Why Your Pregnancy Diabetes App Might Be Missing Critical Features—And What Needs to Change

Researchers have completed the first comprehensive evaluation of pregnancy diabetes apps available to consumers, and the findings reveal a significant gap: most apps are too basic and narrowly focused to truly support women managing gestational diabetes (GDM). While the apps achieve satisfactory quality overall, they rely on outdated digital techniques and miss opportunities to integrate the full picture of pregnancy health that women actually need.

What's Actually Inside These Gestational Diabetes Apps?

A team led by researchers at the University of Manchester analyzed 23 commercially available apps from UK app stores to understand what features they offer women with gestational diabetes. The study, published in February 2026, evaluated apps using rigorous quality standards and examined the specific features designed to help women manage their condition.

The good news: the apps scored reasonably well on overall quality, with an average rating of 4.0 out of 5 on the Mobile App Rating Scale. However, the deeper analysis revealed a troubling pattern. The apps averaged 17.95 features across 45 possible items that experts consider important for comprehensive gestational diabetes care. This means most apps are covering less than 40% of what they could offer.

Where Are These Apps Falling Short?

The research identified several critical gaps in how these apps are designed. Most apps focus heavily on two areas: education about gestational diabetes and tracking blood glucose levels. While these are important, they represent only a fraction of what women with gestational diabetes actually need to manage their health during pregnancy.

The apps are missing integration of other essential self-monitoring data and pregnancy-relevant management tools. For example, gestational diabetes management involves complex lifestyle changes that extend far beyond blood sugar numbers. Women need support with:

• Dietary Decision-Making: Women with gestational diabetes must make food choices daily, understand nutritional labels, and implement effective cooking strategies—yet most apps provide only basic education rather than personalized meal planning or real-time guidance.
• Exercise Planning: Guidelines emphasize physical activity and aerobic exercise, but women need help choosing appropriate intensity levels and exercise types that are safe during pregnancy—support that current apps rarely provide.
• Holistic Pregnancy Care: Apps should integrate information about other pregnancy-relevant health factors, not just glucose management in isolation.

Beyond missing features, the apps rely on outdated digital techniques. Most use simple text-based information and manual data entry rather than automated features that could reduce burden on users. "The digital techniques used to achieve these features included text and manual operation, rather than other automated features," the researchers noted. This means women are doing more work than necessary, which can reduce motivation and adherence over time.

Why Does This Matter for Pregnant Women?

The stakes are genuinely high. Gestational diabetes affects blood sugar control during pregnancy and can lead to complications for both mother and baby if not properly managed. Research shows that when digital technologies are well-designed, they can provide care quality comparable to face-to-face visits with healthcare professionals, resulting in better maternal health outcomes, higher rates of natural childbirth, and fewer adverse outcomes for both mother and baby.

However, poorly designed apps can backfire. Previous research has found that apps with redundant processes, frequent data-recording failures, and confusing or inaccurate information actually increase women's emotional burden and can even lead to unhealthy behaviors. When an app contradicts advice from a woman's doctor, it creates confusion rather than support.

Women do appreciate apps when they work well. They value apps that support self-monitoring, provide reliable information for making dietary decisions, help them plan exercise, and create a platform for ongoing communication with their healthcare team. When apps function properly, women report increased adherence, better concentration, and higher satisfaction with their care. The problem is that most current apps aren't reaching this potential.

What Should App Developers Do Differently?

The research team has clear recommendations for the future. App developers need to move beyond basic education and glucose tracking to create truly holistic digital solutions. This means integrating a wider range of pregnancy-relevant information, incorporating more automated features that reduce manual data entry, and using advanced digital techniques that make the app experience smoother and more supportive.

The goal isn't just to create another app—it's to create a tool that actually addresses the complex reality of managing gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Women are juggling dietary changes, exercise routines, blood glucose monitoring, and all the other demands of pregnancy. A truly effective app would support all of these elements together, not just one or two in isolation.

As smartphone use continues to grow globally, mobile apps represent one of the most accessible forms of digital health technology for pregnant women, regardless of where they live. But accessibility means nothing if the app doesn't actually meet women's needs. This research is a wake-up call for developers: the next generation of gestational diabetes apps needs to be smarter, more integrated, and genuinely designed around what women actually experience when managing this condition.