Irakli Kurtanidze, a type 1 diabetes patient and developer, launches Sugar Sense , a comprehensive app that displays real-time glucose readings across multiple devices to enhance safety and convenience without replacing existing monitoring systems.
Irakli Kurtanidze did not set out to build a diabetes app that would live on almost every screen he uses. He wanted something simpler: a glucose reading that would follow him through the day instead of hiding inside a phone app. As the founder of Sugar Sense and a type 1 diabetes patient for more than 12 years, he has spent much of his working life at a computer and found that repeatedly reaching for a handset to check a number that can change minute by minute was awkward and impractical.
That personal frustration, and a more serious one, shaped the product. Kurtanidze said there were nights when one alarm was not enough to wake him, which persuaded him to create a second layer of alerts rather than rely on a single device. Sugar Sense is designed as a companion to existing continuous glucose monitoring systems, not a replacement for them, and the app now connects with FreeStyle Libre, Dexcom and Nightscout data. According to the company’s own materials, it can surface readings on iPhone, Apple Watch, Android, Wear OS, Garmin watches, a web dashboard, a Windows system tray, a Mac menu bar, browser extensions and Amazon Alexa.
The pitch is not just convenience but redundancy. Kurtanidze has said he wanted the same glucose information available in a browser toolbar, on a watch face, in a car interface or through voice control, so that the reading would be visible wherever he happened to be. The company also says Sugar Sense offers real-time glucose readings, trend arrows, high and low alerts, predictive warnings that a low is approaching, time-in-range statistics and family sharing. It is free for core safety features, while charging for extras such as the Apple Watch app, AI-powered insights, a food scanner and CarPlay support.
Sugar Sense also makes a point of what it will not do. The app does not suggest insulin doses, and Kurtanidze has said that is deliberate because dosing belongs with the patient and their care team, not a companion app. That caution matters in a crowded field where independent tools increasingly sit alongside manufacturer software. The company says its aim is to complement official CGM applications rather than replace them, and to give people with diabetes another way to see the same data without assembling a patchwork of separate services.
Kurtanidze’s own circumstances helped shape that approach too. He lives in Georgia and has said he pays for his sensors himself, buying them from Germany because coverage remains limited for many adults with type 1 diabetes. Sugar Sense’s free tier, he argues, reflects the reality that people managing the condition already face enough expense. For him, the point is straightforward: a glucose reading should not be trapped inside one app when it could be on a desk, on a wrist or spoken aloud in time to matter.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
