New Delhi: Google Fit for iOS has reportedly developed a feature to track and measure heart and respiratory rates using the iPhone’s camera. The fitness app can measure the heart rate of the user as soon as slight pressure is applied on the rear camera lens. It can work even when the user’s smartphone does not have an active internet connection. On the other hand, the front camera tracks the user’s breaths per minute (BPM). Google Fit’s heart and respiratory rate tracking feature was first introduced in February for Google Pixel smartphones.
According to 9to5Google, Google Fit on iOS is getting heart and respiratory rate measurement features. It tracks subtle movements in the user’s body to measure their heartbeat and BPM. Google Fit measures a user’s heart rate when they place a finger on the rear camera sensor and apply slight pressure. On the other hand, if you are in a low-light place, you can use the flash of your smartphone to increase the accuracy of the fitness tracking app.
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As an alternative, users can place their hands and the iPhone handset in front of a light source. Google measures heart rate by tracking “tiny changes in the color of your fingers” to get an idea of blood circulation. It takes about 30 seconds to measure heart rate and preview a graph with beats per minute (BPM). Once the process is complete, the user has the option to store important data in Google Fit.
With Google Fit for iOS, the iPhone’s selfie camera can track the user’s respiratory rate, their breaths per second. For this, the user has to balance his phone with his head and body clearly visible in the display of the app. Alternatively, tracks on Google Fit can also be started by going to the Browse tab and clicking on vitals. The user also has the option to set a reminder for the measurement.
According to 9to5Google, the new heart and respiratory tracks on the iPhone 7 and iPad Pro are enabled. The report also says that if users have recently downloaded Google Fit and it doesn’t show the new cards, closing the app from the multitasking screen and then restarting will work.
Google first introduced heart and respiratory track features for Google Fit in February. The feature was initially launched for Pixel smartphones, which eventually spread to other Android smartphones.