“Apple Watch Series 7” may include the much-rumored glucose monitoring feature, suggests a report on Samsung’s rival portable device, despite the difficulty of taking blood sugar measurements without drawing blood.
Rumors have been circulating for several years about an Apple Watch glucose monitoring feature, allowing users to check their blood sugar levels on their wearable device. According to a report, this feature could appear in the next generation Apple Watch.
In a report on the Samsung Galaxy Watch, which could gain a non-invasive blood glucose monitoring feature, ETNews claims that a similar feature will appear in “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” before being marketed.
Apple has secured various patents related to monitoring blood sugar without drawing blood, including one from 2019 that analyzes body odor for changes. Another used an optical system for absorption spectroscopy to analyze blood materials.
The 2017 reports also claim that CEO Tim Cook participated in non-intrusive glucose monitoring tests, with Cook acknowledging that he wore a continuous glucose monitor for several weeks.
This feature would change the lives of type 1 diabetics who are asked to monitor their blood sugar levels through a constant glucose monitor (CGM) or finger bites throughout the day. This would probably be many free years to achieve the accuracy that diabetics need before being given insulin.
A more likely step for Apple is to try to slow the rise in the number of type 2 diabetics. The Apple Watch could monitor a user’s blood glucose level and warn a user if they read overtime and are likely to be pre-diabetic. The idea is that users who are more aware that they may become diabetic will take significant action to prevent this in the first place.
Like Apple and Samsung, other companies are trying to solve the problem in their own way, although they all have the same regulatory hurdles. As with the Apple Watch’s ECG function, any proposed blood glucose function will have to go through the US Food and Drug Administration and its international counterparts before it can be used in every country.