Blood glucose readings can now finally be displayed on the Apple Watch directly, but not yet everywhere

While measuring blood sugar levels via a smartwatch is still a thing of the future and is likely to be a major breakthrough when it is indeed possible, smartphones have been able to do so for some time now. This is possible with the help of blood glucose sensors that invasively penetrate skin tissue and transmit the measured values to a smartphone. The notifications displayed on the smartwatch can be used to show whether the target range has been exceeded or not. However, users are then dependent on a smartphone, which may not be desirable when doing sports, for example.

Dexcom has now announced a system, the Dexcom G7, for the continuous measurement of blood sugar levels that can communicate directly with the Apple Watch and no longer requires a smartphone as an intermediary. This means that the iPhone can stay at home without limitations on the continuous monitoring of blood glucose levels. 

According to the company, Dexcom G7 is largely the result of a frequently expressed customer request. The data is stored in Apple Health and is protected from unauthorized access. To use the function, version 2.1 of the Dexcom G7 app must be installed. Apple smartwatches from Apple Watch Series 6 with at least watchOS 10 are supported, and an iPhone with iOS 17 or a more recent version must be used. A bitter restriction is the fact that the feature is currently only available in the US; it is not yet clear to what extent this restriction can be circumvented.