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 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 used to track heart rate through a physical photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor on the back of the phone. Users could just press a finger against the sensor, and, after a few seconds, get a heart reading.

The Pixel phones don’t have a PPG, but Google’s solution is not all that different from a PPG. 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.”