Google Fit app can measure breathing and heart rate with phone cameras

Google Pixel phones can measure a user’s heart rate and breathing through the Fit app. For this, the phone uses the rear and selfie camera respectively. Google plans to bring this feature to other Android phones in the future as well.

To measure breathing with the Fit app, the user must keep his or her head and the top half of the torso within view of the selfie camera. According to Google, the app uses chest movements to measure breathing, among other things. When activating the selfie camera, the user sees in the app what the camera sees and where he or she should position himself. Users are advised to stabilize the phone against an object.

To measure the heart rate, the user must hold his or her finger against the rear camera. The app uses ‘subtle color differences’ in the finger to determine the heart rate. Google emphasizes that these measurements are not intended for medical diagnosis. Instead, according to the company, they are intended for people who want to monitor and improve their daily well-being.

Users can choose to save the recorded data in the app, so that they can track their well-being over a longer period of time. This data is added to other health data, such as how many steps have been taken and how many calories have been burned.

Google says it has tested both features through “initial clinical studies” and that they work for as many people as possible with different ages and skin colors. The features will be available for Pixel phones next month, with the company “plans” to bring it to other Android devices as well.