Apple Watch Series 8 might get non-invasive blood sugar monitoring, report suggests

A new report coming from industry sources claims that Apple Watch Series 8 might get a blood glucose monitoring feature, reports MacRumors. For a while, the feature was rumored for the Apple Watch Series 7, but it didn’t happen, and now industry sources are claiming it might happen with the Series 8.

Components for blood glucose monitoring on Apple Watch are reportedly in development

A report is coming from DigiTimes sources claiming that Apple and its suppliers have been working on short-wavelength infrared sensors. This sensor is a commonly used type of sensor for health devices. These sensors that reportedly Cupertino is working on, likely to be fitted on the back of the Apple Watch, will enable the smartwatch to measure the blood sugar of its wearer non-invasively.

Apple has maintained its focus on adding health-related metrics and sensors on the Apple Watch and it has been getting more comprehensive health features. Although the Apple Watch Series 7 doesn’t bring new sensors, its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 6, brought a Blood Oxygen sensor that, understandably, monitors the amount of oxygen your body is absorbing and how much oxygen your blood is currently saturated with.

Additionally, the Apple Watch is capable of taking a single-lead ECG, detecting falls, detecting high and low heart rates and irregular heart rhythm.

Previously, blood sugar monitoring was rumored for the Apple Watch Series 7, but apparently, the health-related feature was not yet ready at the time. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple has not abandoned the idea of having non-invasive blood sugar monitoring on the Apple Watch, alongside other helpful features. However, implementing this feature does not come without challenges. According to The WSJ, Apple is facing difficulties in incorporating blood glucose capabilities into the Apple Watch. Right now, diabetics and people with other blood-sugar-related conditions need to check their blood glucose levels by taking a sample of blood and using a medical-grade device for the results. However, Apple wants to have these measurements non-invasively, meaning without the need to prick your finger or obtain a blood sample to do the reading.

In iOS 15, the Health app on iPhones now has blood glucose highlights as a health metric, but external hardware has to provide the data for the iPhone to include it in Health. This will change if the Apple Watch is the device making the measurement and syncing the data with the iPhone’s Health app.

However, this information remains uncertain at this moment and nothing is confirmed yet. It might be helpful to remember that such rumors were present for the Apple Watch Series 7 as well, but they never became a reality. The Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to make an appearance in the fall of 2022, as the Series 7 was just announced recently. Until then though, rumors and leaks are sure to be giving us glimpses of what we could expect from the Series 8.

Is non-invasive blood glucose monitoring coming next year to the Apple Watch?

At the beginning of this year, we reported about a patent that Apple filed that partially explained how a non-invasive blood glucose monitoring system on the Apple Watch might work. According to the patent application, Apple plans on using absorption spectroscopy to obtain the non-invasive glucose readings, and it will reportedly use terahertz electromagnetic radiation instead of light passing through a user’s body in order to detect it. According to a recent announcement by an Apple supplier, non-invasive blood glucose measuring tech should make an appearance at the beginning of next year. This raises the possibility that the next Apple Watch will come equipped with such sensors, but until it is official, the safest bet is to keep a lower expectation bar about it.