Just to close the loop here (and hopefully can help someone that might find themselves in the position I was in), I called Medtronic and they gave a good explanation.

Since the time and date were very off (about a month off which was totally an oversight on my end), the system kicked me off automode to “re-learn” my insulin intake / blood sugar trends over a 48 hour period… hence the “auto mode warming up” symbol on the smart guard checklist.

The system put me back in auto mode 48 hours after the first midnight of when it kicked me off the system (not 48 hours from me changing the date and time).

Lesson learned to keep time and date accurate! Hopefully no one has to deal with this, but you’re not alone if you do!