Fitbit is the biggest word when it comes to sleep tracking tools, and the company wants to go a bit further. Apparently, he is developing a function whose purpose is detect snoring and other noises in the environment, and rate them according to their intensity.
This new feature was found by 9to5Google in the APK file of the Fitbit application for Android, after its most recent update. According to the report, the tool would help determine why users do not sleep properly or feel they lack rest.
The Fitbit Snore and Noise Detector will work with smartwatches that have a built-in microphone. When the feature is activated, the device will measure the base sound level of the room in question – a bedroom, in this case – and will constantly monitor for noises that are louder.
When Fitbit detects levels above the baseline record, use an algorithm to identify whether they are snoring or other noise. All the information that the smart watch records will be processed by the app. Thus, people will see what percentage of the time they slept they did snoring.
According to Gizmodo, the percentages will be framed in different levels of results. If a person snores less than 10% of the total sleep time, Fitbit will indicate “None to mild”. Between 10% and 40% will qualify as “Moderate”, while from 40% onwards it will be “Frequent”.
The new function developed by the Google-owned company also wants to define how noisy is the room to be used for sleeping. The table will be divided into five levels, from “Very quiet” when 30 dbA or less is recorded, to “Very noisy” (90 dbA or more).
Fitbit’s snoring and noise detector has yet to resolve several issues
Images: 9to5Google
It is clear that Fitbit still has to polish several aspects of this new feature. If two or more people share the bedroom, for example, the algorithm can’t identify who snores. Also, if there is persistent noise in the room at high volume, it is also not possible to capture snoring.
In principle, Fitbit recommends users do not use white noise machines or applications to make registration easier. However, this can be an impediment for those who need background sounds to fall asleep.
The other big limitation for the snoring detector is the power consumption. Permanent use of the microphone would quickly drain the battery from smartwatches, and would have to be charged more frequently.
Although 9to5Google could already activate this option in the Fitbit app for Android, still didn’t get it to work. We will see if the firm advances with its development and officially incorporates it in the short or medium term. We will also have to wait to see if it will be available to everyone, or only to Fitbit Premium users.
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