Apple Watch ‘Series 7’ rumor claims glucose monitoring is ongoing

Rumors have been circulating for a few years about an Apple Watch feature for blood sugar monitoring, allowing users to check their blood sugar from the wearable device. According to a report, this feature could surface in the next generation of Apple Watch.

In a report on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch that could potentially benefit from a non-invasive blood sugar monitoring feature, AND News claims that a similar feature will appear in “Apple Watch 7.” Referring to existing reports on the function, as well as Apple’s patent filings, the functionality is said to be undergoing “reliability and stability” testing before being released.

Apple has obtained various patents relating to monitoring blood sugar levels without drawing blood, including one from 2019 that analyzes body odor for changes. Another used an optical system for absorption spectroscopy, to analyze materials in the blood.

Reports dating back to 2017 also claim that CEO Tim Cook participated in non-intrusive blood sugar monitoring tests, with Cook also admitting to having worn a blood glucose monitor continuously for a few weeks.

This feature would be life changing for type 1 diabetics who are required to monitor their blood sugar levels with a constant glucose monitor (CGM) or finger pricks throughout the day. It would likely take several years to achieve the degree of precision that diabetics need before dosing themselves with insulin.

A more likely step for Apple is to try to slow the growing number of type 2 diabetics. The Apple Watch can monitor a user’s blood sugar and alert a user if they are reading above the norm and he may be pre-diabetic. The idea being that users who are more aware that they could become diabetic will take meaningful steps to prevent it in the first place.

Besides Apple and Samsung, other companies are trying to solve the problem in their own way, although they all have the same regulatory hurdles to overcome. Much like the Apple Watch’s ECG function, any blood glucose functions offered will need to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and its international counterparts before they can be used in each country.