Soon, Pixel phones will be able to offer users breath and heart rate readings through their smartphone cameras. At the end of the Fitbit acquisition, Google has just announced an update to Google Fit that will bring these vital measurement capabilities to the company’s non-wearable mobile devices next month.
These camera-based vital signs provide people without a Fitbit or other Wear OS smartwatch with a way to periodically check their health data at home. With this update, the Pixel’s front camera will use a combination of its chest and AI movement patterns to provide a respiratory reading that Google says is accurate at one breath per minute.
Meanwhile, the rear camera will be able to recognize subtle changes in color on your skin when the fingertip is placed over the lens, thus offering a pulse reading. According to Google, the algorithm is accurate to 2% based on the company’s tests.
It’s important to note that the Google Fit team tested these features on a wide range of skin tones. In the past, Google’s biometric scanners have struggled with racial prejudice, so it’s comforting to know that the team collected a lot of data for its vital measurement algorithms.
Users will be able to take readings on the Google Fit app. The UI will guide you in positioning the phone so that you are properly framed. As far as privacy is concerned, your recording is not saved anywhere. Only the final measurement is added to your Google Fit dashboard.
These measurements are not intended to replace a doctor’s visit or any other FDA-approved health tool that you normally use. You are encouraged to follow your readings to learn how to identify an irregular measurement and to seek medical help if necessary.
Google is not the first company to use smartphone cameras for health measurements. Amazon’s Halo activity and wellness service tracker takes you to BMI readings through the phone’s front camera. However, using this feature requires possession of the physical band Amazon Halo.
The benefit for the Halo band, or any other of the best fitness trackers or best smartwatches, is the continuous measurement of certain vital signs. Manual tests will be required to take heart rate or respiratory readings using a Pixel camera.
If you are interested in learning more about your body and general well-being, a wearable has more features than your phone. That said, this Google Fit update offers people who can’t afford or want a wrist device an affordable alternative to checking their vitals.
The new feature will make the Pixel’s already excellent camera even more capable when it goes live next month. Google is working to bring these new Google Fit tools to the app on non-brand smartphones as well. So, one question remains: do these camera-based vital signs bring us closer to a Google Pixel Watch?