Name: Google to add heart and respiratory rate tracking to Android phones
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Google to add heart and respiratory rate tracking to Android phones

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FollowThe search giant has made a push in fitness tech as it aims to compete with Apple.Richard NievaSenior reporterRichard Nieva is a senior reporter for CNET News, focusing on Google and Yahoo. He previously worked for PandoDaily and Fortune Magazine, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, on CNNMoney.com and on CJR.org.2 min readon Thursday unveiled new features for tracking breathing and heart rates on , as the giant competes with and other companies that have made a push in tech.&nbsp; The new features measure a person's respiratory rate and heart rate using their phone's . The respiratory tool works like a person taking a selfie. While posed in front of the camera, the software measures breathing by detecting small movements of the chest.&nbsp; For the heart rate tool, placing a finger on top of the rear camera lens lets the software analyze subtle changes of color to the skin of the fingertip. Those color changes occur when blood flows from the heart to the rest of the body. The features are coming to the company's Google Fit app for exercising and fitness in the next month. They'll first be released on Google's flagship phones, then more widely to other phones in the next few months.While biometric features come standard on several fitness trackers, Google said it wanted to make those tools available without the extra hardware. "It turns out that relatively few people in the US, let alone the world, actually have wearables," Jack Po, product manager for Google Health, said during a briefing with reporters. "So one of the things that we really focused on was trying to get it on the most ubiquitous device that's probably available, which is of course the cellphone." Still, Google has invested heavily in wearable hardware to catch up to the success of the . Last month, Google said it of fitness tracker pioneer , a $2.1 billion deal that was mired in . Regulators have worried that Fitbit's biometric user data would further entrench Google's lead in targeted digital advertising. Google has said it won't use the data for ads.&nbsp; A Google spokeswoman said the company won't use data from the respiratory and heart rate features for ads, either. Google said it tested the features with people from different backgrounds, health statuses and skin tones. The company said it will share its findings in coming weeks and is currently seeking publication in a peer-reviewed journal.&nbsp;Get the CNET Mobile newsletterFind the best phones, apps and accessories with our CNET Mobile newsletter. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays.

FollowThe search giant has made a push in fitness tech as it aims to compete with Apple.Richard NievaSenior reporterRichard Nieva is a senior reporter for CNET News, focusing on Google and Yahoo. He previously worked for PandoDaily and Fortune Magazine, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, on CNNMoney.com and on CJR.org.2 min readon Thursday unveiled new features for tracking breathing and heart rates on , as the giant competes with and other companies that have made a push in tech.&nbsp; The new features measure a person's respiratory rate and heart rate using their phone's...

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Richard Nieva is a senior reporter for CNET News, focusing on Google and Yahoo. He previously worked for PandoDaily and Fortune Magazine, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, on CNNMoney.com and on CJR.org.

https://www.cnet.com/profiles/richardnieva/

Richard Nieva

CNET, formerly Computer Network, is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. Founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition in 2008.

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Google to add heart and respiratory rate tracking to Android phones

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