App of the Day: Glucomate

New app from developer Zach Simone — an iPhone and Apple Watch app for blood glucose recording, tracking, and monitoring. I don’t have diabetes, but I know many people who do or have loved ones who do, and it seems hard to overstate how important blood glucose monitoring is. Simone, on his blog:

For over 20 years, I’ve had to monitor my blood glucose every single day. The way in which I monitor it has changed a bit over the years, but the need to stay on top of the readings hasn’t. [...]

A [continuous glucose monitor] generates a lot of data, and the one I use even writes that data to HealthKit (though admittedly with a 3-hour delay). Real-time information is only available via the manufacturers app, unless you’re willing to jump through many hoops. No matter, there’s still a huge amount of data being collected. And it starts to build up. But surely all of this data is good for something. What can we do with it?

That’s where Glucomate comes in. It’s an app for people who record, track, and monitor their blood glucose and use HealthKit to do it. Glucomate is the app that finally does something with all that data. You can analyse recent readings, spot trends, or go back to any date and view its history. It does all this while trying to look as good as possible. A notable feature is the ability to customise each of the tabs by reordering the displayed data. You can even choose to hide the data that isn’t relevant to you.

The best apps, almost invariably, come from developers scratching their own itches. It looks to me like Simone has made a terrifically practical tool for anyone monitoring their blood glucose levels. If you have diabetes or know someone who does, Glucomate seems worth a look.

(There are rumors that future Apple Watch models might integrate sensors that read blood glucose levels continuously and non-invasively (read: without puncturing your skin), but that’s just a rumor, and even if it comes to pass, diabetics will still need ways to monitor their trends.)

★ Wednesday, 19 April 2023