This section will explain what is a Profile Switch and Profile Percentage. You can learn about how to create a Profile at Config Builder > Profile.
When first embarking on your AAPS journey, you will need to create a Profile, understand how to action a Profile Switch and learn the impact of a Profile Percentage within AAPS. The features of a Profile Switch or Profile Percentage can offer be particularly beneficial for:
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the Menstrual Cycle - a percentage adjustment within a Profile can be set up in Automations in order to allow AAPS to accommodate for different stages of the hormone cycle and with predicted insulin resistance.
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Exercise - a percentage adjustment within a Profile can be set up in Automations for exercise in order to reduce basal intake.
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Night or pattern shift workers - a time shift in Profile can be set up for pattern shift workers by altering the number of hours in the Profile to how much later/earlier the user will go to bed or wake up.
Why use a Profile Percentage rather than a temporary basal adjustment? To be more effective in its application a Profile Percentage applies a proportionate reduction or increase across: basal, ISF and I:C. This ensures a balanced approach is calculated by AAPS when administering the user’s insulin intake. Little benefit can be gained in a user’s Profile in AAPS by a basal reduction if the algorithm continues to deliver the same ratios for ISF and I:C.
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In AAPS v4 profiles are managed and activated from the Manage screen (bottom navigation) → Profile (“Manage and activate profiles”).
The Profile screen shows your profiles as a swipeable card carousel. The card of the running profile is marked ACTIVE and shows its total daily basal (e.g. ∑ 33.54 U). Below the selected card you see that profile's details — Units, Insulin type, and the IC, ISF, basal and target schedules with graphs.
The action bar at the bottom acts on the selected profile: ➕ Add, ✏️ Edit, ⧉ Clone, 🗑️ Delete and ▶ Activate. For how to fill in the four schedules in the editor (IC / ISF / BAS / TARG), see Create and edit Profiles.
Select a profile and tap ▶ Activate. A profile switch dialog lets you tailor how it is applied:
- Percentage (30–250 %) — scale the whole profile. 100 % uses it as-is; for example 70 % reduces basal and the calculated insulin dose (both meal boluses and corrections) by 30 %. It does not change your glucose targets or carb absorption. See Profile Percentage for the full effect.
- Duration — how long the switch lasts. 0 = indefinite (until you switch again); a non-zero value reverts to the previous profile when it ends.
- Time shift — move the schedule forward/back in time (useful for shift work or travel). See Time shift.
- Time — when the switch takes effect (normally Now).
Tap Activate. The running profile then carries the ACTIVE badge on its card.
:class: note
Rather than building many similar profiles, keep one base profile and apply it at a different **percentage** or **time shift** for recurring situations (illness, exercise, travel). This is exactly what [scenes](Scenes.md) automate.
A profile switch is not limited to this screen. The same switch can also be triggered from a Wear OS watch, a paired client (see Master ↔ Client control), a scene, or an Automation rule.
Each Profile once selected by the user will require a “Profile Switch”. To do this, the user should edit their Profile or set up a new Profile within the “Local Profile” tab. Once the desired settings have been applied, the user should save their changes and activate the Profile by selecting ‘Activate Profile’ as shown below:
Once a new Profile has been created and saved, AAPS will maintain a library of the user’s Profiles as generated by the user.
A. In order use this feature the user must have more than one Profile saved within AAPS. To activate a Profile Switch:
- long-press on the name of the Profile (the example below adopts a ‘Profile’ saved as: “School” on AAPS’ homescreen and selects the desired Profile from the drop down tab:
- Long press Profile;
- Select desired Profile; and
- then press ‘ok’.
B. To activate a Profile Percentage:
- Follow the steps at A above.
- Adjust the fields for ‘Duration’ and ‘Percentage’ as required but noting the following.
If the ‘Duration’ field (in as shown in icon 2 below) is:
- left ‘zero’, this will remain active in the Profile for an infinite amount of time. The Profile will remain active until the new “Profile switch” is selected and switched by the user.
- entered with the number of [x] minutes this will be the desired time period for the Profile. Upon expiry of the selected time frame, the standard Profile will revert into AAPS.
How to action a Profile ‘Percentage’:
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Enter ‘Duration’ field.
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Enter ‘Percentage’ field.
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Enter ‘Time Shift’.
It is important that a user understands the essential features of a Profile Percentage. By applying a percentage increase or decrease to a Profile Switch this will apply in the same percentage to either raise or lower the user’s settings parameters as set within the Profile.
For example: a Profile Switch to 130% (means the user is 30% more insulin resistant) will instruct AAPS to
- increase the basal rate by 30%;
- lower the ISF: by dividing by 1.3;
- lower the I:C by dividing by 1.3.
Remember lowering the ISF or I:C means a stronger ratio and more insulin being administered. This fact can be easily overlooked by new users to AAPS.
Once selected, AAPS readjusts the default basal rate, and AAPS (open or closed) will continue to work on top of the selected percentage Profile.
The effect of a Profile Percentage is summarized in the table below:
| Profile Switch Percentage |
Effect | I:C g/UI |
example 15g |
ISF mmol/L/UI mg/dL/UI |
UI to lower 2mmol/L 40mg/dL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90% | Weaker | 5/0.9 =5.55 |
2.7 UI | 2.2/0.9 =2.4 40/0.9 =44.4 |
0.8 UI |
| 100% | Standard | 5 | 3 UI | 2.2 40 |
0.9 UI |
| 130% | Stronger | 5/1.3 =3.85 |
3.9 UI | 2.2/1.3 =1.7 40/1.3 =30.8 |
1.2 UI |
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A ‘time shift’ within a user’s Profile feature will move the user’s Profile’s settings around the day-to-day clock (‘circadian’) to the desired number of hours entered. This can be helpful for:
- night shift or pattern workers: work night shifts by altering the number of hours to how much later/earlier in the Profile the user will go to bed or wake up;
- users changing time zones during travelling; or
- users who are type 1 children: and have a set bedtime routine and insulin resistance catered for within their Profile. If for whatever reason, there is a predicted later bedtime for the child, the caregiver can apply a ‘time shift’ to the child’s Profile to allow AAPS to react to insulin resistance at a desired time period as set by the user.
It is always a question of which hour’s Profile’s settings should replace the settings of the current time. This time must be shifted by x hours. So please be mindful of the directions as described in the following example:
- Current time: 12:00
- Positive time shift
- 2:00 +10 h -> 12:00
- Settings from 2:00 will be used instead of the settings normally used at 12:00 because of the positive time shift.
- Negative time shift
- 22:00 -10 h -> 12:00
- Settings from 22:00 (10 pm) will be used instead of the settings normally used at 12:00 because of the negative time shift.
This mechanism of taking snapshots of the Profile allows a much more precise calculation of the past and the possibility to track Profile changes.
Once you have performed a profile switch with percentage and/or timeshift, you can make a copy of this temporary profile into a new profile.
To do this, go to the tab Treatments > Profile Switch.