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How to measure heart rate with an Android phone

Did you know you can measure your heart rate with your Android phone? We'll show you how.

Ed Rhee
Ed Rhee, a freelance writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is an IT veteran turned stay-at-home-dad of two girls. He focuses on Android devices and applications while maintaining a review blog at techdadreview.com.
Ed Rhee

Did you know you can measure your heart rate with your Android phone? Here's how:

Step 1: From the Android Market, find and install Instant Heart Rate.

Step 2: Launch the app and gently place the tip of your index finger on your Android phone's camera lens. Give the app a couple of seconds to calibrate and it will begin measuring your heart rate.

 
Instant Heart Rate app
Screenshot by Ed Rhee

Step 3: After about 10 seconds, your heart rate will display on the screen.

 
Heart rate measured
Screenshot by Ed Rhee

To try again, tap the Measure button on the screen.

That's it. Now you can take your heart rate anytime, anyplace. Just as a note, the app was within 1 BPM of a Garmin Forerunner 305, which included a chest strap heart rate monitor.