Apple Watch Series 7 Rumored to Feature Blood Glucose Monitoring

[wbeasley]

You really think it would be reliable ?

having used the finger prickers on clients (sometimes can take three goes before you get a drop of blood!) and then pushed the strip in the machine and it doesnt read or puts up error codes. or the person forgets to wash their hands before... current system isnt always accurate either.

 

[IllinoisCorn]

How about bring out ECG options to Australia first??

Had no idea anyone else was still waiting. How many other countries don't have it?

 

[PostApple2016BrainWash]

It's ridiculous that some people think measuring blood glucose won't be precise just by touching the finger skin. There is a plethora of sensor that is as accurate as pricking the finger for reading blood glucose levels.

 

[FHoff]

How about bring out ECG options to Australia first??

How about you take it up with the Australian health officials first. Not an Apple issue.

 

[bobmans]

Had no idea anyone else was still waiting. How many other countries don't have it?

I don't think Apple is to blame for the ECG feature not being available in all countries. It has to be approved by the local FDA-alternative (whatever organisation approves medical devices in your country) before Apple can legally activate the feature.

 

[exurei]

Will it work with tattooed skin ?

 

[nickdsimons]

This would be life changing for my type 1 wife. She already has a sensor in her arm which it’s self was life changing but too often it fails. Very frequently get completely different readings from sensor vs actual blood. Apple would have to make sure this is as accurate as possible and at least as accurate as medical grade sensors, otherwise it becomes a useless toy.

 

[Mojohanna32]

If this is accurate and the readings are as reliable as finger stick or continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), this could be a huge leap forward for consumers. it would just be a matter of time before the top insulin pump manufacturers use data from the watch to adjust insulin dosage on the fly. It would also mean consumers could detach themselves from the very expensive ecosystem of CGM, including sensors, readers etc. I also wonder if it would make the watch reimbursable from insurance providers (at least here in the US market).
This could have an immense impact on the diabetes testing market and be as disruptive to that market as the ipod was to the music industry.
This will be a very interesting one to watch, no pun intended.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

I love the people that crap on technology they haven’t even seen yet. You’d be the person saying “it’s ridiculous to think that thing can fly” when the first plane took off. Wait and see what they have before deciding it can’t possibly work. We are talking about a lot of very smart people and a lot of funding in R&D here.

 

[chucker23n1]

It's ridiculous that some people think measuring blood glucose won't be precise just by touching the finger skin. There is a plethora of sensor that is as accurate as pricking the finger for reading blood glucose levels.

How many of them are medically approved?

(None.)

 

[chucker23n1]

I love the people that crap on technology they haven’t even seen yet. You’d be the person saying “it’s ridiculous to think that thing can fly” when the first plane took off. Wait and see what they have before deciding it can’t possibly work. We are talking about a lot of very smart people and a lot of funding in R&D here.

Well, right now, we're talking about a dubious rumor.

If (and that's a big if) Apple makes such an announcement this fall, that'll be quite interesting.

However, there have been many "we've figured it out!" claims in non-invasive blood glucose monitoring. It's not that it's inconceivable that one day someone does figure it out, but I'd be wary of any rumor that sounds like someone's dream scenario rather than something with actual evidence.

 

[DinkThifferent]

That would be the holy grail of smart watch features.

Why would someone want to prick for blood when they can just buy an Apple Watch?

It would also be good for those with increased risk.

*Sad Vampire Noises*

 

[chucker23n1]

"Pro equipment" in this case means invasive measurement techniques — either using test strips and finger-pricking, or by attaching a sensor for several weeks.

The key innovation people are hoping for is a non-invasive technique that is reasonably accurate. So far, we haven't really seen that.

 

[urbanslaughter1997]

As someone who has used an insertable Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) for about 10 years, I promise you this will not be accurate enough to be medically useful. Some of the existing (FDA Approved) inserted CGMs are off so wildly that they need to be calibrated every 4 hours. Even with recalibration, they can be significantly off. This may be a fun toy, but will not work well enough to be relied upon. I would love it if it actually worked, but the thing is, the objection people have with CGMs is not that they need to be inserted. It's the accuracy. Anyone who depends on one would be happy to continue to insert one if it could be relied upon as an accurate tool. Making it non-inserted, but inaccurate, is no better, and in fact worse, than what currently exists. I guess we'll soon see, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

 

[Dimwhit]

I don't like wearing watches, but if Apple pulls this off, and it's actually accurate (I still don't know how that will work), then I'll be getting one.

 

[bunnicula]

This rumor gets tossed out yearly. I won’t hold my breath. I mean, good on them if they pull it off, but...

 

[stuartfuk]

I can imagine the benefits of blood glucose monitoring in the wider population. E.g. Helping to make informed decisions about when to eat and the impact on blood sugar levels of certain food types.

Even if not medical grade initially I can see that it would have real health benefits and even help people who may be in a pre-diabetic stage make corrections

 

[CordovaLark]

I can imagine the benefits of blood glucose monitoring in the wider population. E.g. Helping to make informed decisions about when to eat and the impact on blood sugar levels of certain food types.

Even if not medical grade initially I can see that it would have real health benefits and even help people who may be in a pre-diabetic stage make corrections

That would defeat the whole purpose of the feature if it wasn't medical grade right out the gate. Non Diabetics glucose is consistent.

 

[svanstrom]

If this happens, it solidifies the idea that one NEEDS to buy and sell their Apple Watch every year or two at maximum. There’s simply too much gained between each generation... it’s still like the early years of iPhone model upgrades.

Each upgrade compounds the usefulness of the watch exponentially.

Really?? If one NEEDS to do that there wouldn't be anyone to sell it to, as they too would NEED the latest model instead of the non-functioning crap from yesteryear. 😛

 

[stuartfuk]

That would defeat the whole purpose of the feature if it wasn't medical grade right out the gate. Non Diabetics glucose is consistent.

The blood oxygen feature was released last year as non diagnostic.

 

[bobmans]

As someone who has used an insertable Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) for about 10 years, I promise you this will not be accurate enough to be medically useful. Some of the existing (FDA Approved) inserted CGMs are off so wildly that they need to be calibrated every 4 hours. Even with recalibration, they can be significantly off. This may be a fun toy, but will not work well enough to be relied upon. I would love it if it actually worked, but the thing is, the objection people have with CGMs is not that they need to be inserted. It's the accuracy. Anyone who depends on one would be happy to continue to insert one if it could be relied upon as an accurate tool. Making it non-inserted, but inaccurate, is no better, and in fact worse, than what currently exists. I guess we'll soon see, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Although what you're saying might be true, something always sounds impossible until someone makes what is assumed to be impossible happen. A company spending years on development of this feature with an insane R&D budget might be able to pull it off. This feature has been rumoured every year now for the past 3-4 years which probably means they've been working on this for atleast that many years.

You're right tho, we won't know the accuracy until Apple releases it but I doubt they'd rush this out. I'm sure they're willing to wait a couple more years until they got the accuracy right.

 

[svanstrom]

That would defeat the whole purpose of the feature if it wasn't medical grade right out the gate. Non Diabetics glucose is consistent.

Weeeeeeell… that's a semi-truth.

People have even started using glucose meters just to check their health while doing different diets; so saying that only medical usage would be useful is not 100% true. And a device like this going mainstream could have a real impact on diets, as well as warn people before they learn the hard way that they are diabetic.

 

[iLoveDeveloping]

If Apple can pull this off it's a game changer for the Apple Watch. It goes from being a nice accessory that has cool features to an essential health item for a great many people.

Do you even know what you are talking about? As someone who has had Afib the Apple Watch is already a health item for literally millions of people. People lives are being saved because this thing can ALREADY tell them if they are at risk of stroke by showing they have afib. It may be a “accessory” to you, but aren’t you lucky you are in super health and have nothing wrong with you. 🙄

 

[svanstrom]

As someone who has used an insertable Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) for about 10 years, I promise you this will not be accurate enough to be medically useful.

Perhaps not for your daily usage, but maybe it could be used to send out the proper alert if things go too bad; so you're not just ignored as a drunk, or maybe even a drug user?

 

[chucker23n1]

That would defeat the whole purpose of the feature if it wasn't medical grade right out the gate. Non Diabetics glucose is consistent.

Nah. You will have fluctuations even without diabetes. The pancreas can’t immediately respond to foods with a high glycemic index. Nor can your body always respond fast enough to sudden physical activity. Or, say, to alcohol.

Especially for someone in the pre-diabetic stage, a device that detects spikes could alert you, and help train you to eat more moderate foods.