How To Connect Dexcom G7 To Your Apple Watch (And Which Models Are Compatible)

Apple Watches are more than just feature-packed wearables; they're important tools for monitoring our health, including our heart rate, sleep patterns, and cardio fitness. Even if you don't know every Apple Watch heart health feature and what they do, there's a good chance you're familiar with at least a few of them, and if you have diabetes you might know that continuously monitoring your glucose levels can help you manage your the condition better, which can have some positive benefits for your heart. That may be one reason why the ability to monitor glucose levels on an Apple Watch became a favorite feature among Dexcom G5 users after its debut in 2015, and since then, many more users have asked for the ability to connect the sensor directly to their Apple Watch. In other words, they wanted to be able to connect the glucose monitor to their Apple Watch without having to bring their iPhone along.

Dexcom has made that possible with the G7 and while you'll need your iPhone to set up the G7 and pair it with your Apple Watch, once that's done, the sensor will connect directly to your Apple Watch via Bluetooth, allowing you to receive real-time glucose readings even if your iPhone is nowhere in sight. That means, for example, if you want to go for a run, you can track calories burned on your Apple Watch along with your glucose levels, and you won't need to take your iPhone with you to do it.

If you have any of the following Apple Watches,  you'll be able to connect your Dexcom G7 directly to your Apple Watch: Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, SE (2nd Gen), Ultra, or Ultra 2. You'll also need to make sure your iPhone is running iOS 17 or later and you have the Dexcom G7 app version 2.1 or later. 

Follow these steps to connect the Dexcom G7 sensor directly to your Apple Watch: 

1. Open the Dexcom G7 app on your iPhone.
2. Go to Connections, then tap Direct to Watch.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to begin the setup process.
4. Open the smartwatch app on your phone.
5. Go to the My Watch tab, then tap Available Apps.
6. Go to Dexcom G7, then tap Install.

Once connected, your Apple Watch will display real-time glucose readings and alerts directly from your Dexcom G7 sensor, even when you don't have your iPhone with you. There are a few things you can do to make sure your Dexcom G7 sensor works reliably with your Apple Watch. If an orange phone icon appears next to a sensor reading Direct to Watch mode is temporarily unavailable, so you'll need to bring your phone closer to your Apple Watch.

Keep the Watch app open when changing settings on your iPhone to ensure they're copied to your Apple Watch. Enable notifications while your iPhone is in focus mode. When you change sensors, you'll have to connect the new one to your Apple Watch. You'll need to keep Mirror iPhone Alerts on in the Watch app to receive alerts on your Apple Watch in both Standard and Direct to Watch modes. Your sensor can only be paired with one smartwatch at a time.