Apple Watch 'Many Years Away' From Non-Invasive Glucose Monitoring

Apple's attempts to develop a non-invasive glucose monitoring feature for Apple Watch remains "many years away" from debuting, despite over 15 years of work to make the capability a reality in a consumer device, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

apple health app
The idea of a non-invasive glucose monitor originated in Apple's Steve Jobs era, with the aim to include an Apple Watch sensor that can inform users if they are pre-diabetic so that they can take proactive steps and potentially reverse the condition. Prediabetes is a warning sign that blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. An early diagnosis allows for early intervention through lifestyle changes to prevent or delay the progression to full-blown type 2 diabetes.

Bloomberg previously reported that Apple has tested a health-focused app aimed at diabetes prevention. Last October, Gurman said that the app could help inform some of Apple's future products related to blood sugar management, but that it wouldn't necessarily become a consumer-facing product.

Most blood sugar tests that people currently use require a skin prick, but Apple has been trying to develop a method that uses optical absorption spectroscopy and lasers to determine the concentration of glucose in the body without puncturing the skin. Apple has reportedly been developing a silicon photonics chip that uses optical absorption spectroscopy to shine light from a laser under the skin to determine the concentration of glucose in the body.

In 2023, Apple's blood glucose monitoring development reportedly reached a proof-of-concept stage culminating in a functional prototype device, but it was still way too large to incorporate into a device the size of the Apple Watch. Apple is said to have hundreds of engineers in its Exploratory Design Group (XDG) working on the project.

Over the weekend, Gurman also said that Apple is considering offering a new AI-powered health coaching feature that offers personalized health recommendations and lifestyle improvements via a "coaching feature." The feature could eventually be part of a future Apple Health+ service, according to the report.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...

Top Rated Comments

neuropsychguy Avatar
10 months ago
This is one of the Holy Grails for the Apple Watch. Once the engineers figure this out will be absolutely huge with health benefits.

It's not particularly hyperbolic to say that engineering a non-invasive way to monitor blood glucose, have it fit in a reasonably-sized watch, have it reasonably-priced, and have it clinically accurate is akin to the Apollo program. Possibly even more challenging because this is dealing with human microbiology in real world situations.

Fairly recent summary of what's been done so far: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10331674/
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFan23 Avatar
10 months ago

This list a lot of issues, and points out that while it may be possible it may not be clinically accurate.
I think like with other things Apple watch, it just needs to be good enough.
If it can give someone a warning who otherwise would be oblivious, that's probably good enough at this point.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Big_D Avatar
10 months ago

This is one of the Holy Grails for the Apple Watch. Once the engineers figure this out will be absolutely huge with health benefits.

It's not much hyperbole to say that engineering a non-invasive way to monitor blood glucose, have it fit in a reasonably-sized watch, and have it clinically accurate is akin to the Apollo program. Likely even more challenging.

Fairly recent summary of what's been done so far: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10331674/
In the meantime, why not work on it further as a medical device that can be used by doctors or a larger, hand-held device for diabetics? If they concentrate on the accuracy at the current size, they could replace invasive glucose monitors for diabetics and use the money to help fund size reductions, so that it fits into a Watch in the future?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Luis Ortega Avatar
10 months ago


It's not much hyperbole to say that engineering a non-invasive way to monitor blood glucose, have it fit in a reasonably-sized watch, and have it clinically accurate is akin to the Apollo program.
Yes it is.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Expos of 1969 Avatar
10 months ago
Will Siri be in charge ?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pezimak Avatar
10 months ago
It will be a true game changer, I was recently diagnosed with type 2, but I am changing my lifestyle and hope to reverse it, doctor said it was possible. So this feature would be extremely useful.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)