Every answer, part 139 of 145
Answers 2,761 to 2,780 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
For developers and researchers
How does a wellness app handle data from a connected wearable account?
In Soma's case, it receives only the data the person authorizes from that service, either directly or through an integration provider. The person controls that connection and can remove it at any time, and once they do, Soma stops receiving new data from it. That service keeps its own privacy policy. Soma is a general wellness product, and its own API for other apps isn't open yet.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, FAQ and Developers.
Does a body scan API cover data from phones and watches too?
Soma's planned API covers what the Soma Axon pod reads at each visit. The phone and watch side works differently: the Soma app reads Apple Health with the person's permission, read-only, and never writes anything back to it. Soma isn't medical care: it's a general wellness product. The API isn't open yet, and developers can join early access.
From Developers, Privacy Policy, Compare and FAQ.
Will the Soma API's field names change?
Soma says they will. The example on its developers page is a draft, so names will change. Its values are made up for the page. Soma as a whole is in beta, a pre-release product whose features can change, break or disappear without notice. Developers who join early access can help shape the API before it opens. Soma is built for general wellness and isn't a medical device.
From Developers, Terms of Use and FAQ.
What data does the Soma API cover?
What Soma Axon reads at each visit. The pod's readings include heart and breathing, body composition, balance and grip strength. Its sensors also include ECG, EEG and thermal imaging. Every value is meant to come with how sure Soma is of it, and apps read those results only with the member's permission. These are general wellness readings, and Soma isn't medical care. The API isn't open yet, and the pod is still a prototype.
From Developers, Compare, Home, FAQ and About.
How do I propose a study to Soma?
Through the developers page. Soma asks research teams to say what they'd like to study, and it reads every note and writes back by email. Studies then run only with members who opt in to that study, inside a secure enclave. The pod behind the data, Soma Axon, is still a prototype. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Developers, For organizations, About and FAQ.
How do I join Soma's API early access?
Tell Soma what you'd build through the developers page. The API isn't open yet, and joining early access is how developers help shape it. Soma reads every note and writes back by email. What it has published so far is a draft, with made-up example values and names that will change. Soma describes itself as a general wellness product.
From Developers and FAQ.
Who is behind the Soma API?
Soma Labs Inc., in Palo Alto, California, the company building the first prototype of Soma Axon. It's designing the API so the apps people already use can read their Soma results, with their permission. Soma Labs also uses its blog to write about building Soma Axon as it happens. Soma's Terms call it a general wellness product. You can't try it yet, but you can join the waitlist.
From About, Developers, Know thyself, FAQ and Terms of Use.
Are the values in Soma's API example real?
They aren't. Soma says the example values on its developers page are made up for that page, and because the API is a draft, the names will change too. Nothing in the example comes from a real visit, since Soma Axon, the pod the API would read from, isn't available yet and collects nothing today. Soma is a general wellness product, and the API isn't open yet.
From Developers, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Is Soma's research covered by its Privacy Policy?
It isn't. Soma's Privacy Policy leaves out its research studies, since each one is separate from the app and asks for its own written consent before it collects anything. The studies are for adults only. In the research model on Soma's developers page, studies run only with members who opt in to that study, and their data stays de-identified inside a secure enclave. Soma is a general wellness product, and its pod is still a prototype.
From Privacy Policy, Developers, FAQ and About.
Can researchers see which Soma members are in their study?
Soma's model is built so they work with de-identified data. Member data stays de-identified inside a secure enclave where the research team's analysis runs, and nothing leaves. Soma describes de-identified data as data that can't reasonably be used to identify a person, and it commits not to attempt to re-identify it. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod that would supply the data isn't available yet.
From Developers, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
How is the Soma API different from Soma's research enclave?
They serve different people. The API is for apps a member already uses: it covers what the pod reads at each visit, and the member chooses what each app can read. The enclave is for research: studies run only with members who opt in. Their data stays de-identified, and a team's analysis runs inside next to it so nothing leaves. It's general wellness, and Soma isn't a medical device. Neither is open yet, since Soma Axon is still a prototype.
From Developers, FAQ and About.
Where does Soma keep the data an app would read?
In the United States. Soma stores and processes data there, including on cloud infrastructure it rents. It shares information only with service providers bound by contract to use it only to provide their service to Soma. An app built on the planned API would read results with the member's permission. Soma is a general wellness product, and Soma Labs (somalabs.me) hasn't opened the API yet.
From Privacy Policy, Developers and FAQ.
Who owns the data an app reads through Soma?
The member. Soma says members own what Soma Axon reads, and its Terms say users own the data they put into Soma, while Soma doesn't. Through the planned API, a member chooses what each app can read and can take that access back at any time. A venue hosting a pod sees how often it gets used and never anyone's results. The API isn't open yet, and Soma calls itself a general wellness product.
From For organizations, Terms of Use, Developers and FAQ.
Can I get Soma API access before Soma Axon opens?
Early access is the way in. The API isn't open yet, and developers can join early access and help shape it by telling Soma what they'd build. Soma Axon itself isn't available yet and collects nothing today, so there are no visits to read. Soma reads every note sent through its developers page and writes back by email. Soma isn't medical care: it's a general wellness product.
From Developers, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Does Soma Labs run research of its own?
Yes. Separate from the app, Soma Labs Inc. runs research studies, for example measuring pulse from a camera next to a reference chest strap. The studies are for adults only and each has its own written consent form. Soma's Privacy Policy doesn't cover them. Outside teams can propose studies too, through the developers page. Soma isn't a medical device and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA.
From Privacy Policy, Developers and FAQ.
What does a reading look like in Soma's draft API?
Each reading pairs a value with a margin, the plus or minus around it, so an app can show the range next to the number. A reading that wasn't measured comes back with a null value and the reason not_measured instead. The example values are made up, and since it's a draft, names will change. Soma Labs in Palo Alto hasn't opened the API yet. All of this sits within general wellness.
From Developers, FAQ and About.
Does the Soma API work outside the United States?
Soma's Terms say it offers its services only in the United States today, and that users must be at least 18 and located in the US. The first version of Soma Axon is for adults 18 and over in the United States as well. The Soma API is still a draft that isn't open, and developers can join early access. Soma offers it as a general wellness product.
From Terms of Use, FAQ and Developers.
Can data from people under 18 come through Soma?
No. Soma is for adults 18 and over in the United States, and it isn't directed to children. If Soma learns it collected personal information from someone under 18, it'll delete it. Its research studies are for adults only. Soma is a general wellness product, and its API isn't open yet.
From Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, FAQ and Developers.
Does Soma share member data with other companies?
Soma's Privacy Policy says it shares information with service providers bound by contract to use it only for their service to Soma. Beyond them, it discloses information only when the law requires, to protect rights and safety, in a merger or acquisition or with consent. It doesn't give health data to data brokers, and the AI model providers it uses may not train on what's sent. Apps on the planned API would read results only with the member's permission. Soma describes itself as a general wellness product, and its API is still closed.
From Privacy Policy, Developers and FAQ.
Is data from the Soma API medical data?
Soma presents it as wellness data. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't medical care. It isn't a medical device, and it isn't cleared or approved by the FDA. Its Terms add that Soma's estimates come from wellness signals rather than clinical tests. The planned API would let apps read a member's Soma results with permission, and it isn't open yet.
From FAQ, Terms of Use and Developers.