Google Pixel phones will soon track heart rate using only the camera

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  Google Fit for Pixel phones will have this new card in the middle for vitals tracking. [credit: Google ]

Google's latest Pixel-exclusive feature is the ability to track your heart rate and respiratory rate without any extra hardware. The company says that starting next month, Google Fit on Pixel phones will track these health stats using only the devices' existing cameras.

We've seen heart-rate tracking on smartphones before thanks to Samsung's Galaxy line. From the Galaxy S5 through the Galaxy S10, Samsung tracked heart rate through a physical photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor on the back of the phone. Users could simply press a finger against the sensor and get a heart reading in seconds.

The Pixel phones don't have a PPG, but Google's solution is not all that different. A PPG shines a light (usually a green LED) into your skin, which is reflected by your bloodstream back to a nearby photoreception. It's basically a specialized camera. Google's Pixel solution just uses the actual camera. Google says, "To measure your heart rate, simply place your finger on the rear-facing camera lens."

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