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Why there is a difference in optimal glucose ranges between Vively and Sibionics (GS3)

H
Written by Holly
Updated this week

You may notice that the “optimal” or “in-range” glucose values shown in the Vively app differ from those shown in the Sibionics GS3 app. This is expected — and it doesn’t mean your sensor readings are incorrect.

The difference exists because Vively and the GS3 app are designed for different purposes and user groups, even though they are reading the same underlying glucose data.


1. Different goals lead to different glucose ranges

Vively: wellness-focused optimisation

Vively is a wellness app designed for people using continuous glucose monitoring to better understand how food, sleep, stress, and exercise affect their glucose patterns.

Because of this focus, Vively uses tighter “optimal” glucose ranges that are intended to:

  • Highlight smaller glucose rises and drops

  • Encourage steadier glucose patterns

  • Support metabolic awareness and behaviour change

  • Help users identify foods or habits that may be less supportive of long-term wellbeing

These ranges are designed for insight and optimisation, not medical management. They help surface patterns that might otherwise be missed if broader ranges were used.


Sibionics GS3 app: diabetes management focus

The Sibionics GS3 app is designed primarily to support diabetes management. As a result, it uses broader default target ranges that are appropriate for clinical glucose management and safety across a wide range of users.

Because of this:

  • Higher glucose values may still appear “in range” in the GS3 app

  • The emphasis is on safe, practical day-to-day management

  • Short-term glucose rises are treated as less significant by default

This approach is appropriate and expected for an app built around diabetes care.


2. “Optimal” in Vively does not mean “normal” or “required”

Vively’s use of the term “optimal” is important to understand.

  • It is a wellness optimisation range

  • It is not a diagnostic or medical threshold

  • It is not a pass/fail assessment

  • Brief rises outside the optimal range — especially after meals — are completely normal

The purpose of the optimal range is to help you interpret trends and make lifestyle adjustments, not to suggest that anything outside the range is inherently “bad” or harmful.


3. Your glucose value hasn’t changed — only the interpretation has

If you’re viewing the same moment in both apps:

  • The glucose number itself is identical

  • The label applied to that number may differ

For example, a glucose reading might:

  • Be shown as “in range” in the GS3 app

  • Be shown as “above optimal” in Vively

This reflects different interpretation frameworks, not differences in sensor accuracy.


4. Which range should you pay attention to?

If you’re using Vively for wellness, lifestyle insights, and metabolic optimisation, we recommend using Vively’s optimal ranges as your primary reference.

They are designed to help you:

  • Compare the impact of different meals

  • Understand how sleep or stress affects your glucose

  • Track improvements in glucose stability over time

  • Make practical, sustainable lifestyle changes


5. Key takeaway

Different apps use different glucose ranges because they are designed for different goals.

The Sibionics GS3 app uses broader ranges appropriate for diabetes management.
Vively uses tighter “optimal” ranges designed to support wellness-focused insights

and lifestyle optimisation for non-diabetic use.

Both apps display the same glucose data — they simply interpret it differently.

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