Apple Watch for Diabetes: The Latest on Apple's Plans for Non-Invasive Blood Sugar Monitoring

For many years now, it has been rumored that the Apple Watch will eventually gain non-invasive blood sugar monitoring capabilities, which would enable millions of people with diabetes to track their blood glucose levels without needing to prick their skin with a needle or wear a dedicated continuous glucose monitor.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple recently shifted oversight of the project from its platform architecture chief Tim Millet to Zongjian Chen, a senior engineer overseeing advanced technologies within the company.

He framed this change as positive news for the project, which has apparently been in development for more than 15 years.

"Some view the transition as a sign the work may finally be progressing to a point where Chen, known as someone who delivers, can ramp up development of the technology into an eventual consumer-grade offering," he said.

In 2023, Gurman reported that Apple's system would rely on a laser that would emit light under the skin to determine a person's blood glucose level.

"The system uses lasers to emit specific wavelengths of light into an area below the skin where there is interstitial fluid — substances that leak out of capillaries — that can be absorbed by glucose," he said. "The light is then reflected back to the sensor in a way that indicates the concentration of glucose."

An algorithm would ultimately determine a person's blood glucose level, and the feature could also alert users to potential signs of prediabetes.

While the project has new leadership, the Apple Watch is still unlikely to gain non-invasive blood sugar monitoring for several more years, if ever. But if Apple eventually achieves this moonshot, the Apple Watch would provide diabetic people with a more comfortable and convenient solution for keeping track of their blood sugar.