was likely to happen for a few weeks.

Now, someone smart would have thought this through as soon as the RL started to need extra charging, and understood the following: 1. RL needs replacing, 2. make sure back up is available, 3. double check Loop docs for how to swap out old RL for new one, 4. follow instructions.

I got as far as step 2, and that was it. I was supercilious in my back-up planning skills and took my spare RL out of my diabetes cupboard, leaving it on my desk as though that was enough to miraculously sort everything. Idiot, thy name is Renza.

On that (not so Good) Friday I put all thoughts of sorting it out of my mind and set about my day. It was a public holiday, so I figured I’d fix it all later. I also thought it would be just a matter of switching RLs over.

Not so much.

Around midday, I sat down and read the Loop docs and immediately realised that I needed to update my Loop app to use the new RL. I’ve rebuilt the app before and I know it is a simple process.

I scanned through the docs and saw that I needed to make sure that all operating systems and apps were up to date. Suddenly every single update notification that had popped up in the last year flashed before me. So did every post, plea, warning to update everything from Katie DiSimone on the Looped Facebook page.

I set to updating my Macbook, iPhone and Apple Watch. Easily done. Then, I came to Xcode. And the wheels fell off. (Xcode is an app and needed to build Loop.)

I don’t think I’ve updated Xcode since I loaded it onto my Macbook, back when I first built Loop. I do remember it taking FOREVER to upload and install. The update took longer. The first time I tried to update, it took almost three hours to not work. The second time, it took four. By this stage it was late on Friday. Clearly, I was paying no attention to what was going on because when I saw that it had finished updating, I assumed that all was good and off I went to rebuild my Loop app.

Building Loop is simple because the instructions have been written for people like me in mind. Technologically hopeless, but eager to understand. They are step by step and, honestly, if you follow every step as laid out, you cannot go wrong.

So, off I went. Step by step. And then…

Red error message.

I read the errors page and tried all the suggestions, but the same error message came up. It was getting late and I was exhausted, so at 1 am, I went to bed. I was over it and figured that fresh eyes in the morning would do the trick.

I woke on Saturday and with those fresh eyes I realised straight away that Xcode had not updated. That’s right – the second attempt had failed too, and I had been trying to rebuild Loop using an outdated version.

As it turns out, third time’s a charm and while eating Easter lamb at my in-laws, Xcode updated successfully.

After lunch, I opened the new version of Xcode and followed the instructions to build Loop. That took under 5 minutes and no brain power or tech know-how (from me, that is – a lot of people had used a lot of brain power and tech know-how to make it so easy for me).

Shortly after, the Loop app appeared on my phone. I entered all my relevant info (another 3 minutes work from me) and then almost straight away my Loop turned green.

And I’ve been happily Looping ever since.

So, here’s the take home: Keep everything updated. If I had done that, the rebuild of Loop would have taken a total of 15 minutes. And most of that would have been sitting and waiting for Loop to re-install on my phone.

I was telling someone about this whole (actually rather boring) story the other day and a little smugly they said ‘That’s why I won’t use a DIY system. Sounds like a nightmare. They can’t be relied upon.’

But actually, that’s not the case at all. What is unreliable is me and my inability to do the basic updates that all our devices require. Our commercially available apps (such as Dexcom) require us to update occasionally. In twenty months of using Loop, I’ve updated the app once (when I got a new iPhone).

Being #LooplessInMelbourne wasn’t really a big deal. It did, however, remind me why I am a huge fan of DIYAPS as the right tool for me right now. And it also reminded me that I really am not much of a fan of DIYDiabetes. That’s really not for me at all!

Loop’s back, baby!