Apple Watch to offer glucose tracking app: Report
Apple is working with DexCom, a company that makes monitors for diabetics, in order to make the Apple Watch one of the first wearables to track a users glucose levels using the wrist.
The app, which will not need to seek pre-market approval from the FDA thanks to a recent reclassification, will allow the Apple Watch to serve as a secondary display device for the Dexcom G4 (and upcoming G5) continuous glucose monitor system, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
According to the Journal report released on Sunday, the glucose monitor from the company comprises of a tiny sensor and an app. The sensor is placed inside the body which detects the blood glucose levels after every five minutes. Apple Watch will be available for the customers by April and so is the time when the app is expected to release.
On an investor call, Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer said that in addition to the two iOS apps already available, versions of these apps for Android would be coming soon and would be able to skip the FDA's pre-approval process because of the down classification, according to MobiHealth. At the time Sayer said the Android app and smartwatch apps would be launched "over the course of the year" though the company hadn't locked down a time frame.
"In the near term, we'll focus on CGM data presentation," he said. "Certainly over time we will have broader apps that include more. We want to have pump information and other diabetes information. But we haven't laid out a pipeline for that, we're still developing our tools. You'll hear more in the future."
According to the 9to5Mac, despite Apple's attempts, the smartwatch may not be equipped to last a full day on a single charge - an issue that may be due to the device's high-quality display and large processor, sources told the website. Apple initially planned for the watch to last for 2.5 to 5 hours of active use.
