Fitbit is working on snoring detection feature

Fitbit is working on a feature to map whether a user is snoring. The smartwatches use the built-in microphone for this, which monitors the situation at night. The level of the ambient noise is also measured.

That publishes 9to5Google , which did a teardown of the Fitbit app, version 3.42. The app and smartwatch first measure the baseline of the sound, so how much constant background noise there is. Subsequently, the smartwatch constantly listens for sound coming from above and ‘performs a calculation to determine whether it is snoring or something else’. The amount of snoring is classified into one of three categories: ‘no to mild’ snoring in up to 10 percent of the time asleep, ‘moderate’ in 10 to 40 percent, and ‘frequent’ in more than 40 percent of the time.

Snoring can be an indication of sleep apnea, for example, where a person stops breathing for periods of at least 10 seconds while sleeping. When the breath starts again, one often snores. Sleep apnea can lead to other health ailments.

It is not known whether and when the position will be released. The directions were found in non-public areas of the Fitbit app and have not yet been officially announced. The feature requires a microphone, making this all about Fitbit’s smartwatches and not the fitness trackers.