According to reports, Apple tested an app for monitoring blood glucose levels

Apple is reportedly making strides in glucose management, now advancing these efforts with a software-driven approach. According to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company has been internally testing an app aimed at helping individuals identified as pre-diabetic better manage their diet and lifestyle. Although Apple currently has no plans to release this app to the general public, it could eventually become an integral part of Apple’s larger health-focused offerings.

The trial of this app involved Apple employees who, following blood tests, were found to have an elevated risk for Type 2 diabetes. These participants used a range of commercially available glucose-monitoring devices to keep track of their blood sugar fluctuations, which they then logged within the app. Through these logs, the app provided insight into how dietary choices impacted blood sugar levels, giving feedback like “steer clear of the pasta.” Such data-driven suggestions could prove beneficial for users seeking to make informed nutritional choices in relation to their glucose levels.

While Apple has paused this project for now to prioritize other health-related developments, Gurman points out that Apple’s Health app still lacks meal-tracking features available on some competitor platforms. In the future, Apple may include comprehensive third-party glucose-tracking integrations, paving the way for a more robust and interconnected health management suite within the Apple ecosystem.

This experimental app is reportedly separate from Apple’s long-standing, 15-year quest to introduce non-invasive glucose monitoring — a capability that frequently surfaces in Apple Watch rumors. Apple’s current hardware prototype for such technology is said to be a device around the size of an iPhone, utilizing laser technology to measure blood glucose by emitting light into the skin. If Apple successfully brings this hardware to the market, the initial consumer version would likely focus on alerting users about potential pre-diabetic conditions, with further iterations potentially offering more precise glucose readings in subsequent releases.