The “Apple Watch Series 7” may include the long-awaited glucose monitoring feature, a report on Samsung’s competing wearable device suggests, despite the difficulty of getting blood sugar readings without drawing blood.
Rumors have been circulating for a few years now about an Apple Watch glucose monitoring feature, which allows users to monitor their blood sugar levels from the wearable device. According to a report, that feature could show up in the next Apple Watch generation.
In a report on the Samsung Galaxy Watch potentially getting a non-invasive blood glucose monitoring feature, ETNews claims a similar feature will appear in the “Apple Watch 7.” Referring to existing reports on the feature, as well as Apple’s patent filings, the feature is said to be tested for “reliability and stability” prior to launch.
Apple has obtained several patents related to blood sugar monitoring without drawing blood, including one from 2019 that analyzes body odor for changes. Another used an absorption spectroscopy optical system to analyze materials in the blood.
Reports dating back to 2017 also allege CEO Tim Cook participated in non-intrusive glucose monitoring tests, with Cook also admitting to wearing a continuous glucose monitor for a few weeks.
This feature is said to be life-changing for type 1 diabetics who need to monitor their blood sugar levels through a constant glucose monitor (CGM) or finger pricks throughout the day. This would likely take many more years to achieve the level of accuracy that diabetics need before self-administering with insulin.
A more likely move for Apple is to try to slow down the increasing number of type 2 diabetics. Apple Watch can monitor a user’s blood glucose level and alert a user if the reading is higher than the norm and that he may be pre-diabetic. The idea is that users who are more aware that they can become diabetes will take meaningful steps to prevent it in the first place.
In addition to Apple and Samsung, other companies are trying to solve the problem in their own way, although they all have to overcome the same legal hurdles. As with the Apple Watch’s EKG feature, any proposed blood glucose feature will need to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and international counterparts before it can be used in any country.