For folks managing their diabetes with Dexcom, Siri can now answer one more question: What is my glucose level? This morning Dexcom announced a slew of new companion app features for the Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitoring system, including the ability for Siri to read a user’s glucose level out loud and display graphs directly on the lock screen.
The app, which was released in 2018, will include a number of integrations with big names in tech, including one with Google Fit to display Dexcom CGM data on a three-hour delay. Users will also have the option to add a icon to check their glucose level when customizing the face of their Apple Watch Series 4.
The update includes a feature that lets user share their glucose reading with 10 people, another that gives a 24-hour reminder before it is time to replace a sensor, and a way to submit technical inquiries through a browser launched through the app.
Why it matters
Diabetes impacts 30.3 million Americans or approximately 9.4 percent of the population, according to the American Diabetes Association. The cost of the condition in the US was $327 billion in 2017, according to the agency.
Managing the condition can be complicated, requiring patients to change their lifestyle to manage glucose levels. Dexcom’s latest announcement is one of many moves in the digital health space aiming to ease the diabetes management burden for patients.
“Based on feedback from our users, we are constantly evolving our technology to make living with diabetes more manageable,” Jake Leach, chief technology officer at Dexcom, said in a statment. “We listened and are excited to launch this app update to improve the overall user experience with G6 and add even more functionality to the world’s most powerful diabetes management tool.”
What's the trend
This announcement comes on the heels of Dexcom's Q4 earnings call, where the company announced that it broke $1 billion in 2018 annual revenue in 2018, but will likely be laying off employees due to outsourcing plans.
Voice has become increasingly popular in digital health. In fact, today Livongo announced a new voice-based tool for hypertensive patients that works with Amazon Lex and Amazon Polly. The system lets patients use voice technology to upload data to its AI+AI engine, which can in turn deliver nudges to the patient.
Dexcom isn’t the only digital health company leveraging Siri. In November FallCall Solutions’ FallCall Lite — a system for the Apple Watch that connects wearers to emergency call centers in case of a fall — supports Siri Shortcuts.
