Every answer, part 39 of 145
Answers 761 to 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.
What the pod reads
What does a weekly body read look like on a phone?
In the Soma app, it would sit across three views: Today, Body and Mind. Today sums the day up in three scores and one next move as soon as you open the app, Body turns weekly visits into a handful of facts and Mind gives one score for the nervous system. Every score shows what moved it. Soma is a general wellness product, and the app isn't ready for the public yet.
Which is quicker, a 3D body scan or a DEXA scan?
A 3D body scan, by Soma's figures. Its full-body scans guide puts a 3D scan at under a minute and a DEXA scan at about 7 to 11 minutes, and the DEXA uses a very low dose of X-rays while the 3D scanner uses no radiation. Soma Axon, the weekly pod Soma Labs is building, takes a few minutes and uses nothing ionizing. It's a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, Compare and FAQ.
Can I see my wellness scores without an internet connection?
Soma's Today view is designed for that: it's computed on the phone and works offline, even in airplane mode. It sums up the day in three scores and one next move, and nothing shown there gets sent to Soma. Soma is a general wellness product, and the app isn't ready for the public yet.
From Privacy Policy, Home and FAQ.
How much will a Soma Axon reading cost?
No price is published yet. Soma says it's meant to be a weekly habit and will be priced like one, with prices shared before the first pod opens and the waitlist hearing them first. The optional blood test will be an add-on with its own price. Soma is a general wellness product, and Soma Labs in Palo Alto is still building the first prototype.
What does a venue get from hosting a weekly body scan?
For Soma Axon hosts, Soma points to repeat visits: a member who comes every week makes 52 visits a year, and a venue sees how often the pod gets used, shown as visits through the week. It never sees anyone's results, since members own what the pod reads. The pod is a general wellness product, and Soma Labs, the Palo Alto company building it, is choosing its first host sites.
From For organizations, FAQ and About.
Will Soma estimate my biological age?
Soma's Privacy Policy mentions a biological age estimate as one of the derived facts its server-side engines can compute from a synced Apple Health record, along with long-term trends. Its Terms say every number Soma shows, a biological age estimate included, is an estimate shown with its uncertainty. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't medical care. The app isn't ready for the public yet.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Where does a wellness company keep body scan data?
Soma says it stores and processes data in the United States, including on cloud infrastructure it rents. Its safeguards include encryption in transit between the app and its servers and access limited to the few people who need it to run Soma, and Soma says no system is perfectly secure. For Soma Axon itself, nothing is collected today, since the pod isn't available yet. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
How does what a smartwatch reads compare with what a smart scale reads?
They cover different ground, as Soma describes the categories. A watch reads a few signals all day, like pulse, sleep and steps, while a smart scale estimates body composition with a very small electrical current, and you can step on it each morning in 30 seconds. Soma Axon is being built to cover some of both once a week: heart and breathing, body composition, balance, grip strength and skin photos. The Soma app reads your watch between visits. It's a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
From FAQ, Full-body scans compared, Blog and Compare.
Can I stop a wellness app from reading my health data?
With Soma, yes. You can turn off Soma's access to Apple Health at any time in the iOS Settings app, under Health, then Data Access & Devices, then Soma. The app's access is read-only, and it only reads the data types you allow. Granting access and turning on history sync are separate choices you can take back. Soma is a general wellness product, and the app isn't ready for the public yet.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Do my phone's sensors affect the results Soma shows?
Yes, Soma's Terms say so. The results it computes depend on your phone's sensors, on Apple Health and on any service you connect, none of which Soma controls. Every value Soma shows comes with its margin of error, and any figure it computes carries its date, the amount of data behind it and the engine version. Soma is a general wellness product, and the app isn't ready for the public yet.
From Terms of Use, Home and FAQ.
How long does it take to photograph your whole skin?
About 10 to 30 minutes at a dermatology practice, according to Soma's full-body scans guide. In Soma Axon, skin photos are part of a reading that takes a few minutes: you turn a quarter at a time so the cameras see you all the way around. Soma won't say whether a mole is harmful. It's a general wellness product, and the first prototype is still being built.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ, Home, Blog and About.
Can I ask the Soma app questions about my readings?
Some Soma features answer questions in plain language using an AI model, and they're optional: you choose when to use them, and Soma doesn't turn them on for you. Soma's Terms describe those answers as informational only: they can be wrong or incomplete, and they aren't medical advice. When you use one, Soma sends your question and only the part of your data that feature needs. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Where could I get weekly photos of my skin taken?
Soma Axon pods are planned for Soma's own studio and for longevity clinics, gyms, workplaces and pharmacies, according to Soma Labs, the Palo Alto company building them. The pod photographs your skin at every visit, so you'd have photos from each visit to look back on, and to show a clinician if you choose. Soma won't tell you whether a mole is harmful. It's a general wellness product, and no pod is open yet.
Whole-body MRI or a dermatology skin check: what does each one look at?
Per Soma's full-body scans guide, a whole-body MRI takes images of your organs and tissue over 22 to 60 minutes, while a dermatology skin check is a head-to-toe look at your skin that takes about 10 to 30 minutes. Soma Axon isn't an MRI and doesn't image organs. It photographs your skin at every weekly visit, and Soma won't say whether a mole is harmful. It's a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ and Compare.
What's the difference between reading the body and imaging it?
Imaging, like a whole-body MRI, produces pictures of your organs and tissue, using a magnetic field and radio waves, per Soma's full-body scans guide. Soma Axon reads you from the outside, with cameras, light and sensors you touch. It doesn't take images of your organs. It reads skin, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and strength. It's a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ and Compare.
Does using Soma make Soma my clinician?
No. Soma's Terms say using Soma doesn't create a clinician-patient relationship between you and Soma. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't medical care, and it tells people to keep seeing their doctor and keep their check-ups. For your health, its Terms say to talk to a qualified clinician. Soma Axon isn't available yet.
From Terms of Use, FAQ and Compare.
Can I get a weekly body read if I don't wear a watch?
Yes, with Soma's design a watch is optional. Soma Axon does the full read once a week, and if you wear a watch, the Soma app gets more detail about the days between visits. The app itself needs an iPhone, since it reads Apple Health. It's a general wellness product, and the pod isn't available yet.
Can I use Soma's readings to adjust my medication?
No. Soma's Terms say not to start, stop or change any medication or treatment because of something Soma shows you, and to talk to a qualified clinician about your health. Soma is a general wellness product, and it isn't intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Every number it shows is an estimate. Soma Axon isn't available yet.
From Terms of Use, FAQ and Compare.
Can I see a trend in my body without logging anything myself?
Soma's app is designed to keep reading from your phone and watch between visits, and its Body view turns weekly Soma Axon visits into a handful of facts, reading the trend across all of them. You can add notes or log your mood if you choose, but the readings come from the pod and your devices. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod and app aren't available yet.
From FAQ, Home and Privacy Policy.
What does 'know yourself, love yourself' have to do with body readings?
It's Soma's mission, and the second half isn't from Delphi. Soma says it added 'love yourself' because people tend to look after what they understand, and it wants Soma to help with the understanding. Soma Labs, the Palo Alto company behind Soma, is building Soma Axon to read skin, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and strength every week. It's a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
From Know thyself, About, FAQ and Compare.