Google Fit for iOS Now Measures Heart Rate and Respiratory Rate Using Device Camera: Report

According to reports, Google Fit for iOS now has the ability to track and measure heart and respiratory rates using an iPhone’s camera.

When a user applies light pressure to the rear camera lens, the fitness app can detect their heart rate. It may also function if the user’s smartphone lacks an active internet connection.

The front camera, on the other hand, records the number of breaths per minute taken by the user (BPM). Google Fit’s heart and respiratory rate tracking feature was first introduced in February for Google Pixel smartphones.

9to5 Google Fit for iOS is getting heart and respiratory rate measurement features, according to Google. Google measures a user’s heartbeat and BPM by tracking subtle movements in their body.

When a user places a finger on the rear camera sensor and applies light pressure, Google Fit measures their heart rate. If a user is in a low-light environment, the fitness tracking app can increase accuracy by using the smartphone’s flash. Users can also place their hand and iPhone handset in front of a light source. Google estimates blood flow by tracking “subtle changes in the color of your fingers.” The heart rate algorithms also take lighting, skin tone, age, and other factors into account.

The heart-rate measurement takes about 30 seconds and displays a graph with beats per minute (BPM). When the process is finished, the user can choose to save the vitals to Google Fit.

In addition, with Google Fit for iOS, an iPhone’s selfie camera can track a user’s respiratory rate by counting breaths per second. Users must keep their phone steady and stable, with their head and torso clearly visible in the app’s display, for this to work. Prompts on the screen instruct the user to “hold still” for approximately half a minute. With computer vision tracking, tiny physical movements measure the user’s respiratory rate.

Measurements on Google Fit can also be started by going to the Browse tab and clicking on Vitals. Measurement reminders are also available to users.

9to5 Google stated that the new heart and respiratory rate measurements were viewable on the iPhone 7 and iPad Pro. According to the report, if users have recently downloaded Google Fit and it does not show the new cards, closing the app from the multitasking screen and reopening it should fix the problem.

Google Fit’s heart rate and respiratory rate measurement features were first introduced in February. The features were initially released for Pixel smartphones, but they eventually made their way to other Android smartphones.