Pixel phones will now be able to read your heart and respiratory rates with their cameras, as Google adds heart and respiratory rate monitors to its Fit app. The tech giant plans on expanding this feature to other Android phones in the future as well.
This new feature relies on the smartphone camera, which measures the heart rate by tracking changes in color as blood moves through the fingertip, and the respiratory rate by monitoring the rise and fall of the user’s chest, as reported by The Verge.
Google explained that these monitors will only allow users to track their overall wellness and cautioned that these monitors should not be used for diagnosing medical conditions – which is why it does not need clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to add them to the app at this point.
The tech giant also explained that a lot of economically disadvantaged people cannot afford other wearables that will allow them to effectively track their heart and respiratory rates.
Hence, these new features will make these functions more accessible to people, who will now be able to track their heart and respiratory rates on their pixel phones at home.
The team hopes to conduct rigorous testing before these features are made available on other devices.
