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Last February, Google announced that Fit for Android can measure heart and respiratory rates using just your phone. These new Google Fit camera tracking features will start rolling out to Pixel phones on Monday.
Update 3/8: Fit’s new camera metrics are rolling out to Pixel phones starting today via a server-side update. Once live on your device, new “Breathing” and “Check Your Heart Rate” maps will appear in the Home feed. Google has also posted a video with step-by-step instructions on how to use it.
Starting today, we’re rolling out the ability to measure your heart rate and respiratory rate * with Google Fit using just your phone’s camera. These features are first available in the Google Fit app for Pixel phones and will be extended to other Android devices in the future.
While these metrics are “not intended for medical purposes,” Google says Fit’s camera-based approach offers a convenient way to “track and improve day-to-day well-being” using the equipment you already have.
Heart rate measurements are taken by holding your finger on the rear camera lens and applying light pressure for approximately 30 seconds. To increase accuracy in dark environments, the flash can be activated. Google Fit assesses blood flow by tracking “subtle changes in the color of your fingers,” algorithms taking into account lighting, skin tone, age, and other factors.
Your heart rate gives you an overview of what’s going on with your heart. Your heart beats faster when you are active, but can also be elevated due to certain foods and drinks or if you are feeling stressed or excited. You will notice a lower heart rate when you are still and relaxed.
With increased physical activity, the heart also becomes more efficient at pumping blood over time. Monitoring your resting heart rate can help you indicate changes in your fitness level.
Meanwhile, measuring respiratory rate – the number of breaths you take per minute – starts with leaning your phone against a stable surface so that the front camera can clearly see your upper body and head, hats / masks. must be removed. Google Fit uses computer vision to look for small changes in your chest.
Another important marker of your well-being is respiratory rate. Typically, this is a stable metric, but tracking your trend can help you spot any changes. For example, you may notice short-term changes in breathing rate if you are feeling stressed, anxious, or sick.
The processing required to calculate these two metrics occurs in real time and is done entirely on the device. As such, video feeds are not saved to your phone or uploaded to Google’s cloud. After each measurement, you are asked if you want the result to be stored in Google Fit for long-term graphical representation.
On Monday, those Google Fit camera metrics will start rolling out to Pixel phones around the world, and more Android devices will get support in the future. Make sure you have the latest version of the app installed from the Play Store.
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