Several new diabetes devices have hit the market in recent years, and 2024-2025 brought some of the biggest leaps yet. The most notable advances include smaller and faster continuous glucose monitors, automated insulin delivery systems that adjust doses on their own, the first needle-free glucose sensor cleared by the FDA, and smart insulin pens that digitally track every injection. Here’s what each of these devices does and how they work in practice.
Continuous Glucose Monitors Keep Getting Smaller
Continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs, are wearable sensors that track your blood sugar around the clock and send readings to your phone. They’ve been around for over a decade, but the newest versions are dramatically smaller and faster than their predecessors.
The Dexcom G7, one of the most widely used CGMs, has a skin contact area of just 9.7 square centimeters, roughly 60% smaller than the G6 it replaced. It’s ready to use in about 27 minutes after you apply it, compared to a two-hour warmup for the G6. Accuracy also improved: when worn on the upper arm, the G7 has a mean error rate of 8.2%, the best of any Dexcom generation tested in head-to-head comparisons.
Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 takes a different approach to speed. Its sensor measures glucose every single minute and updates your phone app in real time, with historical readings stored every five minutes on your 12-hour graph. Both the G7 and Libre 3 are about the size of a small coin, making them easy to wear under clothing.
The First Needle-Free Glucose Sensor
In September 2025, the FDA granted its first-ever clearance for a glucose biosensor that doesn’t require a needle to apply. The Biolinq Shine uses a microsensor array that sits up to 20 times more shallow in the skin than conventional CGM filaments. There’s no subcutaneous needle at insertion, and no filament sitting under your skin while you wear it.
The device tracks glucose in real time along with activity and sleep data. It was initially approved for people with type 2 diabetes who don’t use insulin. For anyone who has avoided CGMs because of the needle involved in applying a sensor, this is a meaningful shift. Biolinq has described the platform as capable of tracking multiple health markers beyond glucose, though the initial clearance focuses on blood sugar monitoring.
Implantable Sensors That Last Six Months
Most CGMs are disposable sensors you replace every 10 to 15 days. The Eversense E3 is a different category entirely: a tiny sensor implanted under the skin of your upper arm during a quick in-office procedure. The FDA approved it for up to 180 days of continuous wear, meaning you get six months of glucose data from a single sensor.
The tradeoff is that it still requires one to two fingerstick calibrations per day using a standard blood glucose meter. A removable transmitter worn on the skin above the implant sends data to your phone. For people tired of applying a new sensor every week or two, the six-month cycle is a significant convenience upgrade.
Automated Insulin Delivery Systems
The biggest functional leap in diabetes devices is the pairing of CGMs with insulin pumps that automatically adjust your insulin throughout the day. These systems read your glucose levels, predict where they’re heading, and increase or decrease insulin delivery without you doing anything.
The Medtronic 780G uses an algorithm called SmartGuard that delivers automatic correction doses as often as every five minutes when your glucose rises above 120 mg/dL and your basal rate is already maxed out. It can also detect when a glucose spike is coming from a meal based on how fast your levels are rising, and respond with stronger correction doses.
The Tandem Mobi is one of the smallest insulin pumps available. It holds up to 200 units of insulin and is small enough to fit in the coin pocket of your jeans, clip to your waistband, or stick directly to your skin with an adhesive sleeve. As of mid-2025, the Omnipod 5 tubeless pump is compatible with the Dexcom G7 on both iPhone and Android, meaning you can run a fully automated system with no tubing and the latest sensor technology.
The Bionic Pancreas Approach
The iLet Bionic Pancreas takes automation a step further by eliminating carb counting. When you eat, you simply tell the device whether your meal is smaller, typical, or larger than what you normally eat at that time of day. The system runs three algorithms simultaneously: one managing your background insulin, one issuing corrections throughout the day, and one handling meals. At mealtime, it delivers 75% of the dose upfront based on what similar meals required on previous days, then adjusts the rest automatically. Over time, the system learns your patterns and refines its dosing.
Smart Insulin Pens
Not everyone uses a pump. For the millions of people who inject insulin with a pen, smart insulin pens add a digital layer to a familiar routine. These pens automatically record the exact time and size of every dose, sync the data to a smartphone app, and calculate how much insulin is still active in your body before suggesting your next dose.
This “insulin on board” tracking is one of the most practical features. It helps prevent accidental double-dosing, which is a common problem when you can’t remember whether you already took your mealtime injection. When smart pen data is combined with CGM readings in the same app, you and your care team can spot patterns like consistently late meal doses or repeated missed injections, problems that are nearly impossible to catch from memory alone. The pens can also send reminders if you haven’t dosed at your usual time.
Who Can Access These Devices
Coverage varies depending on your insurance and the type of diabetes you have. Medicare covers CGMs for people with diabetes who meet at least one of two main criteria: you use insulin, or you have a documented history of dangerous low blood sugar episodes (glucose dropping below 54 mg/dL) that haven’t improved despite treatment changes. Your prescribing doctor must also confirm you’ve been trained to use the device and must have seen you within six months before ordering it. Follow-up visits every six months are required to maintain coverage.
Private insurers generally follow similar logic, though specifics differ by plan. The newer needle-free Biolinq Shine, being newly cleared, may take time to appear on formularies. Automated insulin delivery systems like the Omnipod 5 and Tandem Mobi are typically covered for people with type 1 diabetes and increasingly for insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, though prior authorization is common.
The overall trend is clear: diabetes devices are getting smaller, smarter, and more autonomous. The gap between wearing a sensor and having a system that actively manages your blood sugar in real time continues to narrow with each generation.