Apple’s long-running plan to bring noninvasive blood glucose monitoring to the Apple Watch has reportedly reached another important stage inside the company, with a leadership change now fueling fresh discussion about the project’s progress.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple recently moved oversight of the glucose monitoring project from platform architecture chief Tim Millet to Zongjian Chen, who currently leads parts of Apple’s Advanced Technologies Group and hardware efforts such as modems. The report says some people inside Apple see the transition as a positive sign because Chen is known as “someone who delivers.”
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Apple’s glucose monitoring Project has been in development for years
Apple has reportedly worked on noninvasive blood sugar tracking since the Steve Jobs era, making it one of the company’s longest-running health projects. The goal is to let users monitor glucose levels without finger pricks, blood draws, or external continuous glucose monitors.
Mark Gurman wrote in Bloomberg:
“Some view the transition as a sign the work may finally be progressing to a point where Chen, known as someone who delivers, can ramp up development of the technology into an eventual consumer-grade offering.”
That statement has gained attention because Apple rarely changes leadership on major hardware projects unless development reaches a new phase or requires faster execution.
Reports still suggest the feature remains far from launch, even with the latest leadership change. Gurman previously explained that Apple’s system uses lasers to shine specific wavelengths of light under the skin to measure glucose levels through interstitial fluid before software algorithms analyze the data.
If Apple eventually succeeds, the Apple Watch could become far more useful for people managing diabetes or monitoring prediabetes symptoms without needing uncomfortable daily skin pricks.
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