Xiaomi smartphones under MIUI 13 have a special feature to measure your heart rate using a fingerprint reader. No need for apps or wearables like smartwatches or fitness trackers. I explain how to do that in this very quick tutorial.
The MIUI 13 feature called Heart Rate claims to be able to measure your heartbeats per minute (BPM) by measuring your pulse. Xiaomi explains that the blood is not completely opaque and light can pass through it. Through the light projected by the fingerprint reader, manufacturers can track changes in blood flow in your fingers, “converting” them into BPM. According to Xiaomi, the result will have a margin of error of less than 3 BPM.
How to measure heart rate with Xiaomi smartphone?
- go to set up Via MIUI
- Enter special function
- choose heart rate
- Put your finger in place of the fingerprint reader 15 seconds of motionless
Fingerprint readers can be a bit finicky / © kwgeek
I tested it on the Mi 12X and the fingerprint reader turned out to be finicky. I had to do this a few times because it told me I was moving my finger, thus canceling the process.
However, my Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G does not have this feature. It’s also present in other manufacturers, including Realme, which has integrated it into Realme Labs, whose menus are used to test features that are still in development. And I must say that I prefer the version of Realme UI 3, which is more complete.
It allows you to define in which situation (work, rest, etc.) and your state (fatigue, stress, etc.) the heart rate measurement takes place. Best of all, Realme allows you to keep a history of past measurements. One last detail, my BPM on the Realme GT 2 Pro is significantly lower than the Mi 12X. So this feature is clearly not a substitute for more reliable measurements using real health apps and wearables designed for them.
Realme UI 3’s version is more complete than Xiaomi’s and has a history of your measured BPM / © kwgeek
This tutorial explains how to measure heart rate on a Xiaomi smartphone. What do you think of the usefulness and reliability of this feature? Do you measure your BPM regularly?
