Medtronic Launches A New CGM for Insulin Pump Integration

On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, Medtronic Diabetes began selling a new continuous glucose monitor (CGM) in the United States called Instinct. This sensor, made by Abbott, offers more options for people using the MiniMed 780G insulin pump system.

How Instinct is Different from Other Medtronic CGMs

Like the Simplera Sync and Guardian 4 sensors from Medtronic Diabetes—soon to be MiniMed™—the Instinct sensor integrates with Medtronic Diabetes’ MiniMed 780G system. This system integration monitors glucose in real time, alerting users when needed, and automatically adjusts insulin.

The main difference among Medtronic Diabetes’ sensors is that Instinct provides more than double the wear time of the others and is significantly smaller. 

This new sensor represents a major advancement for Medtronic Diabetes MiniMed™ 780G users and offers promising news for those seeking further integration between CGMs and insulin pumps. Connected diabetes devices typically allow for a more hands-free approach for people with diabetes, helping them manage their condition more easily while feeling secure and confident.

Medtronic Diabetes has provided the following breakdown of their CGM sensors and how they differ:

To date, there has been no announcement on whether Instinct will integrate with Medtronic Diabetes’ InPen for individuals using multiple daily injections (MDI). InPen is Medtronic Diabetes’ smart-pen. It still integrates with Medtronic Diabetes’ Simplera CGM.

How the MiniMed™ 780G System Integration Works

Here’s how the integration between the Instinct CGM and MiniMed™ 780G insulin pump works:

• The MiniMed™ 780G insulin pump continuously receives glucose readings from a compatible sensor
• Using the glucose readings, the MiniMed™ 780G’s advanced algorithm automatically calculates insulin needs. 
• Based on the calculated needs, the insulin pump’s discrete infusion set delivers continuous background insulin and auto correction boluses (up to every 5 minutes). 

Basically, it’s like the devices “talk” to each other all day, allowing users to be more hands-off and flexible with their attention to diabetes. Often, connected insulin pumps and CGMs perform more of the manual work typically done by people with diabetes who do not use connected devices.

Diabetes Community Response

Some members of the diabetes community have taken to social media to express early interest in Instinct. Comments on Medtronic Diabetes’ social media announcement post include questions about availability, congratulations and interest in sampling the new sensor.

• Ariel Warren, a registered dietitian (RD) living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), went to TikTok to encourage her followers to explore the Instinct sensor. When comparing it to Simplera Sync’s features, Warren often gave Instinct the green “okay” checkmark, sharing that, in addition to the features mentioned above, it provides more accurate blood sugar readings than other Medtronic CGMs.
• Another user, who goes by Pricks & Pokes on TikTok, expressed curiosity about Instinct, acknowledging that a common user complaint she sees for Medtronic Diabetes’ products is about their CGMs. Still, she expressed interest in seeing how users respond, given that Medtronic Diabetes mentioned in a press release that the technology is based on Abbott’s most advanced CGM.

People with diabetes who are currently using an older Medtronic Diabetes CGM might be able to upgrade to a newer Instinct model by calling customer service at 1-800-646-4633 or by visiting Medtronic Diabetes.