Every answer, part 60 of 145
Answers 1,181 to 1,200 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
The Soma app
Do I need a watch to use the Soma app?
No. With Soma a watch is optional. The app runs on iPhone and reads Apple Health, and if you do wear a watch, it gets more detail about the days between Soma Axon visits. It's a general wellness app, and it isn't available yet: people on the waitlist will hear when it's ready.
From FAQ, Blog and Privacy Policy.
Do I need a smartwatch to get daily wellness scores on my iPhone?
Not always. A watch is on you all day, so it can follow trends in your heart rate and sleep. With the Soma app, a watch is optional: its Today view sums up the day in three scores and one next move, and wearing a watch gives it more detail about your days. It's general wellness, and it's still being built, so there's a waitlist.
From The same instrument, every week, FAQ, Home and Waitlist.
Does the Soma app write anything to Apple Health?
No. The Soma app reads Apple Health and never writes anything back. Access is read-only and covers only the data types you allow, so you decide what it sees. You can switch it off at any time in the iOS Settings app, under Health, then Data Access & Devices, then Soma. Soma isn't a medical device.
From Compare, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Can I turn off the Soma app's access to Apple Health?
Yes, at any time. Open the iOS Settings app and go to Health, then Data Access & Devices, then Soma. Granting access and turning on history sync are separate choices, and you can take back either one. Soma isn't medical care, and the app isn't a medical device.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What is the Today view in the Soma app?
Today is the Soma app's daily summary. It's read on your phone, so there's no network to wait on. It sums up the day in three scores and one next move the moment you open the app, even in airplane mode. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't medical care.
Is there a wellness app that works in airplane mode?
The Soma app is designed to. Its Today view is computed on the iPhone itself, so it works offline and sums up your day in three scores and one next move even in airplane mode. Nothing on that view is sent to Soma. The app needs an iPhone and isn't available yet. There's a waitlist for early access, and Soma's Terms describe Soma as a general wellness product.
From Privacy Policy, Home, FAQ and Terms of Use.
Does the Soma app need an account?
Not to start. The Privacy Policy dated September 27, 2026 says the Soma app has no account and nothing you read in it leaves your phone. The Today view runs on your phone without one. An account only comes in if you turn on history sync, which needs an email address and a way to sign in. The app is general wellness software, and Soma isn't cleared or approved by the FDA.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Can I get a daily wellness summary without creating an account?
With the Soma app, yes. Its Today view runs on your iPhone with no account at all, and it sums up your day in three scores and one next move from the phone and watch data you allow in Apple Health. An account only matters for history sync, which is optional. The app isn't out yet, and Soma is a wellness product rather than a medical device.
From Terms of Use, Home, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What is the Body view in the Soma app?
Body is where the Soma app turns your weekly Soma Axon visits into a handful of facts. One reading on its own doesn't say much, so Body reads the trend across all your visits and always says how sure Soma is and how much data each answer rests on. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't a medical device.
How can I see the trend across months of body readings instead of one-off numbers?
A number means more when it's taken the same way each time, because the hour, the room and the device can all move it. Soma Axon is being built around that idea, as a pod that reads your body the same way every week. The Soma app's Body view then reads the trend across all your visits and says how sure Soma is of each answer. Soma is a general wellness product, and it isn't available yet.
From The same instrument, every week, Home, About, FAQ and Compare.
What is the Mind view in the Soma app?
Mind gives you one score for your nervous system and shows what moved it. The Soma app reads your HRV, resting heart rate and breathing against your own usual range, and tapping the score shows which of them moved it, next to the day's stress peaks and last night's sleep. Soma is a general wellness product, and the score isn't medical care.
Is there an app that shows my HRV against my own usual range?
The Soma app is being built to. Its Mind view reads HRV, resting heart rate and breathing from what your phone and watch record in Apple Health, and it sets each one against your own usual range. Tap the score to see which of them moved it. Soma is a general wellness product, and the app isn't available yet: the waitlist hears first.
How is the Soma app different from a smartwatch's own app?
A smartwatch reads a few signals all day, like pulse, sleep and steps. The Soma app reads what your watch and phone save to Apple Health and adds a weekly Soma Axon read of the whole body, including body composition, balance and strength, which its Body view turns into a handful of facts. Soma says they work together: the watch covers the days and the pod covers the week. Soma keeps to general wellness and isn't medical care.
Can an iPhone app use the sleep data from my smart ring?
If your ring's app saves its readings to Apple Health, the Soma app can read the ones you allow, since it reads Apple Health between visits and never writes back. Soma describes the split plainly: a ring covers your nights and Soma Axon covers the week. Soma is a general wellness product, and neither the pod nor the app is available yet.
From Privacy Policy, Blog, Compare and FAQ.
How does the Soma app get data from Apple Health?
Through HealthKit, and only with your permission. The Soma app's access is read-only, so Soma never writes anything back. It's limited to the data types you choose. Sensitive types get their own request, only when a feature needs them. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA.
From Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Compare and FAQ.
Does the Soma app use AI?
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. When you do ask, Soma sends your question and only the part of your data that feature needs to an AI model provider, which may not train its models on it. The answers are informational only and can be wrong. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What should I get after a quick body scan?
It depends on the scan. A clinic scan puts several instruments and a clinician in one visit. Soma Axon, the weekly pod Soma Labs is building, is designed to show you one calm number on your way out and put everything else in the Soma app, in plain words, with the margin of error for each value. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ, Compare and About.
How can I make my health readings mean something over time?
Readings get more useful when they're taken the same way every time. Most health numbers depend on the hour, the room and the device as well as on you, which makes two readings hard to compare. Soma Axon is being built as one closed pod with the same light and camera angles each week, and the Soma app's Body view reads the trend across all your visits. It's general wellness, and it's still being built, so there's a waitlist.
From About, The same instrument, every week, Home, FAQ, Compare and Waitlist.
How can I keep a personal record of my body over a year?
Weekly readings taken the same way add up to 52 whole-body reads a year, where a yearly check-up gives you one. That's the pace Soma Axon is being built for. The Soma app keeps the thread: its Body view reads the trend across all your visits, and optional history sync stores your raw record while your account stays open. Soma is a general wellness product, and it isn't available yet.
From FAQ, Home, Privacy Policy and Compare.
Where can I see my body scan results and my watch data side by side?
In the Soma app, once Soma Axon exists. The pod does the full read once a week and shows one calm number on your way out, while the app holds the rest next to what your phone and watch record between visits. It all fits on three views: Today, Body and Mind. Soma is a general wellness product, and the first prototype is still being built, so there's a waitlist.