In the past, Google has released on-device heart and respiratory rate tracking features. The features use the smartphone's rear and front camera to measure minute changes in the colour of skin and upper body to estimate the heart rate and respiratory rate respectively. Now, the company is testing on-device cough and snore detection for Android and Pixel users.
Known tech publication 9To5Google has managed to decompile the latest version of Google Heath Studies. Within the application, the publication has managed to find strings of code that suggest the presence of 'Sleep Audio Collection.' As a feature, Sleep Audio Collection is available for Google Employees only. Essentially, the company is working on a feature that will collect audio via the microphone on a smartphone for monitoring users' snoring and cough patterns.
The publication also shares an image that shows the quality of sleep, the period for which the user snored and the time at which the user coughed. The "Cough and Snore algorithms" will be used as a bedside monitor for providing users with information related to their sleep. It is known that coughing or snoring during sleep is an indicator of disorders in the body, which should be treated on time.
Google might process the audio it collects locally, on the smartphone, to maintain users' privacy. The report mentions that Google wants to provide users with meaningful insight into their sleep. While there are several applications on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store that help users in monitoring when they snore, an inbuilt tool might be handier for users.
In related news, an important detail about the Pixel Watch has come up. According to a report by 9To5Google, Google Pixel Watch will be powered by Samsung's Exynos 9110 SoC. For the uninitiated, the Exynos 9110 SoC was launched by Samsung in 2018, with the first Galaxy Watch. The dual-core chipset is built on a dated 10nm architecture. It is worthy to mention that the Galaxy Watch 3 released in 2020 and the Galaxy Watch Active 2, both feature the Exynos 9110 SoC.