The Real Reason the Apple Watch Lacks Glucose Monitoring

The Real Reason the Apple Watch Lacks Glucose Monitoring

Apple’s Watch is capable of monitoring sleep, steps, heart-rate and oxygen. But why can’t it measure blood sugar? There have been years of reports of big tech companies trying to breakthrough into accessible non-invasive glucose monitoring, so what’s stopping it from being a reality?

I dig into Apple’s secrets, decode its patents and talk to some leaders in health tech to see whether measuring blood sugar above the skin could become a reality.

0:00 Checking blood glucose
0:46 Noninvasive glucose monitoring
1:56 Technological and regulatory challenges
3:20 Apple’s patents and research

I’m Dalvin Brown, a WSJ reporter covering personal technology, which includes the latest smart devices, apps and services making an impact on consumers. Subscribe if you’re curious about what the latest tech developments mean for you, or if you want to go behind the scenes to find out what’s powering today’s digital services.

#Apple #Health #DalvinBrown

50 Comments

  1. @robblankenstein6825 on April 14, 2025 at 11:52 am

    Just don’t eat carbs. Job done.

  2. @grandmapatty on April 14, 2025 at 11:53 am

    The watch I bought is called Smart Life

  3. @eslib2 on April 14, 2025 at 11:54 am

    Sure “level of accuracy” or couldn’t find a way to squeeze profit from something what would be a one time purchase. A subscription was such an obvious scam. Of course they had to stop from developing a revolutionary and helpful technology.

  4. @Mr.BrownsBasement on April 14, 2025 at 11:54 am

    I will summarize your video in 4 words: The technology isn’t ready.
    This isn’t to say that you didn’t make an interesting & informative video. You did. But a more accurate title would have been "Research into Measuring Glucose on Smartwatches" or "Hurdles Facing Smart Technology in Measuring Blood Glucose".

  5. @pepelabbi9887 on April 14, 2025 at 11:55 am

    I would be happy, if I could see the measures of the Abbot Libre3 Sensor on my Apple Watch. Don’t understand why that’s not possible. It works only with my Apple IPhone! Why? Is Apple blocking? It will take years to develop a bloodless system. Even big machine can’t do that! Perhaps this feature will never come!

  6. @Drummer55 on April 14, 2025 at 11:57 am

    It’s Apple doing what Apple ALWAYS DOES. Stealing others’ ideas and telling their brainwashed users, theirs is ?better?.

  7. @KailynneMartin on April 14, 2025 at 11:57 am

    The comment at the end about the donut was unnecessary. If your sugar is high, you shouldn’t have any carbs (or should take insulin to lower blood sugar and to cover the donut). Even healthy foods like fruit have carbs. Please stop associating diabetes with junk food. It’s very ignorant and just makes the diabetes community think you’re stupid.

  8. @RobertRobert-u4f on April 14, 2025 at 11:59 am

    ***The REAL reason*** SCAM.SCAM- NO WATCH OR RING CAN ACCURATELY MEASURE BLOOD GLUCOSE. without piercing the skin…ALL ARE A FRAUD.

  9. @HiThisIsMine on April 14, 2025 at 11:59 am

    1:50 that dock though… 😶

  10. @vincentiPad on April 14, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    an entire industry is trying to block apple from putting a CGM into a watch,.. Abbott basically gonna go bust as they are sooo over priced. it cost me £120 per month to use these privately… its not sustainable

  11. @stevenwymor1398 on April 14, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    The Freestyle Libre does NOT use a tiny needle to measure your blood glucose. It uses a slender capillary action fiber that reads interstitial fluid beneath the skin and in the area of your fat cells. The only needle used is in the instantaneous application of the sensor. The measurement of blood glucose using the Freestyle Libre generally lags behind your actual blood glucose by about 15 minutes because interstitial fluid is not actually IN your bloodstream.

  12. @grandmapatty on April 14, 2025 at 12:03 pm

    People if you’re still reading this thread, I have a watch it’s called Smart life, smart bracelet, ECG, blood glucose and blood pressure. It also tracks steps it tracks your sleep, but not very good not as good as the Applewatch

  13. @Hannah_The_Elon_Jew on April 14, 2025 at 12:04 pm

    When you lack like Abbots

  14. @cynthiabroze on April 14, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    They don’t need blood sugar for diabetics. They don’t even need numbers because CGMs are up to 20% incorrect compared to blood levels. Just get a accurate graph the shows the elevation percent from baseline. This will work for the general consumer. Diabetics will always need a more accurate methodology.

  15. @acatl33 on April 14, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    Very poor taste in joke at the end. Kids born with Type 1 never had a say in their diet.

  16. @semimatt_pl on April 14, 2025 at 12:08 pm

    the point is… it is not wantet by food corp – and the owner of food corps and apple/google/facebook etc owner are 2-3 huge Investment managements corporations…. if the not healthy food udreveal itself (not a meat (fat) is a problem to healt but sugar) .. the corps will not be beneficial of it…

  17. @oskarsmagacz3732 on April 14, 2025 at 12:13 pm

    yeah the needle in CGM does not stay in, it just cuts the skin/tissue and leaves a little wire that measures glucose lever once every 3 minutes or so

  18. @grandmapatty on April 14, 2025 at 12:14 pm

    I have a watch that tracks it. It’s awesome.

  19. @alandunbar4244 on April 14, 2025 at 12:15 pm

    You can only view BG readings on a SmartWatch via Bluetooth and a 3rd party companion app which can display it on a watchface.. I have a Libre 2 CGM (btw @DalvinBrownWSJ you are slightly incorrect in your video about a CGM using a needle to measure blood glucose levels). A CGM uses a needle as a "delivery device" to place a synthetic filament in your arm, which in turn is attached to the sensor on your arm, It doesn’t take the measurement of Blood Glucose using whole blood. It uses your body-fat’s interstitial fluid in the back of the arm (the only recommended placement site) and through an algorithm determines an estimate on what your blood sugar will be (it has a window of about 10-15 mins on whole blood). You should also NEVER just rely on a CGM alone. The traditional Whole Blood finger-stick method should always be used if you CGM is alerting you to a Hypo- or Hyper- glycemic event. That is the most accurate measure,

  20. @ll1000 on April 14, 2025 at 12:16 pm

    It’s obvious they are trying to develop a solution that doesn’t require a needle, as most people are terrified of them. Additionally, they could revolutionize smartwatches and make significant profits if they manage to measure glucose without needles—perhaps through a microchip inserted under the skin or even an earring. They must be on the right track.

  21. @johnross8614 on April 14, 2025 at 12:16 pm

    There was a YouTube ad for a watch that claims blood sugar monitoring but I knew it had to be BS so I started researching and I was right especially for something that cost 47 dollars. Of course there are pages of positive reviews. Just like the drones that were made for the military or the flashlights that are strong enough to start a fire 😂😂

  22. @dkbaghel123 on April 14, 2025 at 12:17 pm

    how meaningful it is to explain what diabetes is in this video

  23. @GenX_in_the_wild on April 14, 2025 at 12:19 pm

    Service dogs can smell big changes in blood sugar. That is crazy..
    How can we not invent a simple device that can do it too?

  24. @DunDun-e43 on April 14, 2025 at 12:20 pm

    It doesn’t use the spike needle, the needle is just to protect and get the filament in, it really doesn’t feel a thing

  25. @rocko100able on April 14, 2025 at 12:21 pm

    Anything Apple man I don’t even want to hear about it, why can’t people just make an Android video about Android phones that are the best glucose monitor phones, f*** Apple.

  26. @robertgallatin-jones7973 on April 14, 2025 at 12:21 pm
  27. @barrybennett1292 on April 14, 2025 at 12:22 pm

    Huawei’s watch 4 may bring a decent monitor to US before apple.?

  28. @HiThere-z9j on April 14, 2025 at 12:22 pm

    When is the watch coming out ?

  29. @eset7708 on April 14, 2025 at 12:25 pm

    😂😂😂 4:14 He says Electromagnetic radiation instead of light. What an expert u have😂😂😂

  30. @clementte6948 on April 14, 2025 at 12:26 pm

    I look forward to an accurate and reliable noninvasive blood glucose monitoring

  31. @Alleverything960 on April 14, 2025 at 12:26 pm

    It’s fake or true

  32. @JulAlxAU on April 14, 2025 at 12:26 pm

    It will revolutionise the world of endurance sports!

  33. @cryptogreen3578 on April 14, 2025 at 12:26 pm

    I have the solution. How do I get in contact with apple?

  34. @captainskippy6622 on April 14, 2025 at 12:27 pm

    And some of us diabetics are still sticking our fingers several times a day because Medicare won’t pay for a glucose monitor unless you’re on insulin. They don’t seem to understand that a glucose monitor would likely prevent us from needing insulin.

  35. @je6874 on April 14, 2025 at 12:28 pm

    That’s not the needle that’s used to measure blood glucose… how could this channel release such a video without some research beforehand?

  36. @kn7x802 on April 14, 2025 at 12:30 pm

    There’s tremendous opposition to the advancements in diabetes management from government and all healthcare sectors. If the disease ever get cured, there will be impacts to healthcare revenue, insurance industries, and jobs lost.

  37. @slovakjakpica on April 14, 2025 at 12:32 pm

    They end up abandoning it, because it would not generate them such high income as replacing cgm every 14 days…

  38. @diegoplanes7183 on April 14, 2025 at 12:33 pm

    The day they release an Apple Watch with that option I’ll buy it day one. And I think i’m not the only one. That would be incredible

  39. @lookingfortheking1269 on April 14, 2025 at 12:34 pm

    How can they not add an alarm to the freestyle monitor,
    why is the alarm only accessible through an App??
    This makes no sense!!!
    Smaller watches can have an audible alarm set, WHT can freestyle lebra not have that easy function
    My shild has to be in Bluetooth range permanently to not lose signal, and here the alarm on my phone
    If the sensor has an audible alarm, he can call me when it goes off on low or high readings
    This makes no sense, and any company can grab the market by adding this to the sensor

  40. @marksmith2738 on April 14, 2025 at 12:36 pm

    I watched this with interest, and at the end I laughed out loud. You terrible person, I can’t do that anymore. But hey, if you can, go for it. 😊

  41. @TheSithLord on April 14, 2025 at 12:37 pm

    Good report.

  42. @dhana7373 on April 14, 2025 at 12:38 pm

    If Apple brings the Watch plus Apple vending machine which communicate with the watch and churns a meal according to Vitamins deficiency issues,Vitamins boost.protein boost,Fibre boost, healthy wholesome carbs from AppleVendor machine everyday giving me a good meal for about $10 USd plus healthy Milo with soy protein in it
    Than I me and steve jobs are on the same page
    If not it just same stupid merry go around with Apple,Goggle and Samsung
    For info this vending my place in remote village in India with a supercharger with 240kwH supercharge
    Ten charge and ten minutes to eat plus couple songs in a remote village in India
    Charging my Apple Car
    Than Tim Cook and me are on the same page
    So what u reckon
    Tim
    Just by where bees die by river Radiation spike or
    Jeff Bezos 1 dollar to watch a movir😂❤🎉😂😢😅😅

  43. @kenweidemoyer2221 on April 14, 2025 at 12:43 pm

    Thanks for the information. Very well done.

  44. @sarahandrickstewart5930 on April 14, 2025 at 12:44 pm

    Would be good if Abbott and Apple could just get the libre to talk to the watch! But I guess that won’t happen as both want to be the leader!

  45. @christopherdennis6785 on April 14, 2025 at 12:46 pm

    More and more evidence is saying that metabolic syndrome affects other parts of health, for example, damaging the arteries increasing risk of developing ASCVD. There’s compelling evidence that lifestyle can help heal illnesses like Type 2 Diabetes.

  46. @johnross8614 on April 14, 2025 at 12:48 pm

    Why not just take a smart watch and add the glucose testing patch to it. Ok a needle is still needed but that would actually make me buy a smart watch

  47. @carwoman43 on April 14, 2025 at 12:49 pm

    The continuous glucose monitors actually don’t leave a needle in your skin. The needle places a monofilament the width of a hair and the needle retracts. They’re painless.

  48. @motivationaisinspiration on April 14, 2025 at 12:50 pm

    China has already cured diabetes using cell therapy, I think that’ll arrive faster than the non invasive tech

  49. @loisallison8337 on April 14, 2025 at 12:51 pm

    Are there any wrist wearables available. For blood glucose

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