Key Takeaways
- Pixel 8 and 9 Pro’s temperature sensor now measures human body temperature in more regions.
- The feature is now available in Europe, with support for local European languages.
- You must have a local carrier SIM for the option to show up in the Pixel Thermometer app.
The Google Pixel 8 Pro received heavy criticism following its launch in October 2023 for its seemingly pointless temperature sensor. At release, it made little sense, as the sensor could only measure the temperature of objects and food. With the January 2024 Feature Drop, Google received the necessary FDA clearance to use the Pixel 8 Pro’s thermometer on humans, increasing its usefulness. While the feature was initially limited to the US, Google has now expanded human temperature measurement on its flagship Pixel phones to select European countries.
Google has silently updated the Pixel’s body temperature Fitbit support page to reflect the wider availability of the feature (via Reddit). The page now states that body temperature measurement is now available in several European countries on the Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL running Android 14. The full list of supported regions is listed below:
Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States.
In the page, Google notes that your phone must have an active SIM or eSIM from a local carrier in the above-mentioned countries for the body temperature option to show up. Additionally, your phone must be set to a supported language. If you still don’t see the Body temperature option in the Thermometer app on your Pixel, ensure you are running the latest build available. Otherwise, wait for a wider push from Google on the feature’s wider rollout.
Sync the recorded body temperature with your Fitbit account
Before you can use the Pixel’s thermometer for body temperature measurement, you’ll be prompted to connect your Fitbit account. This will later provide a handy option to directly sync the readings to the Fitbit app. By default though, the Pixel Thermometer app will only save your body temperature for seven days; all recorded data is automatically deleted after that.
The wider expansion of body temperature measurement on flagship Pixel phones comes just as Google rolled out a major UI overhaul for the Pixel Thermometer app with the Pixel 9 launch. The new UI delivers a better user experience by showing a camera preview on the object temperature measurement screen.
-
Google Pixel 9
The Pixel 9 is Google’s most affordable 2024 flagship, making a few compromises when compared to the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL while retaining the Google smarts the lineup has become known for. An upgraded 48MP ultra-wide camera is paired with a 50MP main shooter, and the selfie cam added autofocus. All of this comes with new Gemini AI features and a 2,700-nit Actua display for exceptional value at its price point.
-
Google Pixel 9 Pro
The Pixel 9 Pro is a new addition to Google’s lineup, slotting in as a smaller premium flagship to pair with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The latter is the direct successor to 2023’s Pixel 8 Pro despite its new XL moniker, whereas the Pixel 9 Pro brings a new form-factor to Google’s high-end offerings, sporting the same dimensions as the standard Pixel 9 model while packing all the AI and camera prowess we’ve grown accustomed to from Google’s Pro lineup.
-
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a new name, but it fills the same slot as 2023’s Pixel 8 Pro, having similar specs with roughly the same footprint. The non-XL Pixel 9 Pro is new to the lineup as a smaller premium flagship offering. With the 9 Pro XL, however, you get Google’s fastest charging, a bigger screen and battery, and all of the camera and Gemini AI smarts you’d get in the smaller 9 Pro.
