How to track your heart rate with your Google Pixel smartphones are capable of monitoring your heart rate even though there isn’t any dedicated hardware in the handset to track these metrics. It instead uses a smart approach that leverages your phone’s rear camera.
Within the Google Fit app, you’ll be able to track your heart rate and your respiratory rate. You’ll need a compatible smartphone to be able to do this though, which includes every Pixel handset since the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.
That means the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are compatible with this feature. Those with those two most recent devices may need to update their software to get the feature.
Things to Consider
Before measuring, do keep in mind that these ratings will not be 100% accurate. The data you get from Google Fit and any other medical grade equipment will differ for sure, be it by a small margin.
Lastly, these measurements should be used purely be used to track and monitor activities for improving wellness. They aren’t meant for medical diagnosis or to evaluate medical conditions. Using a smartphone app could help you check if there is any indication of something off and you’ll need to visit a doctor to get a proper checkup.
How to Track your Heart Rate with Pixel Phone
To start measuring, you will need a pixel phone as you can only track your heart rate with Pixel Phones as of now. But Google plans to expand this feature to other phones shortly.
- Open up the Google Fit app on your phone.
- Scroll to the bottom until you find the Check your heart rate option. Tap on Get started.
- Follow the instructions that appear on the screen and place your finger on the back of the phone’s rear-facing camera lens. Check the screen to see if you’ve correctly placed your finger.
- Keep your finger there until the measurement is complete.
- The phone should display your heart rate.
Google will now ask you if you want to save this data for a long term database. These results are not uploaded to the cloud and are stored on the device itself, keeping the privacy of the user intact.
How to Check Respiratory Rate with your Pixel
Google has also provided the functionality to measure the respiratory rate i.e. the number of breaths taken per minute. During the pandemic, keeping the track of once oxygen saturation was one of the most important things to do. You can use the pulse oximeter along with the Respiratory rate measurement to improve your breathing leading to a healthier life.
- Open the Google Fit app.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap on the Track your respiratory rate option then press on Get started.
- Now, frame yourself using the front camera. You can do so while holding the device with your hand, but the best course of action would be to prop the phone somewhere on a table or desk.
- Wait until the app does the measurement. It can take around 30-40 seconds or so.
- The app should display the result.
Conclusion
The new feature Google added to the Google Fit app is the right step in leading people to a healthier lifestyle. These stats can check your overall wellness and have an indicative vision of your health history so far. Again, take the health-related data and statistics with a grain of salt and let a health professional double-check it the way they usually do
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