Google will soon let you use your Pixel phone to measure your heart rate

Need to measure your heart rate? If you do, then chances are you might need a wearable like a fitness tracker or a smartwatch, but Google is hoping to change that. The company has recently announced that they will be pushing out an update soon that will allow Android phone users to use their smartphones to measure their heart rate.

The feature will be rolling out to Pixel owners first and how it works is that it will use your phone’s camera to measure your pulse and breath rates. This is done by looking at your rate of breath, so obviously the faster you are breathing, the higher your breath rate should be. The feature will also take advantage of the Pixel’s camera to see changes of color under your skin to measure your heart rate. This can be done by placing your finger on the rear camera.

That being said, it should be noted that these technologies aren’t exactly new, but it’s good to see them arrive in our smartphones. This means that in terms of health monitoring, more people will be able to do that without having to purchase additional hardware. Right now, the feature is intended for Pixel phones, but Google states that they will eventually open it up to more Android devices in the future.

Source: Engadget