Every answer, part 21 of 145
Answers 401 to 420 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
Soma Axon, the pod
How can I see my stress peaks during the day?
The Soma app shows them next to its Mind score. Mind gives one score for your nervous system and what moved it, and tapping it lays out the measures behind it beside the day's stress peaks. Soma frames stress and recovery as read from the nervous system and set next to how you say you feel. It's general wellness, and the app isn't ready for everyone yet.
Which body changes are slow enough to follow week by week?
Soma's examples are body composition, strength and a resting pulse. It describes Soma Axon as being for the slower changes, like body composition and strength, measured the same way every week. It also expects something like a resting pulse creeping up over a month of short nights to show as a trend. Weekly readings show what's changing and how fast. It's a general wellness product still being built.
From Compare, The same instrument, every week, Blog, FAQ and About.
How can I make a weekly body check part of my errands?
Put it somewhere you already go. Soma plans Soma Axon pods in pharmacies, where a visit takes a few minutes on the way to the counter, as well as in gyms, workplaces, longevity clinics and its own studio. The whole visit is meant to take about as long as getting a coffee. It's a general wellness pod, and none has opened yet.
From For organizations, FAQ and Home.
How can I look back on how my body has changed?
Soma's answer is a running record. The Body section of the Soma app turns weekly Soma Axon visits into a handful of facts and reads the trend across all of them. The pod also photographs your skin at every visit, which gives you dated photos to look back on and to show a clinician if you choose. Soma won't say whether a mole is harmful. It's general wellness, and the pod isn't open yet.
Can a wellness company share my data with data brokers?
Soma says it won't. Its Privacy Policy says it doesn't give health data to data brokers and doesn't sell personal information, and it shares information only with service providers bound by contract to use it only to provide their service to Soma. It also doesn't use what it collects to advertise to you. Soma is a general wellness product, and its pod, Soma Axon, is still being built.
From Privacy Policy, FAQ and About.
Does a wellness app need an account to work?
Not necessarily. As of its September 27, 2026 Privacy Policy, the Soma app has no account. Its Today view runs on your phone without one. An account comes in only if you turn on history sync, which needs an email address, an optional name and a way to sign in. Soma's products are for general wellness, and Soma Axon, the weekly pod, is still being built.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, FAQ and About.
Where is my wellness data stored?
It depends on the app. With Soma, nothing you read in the app leaves your phone until you turn on history sync. Once you do, your raw record is stored on servers Soma rents from its cloud host in the United States, and Soma stores and processes data in the US. Soma keeps to general wellness, and its pod, Soma Axon, isn't collecting anything yet.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Can I turn off an app's access to Apple Health?
For the Soma app, yes: in the iOS Settings app, go to Health, then Data Access & Devices, then Soma. Granting Apple Health access and turning on history sync are separate, revocable choices, so granting one doesn't grant the other. Soma's access is read-only either way. Soma isn't cleared or approved by the FDA, and Soma Axon is still being built.
From Privacy Policy, FAQ and About.
Will my wellness data be used in research without my consent?
Not at Soma. Using the Soma app doesn't enroll you in a research study, and Soma doesn't use app data in a study unless you separately opt in to that specific study. Each Soma Labs study is separate from the app, asks for its own written consent before collecting anything and is for adults only. Soma Axon research would also run only with members who opt in. Soma keeps to general wellness.
From Privacy Policy, Developers and FAQ.
Do wellness apps use AI on my data?
Soma's app can, but only if you choose. Its Terms say some features answer questions in plain language using an AI model, and you decide when to use them. When you do, Soma sends your question and only the part of your data that feature needs to an AI model provider, which may not use it to train its models or keep it longer than needed to answer. Those features are informational, can be wrong and aren't medical advice. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What happens to my data if a wellness company is sold?
Soma's Privacy Policy covers that case. Outside its service providers, Soma discloses information only when the law requires it, to protect rights and safety, with your consent or in a merger or acquisition. In that last case, your data stays protected under the policy, and Soma says it will tell you. It's all general wellness, and Soma Axon, its pod, isn't available yet.
From Privacy Policy, FAQ and About.
Can I get a copy of the data a wellness company holds about me?
Soma lets you. You can ask for access to your data, a copy of it, a correction or deletion by emailing privacy@somalabs.me. Soma responds within 45 days, and if it needs more time it will tell you and may take one further 45-day extension. It verifies requests, for example by confirming your account email. Soma isn't medical care, and Soma Axon isn't collecting anything yet.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What if a wellness company has a data breach?
Soma's Privacy Policy says that if a breach affects your data, it will notify you and the relevant authorities as the law requires. It also admits no system is perfectly secure, and it uses safeguards designed for health data: encryption in transit between the app and its servers, access limited to the few people who need it and ongoing review of its practices. Soma isn't a medical device, and Soma Axon is still being built.
From Privacy Policy, FAQ and About.
Can I follow my body's changes on my phone?
Yes, that's what the Soma app is for. It runs on iPhone and shows what your phone and watch measure as Today, Body and Mind. Body turns your weekly Soma Axon visits into a handful of facts, reading the trend across all of them. Each answer says how much data it's based on. It's a general wellness app, and it isn't ready for everyone yet, though there's a waitlist.
Do wellness companies keep my data after I close my account?
At Soma, your account, raw record and derived facts are kept while the account stays open. You can close it at any time, and after a deletion request Soma removes the data from its live systems within 30 days, with backups rolling off within 90, though it may keep what the law requires. The product is general wellness, and Soma Axon isn't collecting anything today.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
What's the difference between an app reading and writing my health data?
For the Soma app, only reading happens. It reads data from Apple Health with your permission and only the types you specifically allow, and access is read-only, so Soma never writes anything back. Between Soma Axon visits, that's how it fills in the days from your phone and watch. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod is still being built.
From Compare, Privacy Policy, Blog, FAQ and About.
Can I control which health data types an app reads?
With the Soma app, yes. It reads only the Apple Health data types you specifically allow, and sensitive types are requested separately, only when a feature actually needs them. History sync is a separate, revocable choice. Soma sits in general wellness, and Soma Axon, its pod, isn't available yet.
From Privacy Policy, FAQ and About.
What does a whole-body MRI involve?
Soma's guide describes it as images of your organs and tissue, taken with a magnetic field and radio waves, over 22 to 60 minutes. Providers suggest once a year, and with sources read on September 26, 2026, prices ran about $899 to $2,499, with no radiation. Soma Axon is a different kind of scan: it isn't an MRI and doesn't image organs, reading the body weekly as a general wellness product.
From Full-body scans compared and FAQ.
What does a DEXA scan measure?
Body fat, visceral fat, lean mass and bone density, according to Soma's guide, which puts it as measuring what you're made of, down to bone density. It takes about 7 to 11 minutes and uses a very low dose of X-rays, the one full-body scan in the guide that does. Soma Axon reads body composition with a very small electrical current instead and uses nothing ionizing. It's a general wellness pod, still in development.
From Full-body scans compared, Blog and FAQ.
What does a 3D body scanner measure?
Your body's shape and measurements, estimated fat and lean mass and posture, according to Soma's guide. The scanners are found in gyms and take under a minute with no radiation. Each gym sets its own price. Soma Axon reads a different set: skin photos, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and grip strength, once a week. It's general wellness hardware that isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, Compare, FAQ and About.