No smartwatch currently on the market can measure your blood sugar on its own. Despite what you may have seen advertised on Amazon, TikTok, or other platforms, no regulatory agency in the world has approved a smartwatch that independently reads blood glucose levels. The technology is actively being developed by Apple, Samsung, and several startups, but as of mid-2025, nothing has cleared the accuracy and safety bar needed for consumer release.
That said, smartwatches can already display blood sugar data from a separate sensor worn on your body. If you’re looking for a wrist-based way to track glucose, that pairing is the only reliable option right now.
Why No Smartwatch Can Measure Glucose Yet
Measuring blood sugar without breaking the skin is one of the hardest problems in consumer health technology. Current glucose monitors, like the small sensors people with diabetes wear on the back of their arm, work by inserting a tiny filament just under the skin to sample fluid there. A watch sitting on top of your wrist has no direct access to that fluid.
The leading approach companies are exploring uses light. The idea is to shine specific wavelengths through your skin and analyze how glucose molecules absorb or scatter that light. This works in a lab, but shrinking the hardware into something small enough for a watch face, while still detecting the tiny glucose concentrations found in the body, remains an unsolved engineering challenge. Most optical methods either can’t detect glucose at physiological levels or require equipment too bulky for a wearable.
One promising technique called Raman spectroscopy can identify glucose by its unique molecular “fingerprint.” Researchers have recently made progress miniaturizing this approach, replacing bulky lab components with compact photodetectors. But even these advances are still at the research stage, not in any product you can buy.
What Apple and Samsung Are Working On
Apple has been developing a glucose sensor for the Apple Watch for years. The project uses optical absorption spectroscopy, shining light through the skin to estimate glucose in the fluid just beneath it. Bloomberg and other outlets have reported that Apple reached a proof-of-concept stage, but the prototype hardware was still too large to fit in a watch. No Apple Watch model includes this sensor, and Apple has not announced a release timeline.
Samsung has been similarly public about its ambitions. Executives have called non-invasive glucose monitoring a priority since at least 2025, and Samsung researchers published early optical sensor results in the journal Science Advances back in 2020. The company describes “significant progress” but has not claimed regulatory clearance or set a consumer launch date. As of early 2026, no Galaxy Watch model offers direct blood glucose measurement. Samsung’s broader vision includes pairing glucose data with diabetes prediction tools and nutrition coaching in the Samsung Health app, but all of that depends on solving the sensor problem first.
Watches That Display CGM Data
If you already wear a continuous glucose monitor (the small adhesive sensors from Dexcom or Abbott), a smartwatch can show your readings on your wrist in real time. This is the closest thing to a “blood sugar smartwatch” that actually works today.
The Dexcom G7 offers a “Direct to Watch” feature for Apple Watch. It works with the Apple Watch Series 6 and newer (including the SE second generation and both Ultra models), running watchOS 10 or later. You’ll also need an iPhone with iOS 17 and the Dexcom G7 app version 2.1 or higher. This setup lets you glance at your current glucose reading and trend arrow without pulling out your phone.
Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre system supports notification mirroring to select smartwatches through its LibreLink app, though compatibility varies by watch model and operating system. Abbott maintains a compatibility guide for supported devices. The experience is less seamless than Dexcom’s direct integration, but it still puts glucose alerts on your wrist.
In both cases, the smartwatch is a display, not a sensor. The actual measurement comes from the small patch on your arm or abdomen. The watch just makes it easier to see.
The Danger of Cheap “Glucose” Watches
Search for “blood sugar smartwatch” on any major retail site and you’ll find dozens of watches, often priced between $20 and $100, claiming to measure glucose. These products are not legitimate medical devices. Both the FDA and Health Canada have issued explicit warnings about them.
The FDA states it has not reviewed the safety or effectiveness of any smartwatch or smart ring that claims needle-free blood glucose monitoring. Health Canada’s warning is blunter: these devices have not been assessed for accuracy, and no smartwatch has been authorized in Canada to independently monitor blood glucose.
The risks are not theoretical. A false reading could lead someone with diabetes to take too much insulin (causing dangerously low blood sugar) or too little (causing dangerously high blood sugar). Health Canada’s advisory notes that these errors can result in loss of consciousness, seizures, coma, and death. The watches typically generate numbers using algorithms based on heart rate or skin conductance, neither of which has any validated relationship to blood glucose levels.
Red flags to watch for include vague claims like “health monitoring” with glucose listed alongside legitimate features like heart rate, prices far below what any real medical sensor could cost, no mention of regulatory approval, and marketing primarily through social media ads rather than medical channels. If a watch claims to measure blood sugar and it isn’t paired with a separate sensor under your skin, it cannot do what it claims.
What Startups Have Promised
Several smaller companies have announced non-invasive glucose wearables over the past few years. Know Labs, a U.S.-based startup, previously said it hoped to begin the FDA pre-approval process in 2022. Afon Technology, a U.K. company, planned clinical trials outside the United States with a launch target of mid-2022. Neither company has brought an approved consumer product to market. This pattern of optimistic timelines followed by delays is common in the non-invasive glucose space and has been repeating for over two decades.
The core problem is accuracy. Even small errors in glucose readings can have serious consequences for people making insulin dosing decisions. Regulatory agencies require non-invasive devices to match the accuracy of existing finger-prick meters, and that standard has proven extremely difficult to meet with optical-only sensing through intact skin.
Your Best Option Right Now
If you want to see blood sugar on your wrist today, the practical path is a continuous glucose monitor paired with a compatible smartwatch. For the most integrated experience, a Dexcom G7 with an Apple Watch gives you direct readings without needing your phone nearby. If you use a FreeStyle Libre, notification mirroring can push alerts to several smartwatch models.
If you don’t have diabetes but are curious about how your blood sugar responds to food and exercise, some CGM brands now market to the general wellness audience. These still require the adhesive sensor patch, not just a watch. The standalone glucose-sensing smartwatch is coming, and both Apple and Samsung are investing heavily in making it real, but it is not here yet.