Blood sugar is becoming one of the next frontiers for smartwatches, and Google has entered the race with the Pixel Watch 5.
At Made by Google 2026, the tech giant introduced Insulin Resistance Trends, one of four new Health Guardian features coming to eligible Pixel Watches and Fitbit Air. It gives users a way to closely follow changes related to how the body handles blood sugar.
Anyone already watching their blood sugar could get an earlier hint that something is changing.
Existing watch sensors gain a new health job
Heart data and sleep patterns, along with daily movement, already give Pixel Watch a steady stream of information about its wearer. Google says Insulin Resistance Trends analyzes physiological data over multiple weeks to estimate whether insulin resistance is trending higher or lower, without requiring blood tests.
Availability is not tied to the newest hardware. Pixel Watch 3 and later models, along with Fitbit Air, are scheduled to receive the feature in September, so users will not need Pixel Watch 5 specifically to get it.
Competition around smartwatch blood sugar tracking has been building for years, but vendors are taking different routes. Samsung, for example, uses an AGEs Index to provide wearers with information related to metabolic health without producing a direct glucose reading.
Wearable data could add an earlier warning
Normal glucose readings do not always rule out insulin resistance. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the condition can develop before blood sugar rises, and research published in Nature found wearable data could help identify it from physiological patterns.
Wearable data can provide information between routine blood tests by tracking changes in everyday life. Users do not need to initiate a separate reading each time the watch gathers the signals used for the feature.
Interest in wearable glucose monitoring already extends beyond watches to devices such as smart rings designed to track glucose. Google’s approach puts another form of metabolic tracking accessible while native noninvasive glucose sensing remains under development.
Pixel Watch expands Google’s blood sugar tools
Health Connect already supports continuous glucose monitors, allowing CGM readings to feed into Google’s health tools. CGM data show what glucose is doing, and now Insulin Resistance Trends provides separate information about metabolic health.
If Pixel Watch flags a worsening trend, compare it with the health information you already track and consider raising it with a clinician if the change persists or blood sugar is already a concern. A watch alert alone should not guide medication or treatment decisions.
Pixel Watch 5 still does not measure glucose directly, so Insulin Resistance Trends cannot replace a glucose meter or CGM. What it may do is put a less familiar metabolic signal in front of millions of smartwatch users earlier, giving them another piece of information to discuss with a clinician if a concerning trend persists.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on our sister publication, TechRepublic.