More than a decade after Apple reportedly planned to launch the original Apple Watch with painless blood sugar monitoring, that capability is still not part of current models, but a new development gives encouraging signs that something is changing.
The latest device designed to measure biomarkers related to glucose in breath has just entered active clinical trials, which experts see as an important potential step toward noninvasive technology that could one day be integrated into the Apple Watch or other smart wearables.
The reason Apple and other manufacturers want to introduce needle-free blood glucose monitoring is simple: diabetes and prediabetes are affecting a growing number of people around the world, and the flash-point or continuous monitors currently in use require invasive sensors that pass through the skin.
Devices that could analyze breath, where certain chemicals like acetone can indicate high glucose levels, could theoretically allow for daily testing without pain and without additional medical aids.
In clinical trials, the device is currently called Isaaca small sensor worn around the neck that measures gaseous organic compounds in breath to detect changes associated with blood glucose. The device has yet to be approved by the US FDA, but experts believe its success could show that the breath sugar measurement approach is a valid path, even if Apple or other manufacturers don’t yet implement it directly into a smartwatch.
For Apple, it’s especially significant because the company is working on non-invasive sensors for glucose and other health functions for years, and until now progress has been slow due to technical challenges in miniaturization and precision. Previous analyzes indicate that prototypes have long remained larger and more complicated than desirable for a wearable device, and that solutions such as laser spectroscopy have remained far from a commercial product.
However, the new technology based on breath content represents a different approach compared to direct measurement in tissue and may be easier to implement in future generations of Apple Watch or connected sensors provided they find enough precision in the measurements and pass regulatory approvals.
It is important to emphasize that this is not yet another Apple Watch feature that can be used right now, nor is there any confirmation that Apple will adopt this technology immediately. However, the fact that such a device is entering clinical trials and aiming for regulatory approval in 2026 means that the idea of painless sugar measurement is closer to reality than ever before — a possibility that could have a huge impact on diabetes management once it finds its way into mainstream wearables like the Apple Watch.
Meanwhile, Apple Watch users with diabetes can already measure their sugar levels indirectly through compatible CGM devices, such as those made by Dexcom, whose data the watch displays directly without an iPhone in some cases.
If new breath-sugar monitoring technology gets regulatory approval and proves reliable, it could become the next big milestone in wearable health functionality and pave the way for wider adoption of health monitoring that truly rests on the wearer’s wrist, writes 9to5Mac.