Omnipod 6: What We Know So Far

Here in Australia, we celebrated the release of Omnipod 5 in 2025, but of course we're never satisfied, and are already looking at what the next update will bring.

News about the next-generation Omnipod system is starting to take shape - mainly from information given out on a recent Insulet earnings call. While there’s still plenty we don’t know, enough detail has emerged to give a meaningful picture of what’s coming.

1. Same Pod Hardware

One of the biggest clarifications from Insulet is that the physical Pod itself will not change.

That means:

• Same size and shape

• Same wear time (3 days)

• Same insulin reservoir (200 units)

The updates are happening under the hood: a redesigned adaptive algorithm, not redesigned hardware.

2. A Smarter Algorithm

Omnipod 6 is being built with a new adaptive model that should respond more intelligently to missed boluses or delayed boluses. This sounds similar to Medtronic's Meal Detection Technology, which increases the strength of its correction boluses if it detects that glucose levels are rising particularly fast.

It will learn quicker: The algorithm will learn from your patterns more quickly and adjust basal insulin with tighter feedback loops. Currently, if your insulin needs change while you're using a pod, the algorithm won't adjust it's calculations until you change the pod. This change could make a big difference during different phases of the menstrual cycle, or when you get sick.

Target glucose of 5.5 mmol/L: currently, the lowest target on Omnipod 5 is 6.1. This new target would bring them in line with Medtronic (who also offer 5.5) but still behind Ypsomed (CamAPS FX), which offers 4.4!

Note: It is rumoured that Insulet are bringing the 5.5 target to Omnipod 5, so we should get that feature much sooner than Omnipod 6.

3. A Single Pod for Any CGM

Right now, you need to order the pod that is made for your CGM. Here in Australia, we currently have 3 CGM options- Dexcom G6, G7 and Libre 2 Plus. Omnipod 6 will use the same Pod SKU regardless of which CGM you wear, so you won't need to change your pharmacy pod order if you change CGM brands.

Timelines

…with an "Australia reality check"**

Insulet’s public roadmap places Omnipod 6’s US release around 2027.

Australia received Omnipod 5 roughly two years after the US release. If the same pattern holds, Omnipod 6 may not reach Australia until 2029. This isn’t guaranteed — timelines can shorten or stretch — but it’s the most realistic expectation based on past patterns.

Post-2028: What’s Next for Omnipod?

Beyond Omnipod 6, here's what Insulet is planning:

• Fully-closed-loop algorithm: no need to bolus - ever!

• Higher-capacity insulin: assumably 300 units, but no specifics were mentioned.

• Longer wear-times: 7 days (up from the current 3.5 days - including the grace period).

• Greater global harmonisation: this would reduce the variation between regions so future products don’t have staggered releases across different countries. If that becomes reality, Australian users may eventually see shorter delays between US and Australian launches.

Competition in the tubeless pump space is heating up, with Tandem and Medtronic both working on tubeless pumps of their own, and a couple of other smaller manufacturers already available in Europe and the US. We'll bring you more info on these in an update soon.