Set up Soma on your iPhone

Soma runs on iPhone. It reads what your phone, your watch and your other devices already write to Apple Health, so there's no new gadget to pair before you start.

The first run

The first time you open Soma, it walks you through five short screens.

1. Sign in. Tap Continue with Apple, Continue with email or Not now. You can use Soma without an account. Your answers then stay on this iPhone.
2. What matters most to you? Pick one or more: Sleep, Energy and performance, Stress and nervous system, Longevity and recovery, Skin and appearance, Routines and challenges. Soma uses it to choose what to show first.
3. A little about you. Your birthday and sex are needed. Your name and your body clock are optional. Body clock is five quick questions that place you as a morning, intermediate or evening type.
4. Connect your day. Four rows, each with its own Allow button: Apple Health (read only), Location, Calendar and Notifications. All of them are optional, and you can carry on without any. Give Soma access to Apple Health explains the sheet Apple shows.
5. You're in. If Health already holds your steps, sleep and HRV, you'll see them here. Tap Enter to land on Pulse, with today's view.

Changing your answers later

Tap the person icon at the top left of any tab to open Settings. Your details are at the top, under your name. Notifications, appearance and units are under General, and Health access is under Data. On iPad and Mac, Settings is at the foot of the sidebar.

What to expect on day one

Some cards fill in straight away from the history already in Apple Health. Scores need about a week of nights before they appear, and a card on Today, What Soma needs to learn you, keeps track until then. Why your scores take a week says why.