Google will soon add a pair of new health tracking tools to its Google Fit. The update, which is expected to arrive in March, will introduce heart rate and respiratory rate measurement.
The first phones to see the additional features are in the Google Pixel family, however it’s not clear as to how far back Google plans to roll it out.
Taking advantage of sensors built into the phone’s camera, Google can measure both heartrate and respiratory rate. To track your heartrate, it will ask users to place their finger over the camera where it will look for subtle changes in color. As for respiratory rate, it will employ the front-facing camera and analyze chest movements in breathing.
While these measurements aren’t meant for medical diagnosis or to evaluate medical conditions, we hope they can be useful for people using the Google Fit app to track and improve day-to-day wellness.
Google Fit users can opt to save the readings in the app to monitor trends over time.
If you own a Google Pixel phone, keep your eyes peeled for the Google Fit update which will start in a few week’s time. Other Android-based devices are expected to see the update in the future.
