Back in February, Google announced that Fit for Android could measure heart rate and respiration rate with just your phone. This new Google Fit camera tracking feature launches on Pixel phones Monday.
Update 3/10: The camera mates are extended to Pixel phones with version 2.51.19 of Google Fit. Once alive, there will be new “Check your heart rate” and “Track your breathing rate” cards in the Home Feed. After rejecting the introductory instructions, tap the ‘plus’ sign at the top right of the respiratory and heart rate cards to start a session.
“Respiratory” and “Check your heart rate” cards in the Home Stream. Google also released a video with step-by-step guidelines on how to use it. The update now starts via the Play Store, but you can download it manually and download it later.
Starting today, we’ll be able to measure your heart rate and breathing rate * with Google Fit using only your phone’s camera. These features were first available in the Google Fit app for Pixel phones and will be extended to more Android devices in the future.
Although these measurements are “not intended for medical purposes”, Google says Fit’s camera-based approach provides an easy way to track and improve your daily well-being using the equipment you already have.
Heart rate measurements are done by holding your finger over the rear camera lens and applying light pressure for about 30 seconds. To increase accuracy in dark environments, flash can be activated. Google Fit approaches blood flow by detecting ‘subtle changes in the color of your fingers’, using algorithms that take into account exposure, skin color, age and other factors.
Your heartbeat gives you a glimpse of what is going on with your heart. Your heart beats faster when you are active, but can also increase because of certain foods and drinks, or when you feel stressed or excited. You will see a lower heart rate if you are quiet and relaxed.
With increased physical activity, the heart also becomes more efficient at pumping blood over time. Monitoring your heart rate at rest can show you your fitness level.
Meanwhile, the measurement of breathing rate – the number of breaths you take per minute – begins to lean your phone on a stable surface so that the front camera clearly sees your torso and head, hats / masks should be removed. Google Fit uses computer vision to search for small changes on your chest.
Breathing rate is another important sign of your well-being. Overall, this is a stable measure, but keeping track of your trend can help you spot changes. For example, you may notice short-term changes in your breathing rate if you feel stressed, anxious, or ill.
The processing required to calculate these two criteria takes place in real time and is done entirely on the device. As such, video streams are not stored on your phone or uploaded to Google’s cloud. After each measurement, you will be asked if you want to save the result in Google Fit for long-term graphs.
On Monday, these Google Fit camera measurements 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 in the Play Store.
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