Every answer, part 68 of 145
Answers 1,341 to 1,360 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
How can I learn more about my body than my weight and resting heart rate?
Soma Labs starts from that exact gap: medicine knows a great deal about the human body, but most people know very little about their own beyond their weight and maybe a resting heart rate. Soma Axon is being built to photograph your skin and read heart, breathing, body composition, balance and strength once a week. The Soma app keeps reading your phone and watch in between. It's general wellness information, and Soma isn't medical care. The pod is still being built.
From Know thyself, FAQ and About.
How can I see my stress over the course of a day?
The Soma app shows the day's stress peaks when you tap the Mind score, alongside which measures moved it and last night's sleep. Mind itself gives one score for your nervous system, reading HRV, resting heart rate and breathing against your own usual range. A watch is optional but adds detail about your days. These readings are for general wellness, and the app isn't available yet.
Which apps let me take back access to my data at any time?
Soma builds that into each layer. You can turn off its Apple Health access in the iOS Settings app, under Health, then Data Access & Devices, then Soma. History sync is a separate choice you can switch off at any time, and any connected service can be removed whenever you like. Soma isn't a medical device, and it isn't medical care.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Is there a way to keep dated photos of my skin week to week?
That's part of every Soma Axon visit. The pod photographs your skin at every visit, so you have dated photos to look back on and to show a clinician if you choose. You turn a quarter at a time so the cameras see you all the way around, and staff never see the photos. Soma won't say whether a mole is harmful. It's a wellness product that isn't cleared or approved by the FDA, and the waitlist hears first when it's ready.
Who can see my photos from a body scan?
It depends on the service. With Soma, staff never see the photos of your skin: they see an outline of your body instead. Members own what Soma Axon reads, and a venue hosting a pod sees how often it gets used and never anyone's results. If you'd rather cover up, a fitted garment is available, though the skin it covers won't be photographed. Soma is meant for general wellness, and the first pod isn't open yet.
From FAQ, For organizations and Compare.
How can I follow my body composition without X-rays?
Of the full-body scans Soma compares, DEXA alone uses X-rays, at a very low dose. A smart scale estimates body composition with a very small electrical current. Soma Axon uses no X-rays: it's being built to read body composition the same basic way, with a plate and grips, once a week. The Soma app's Body view reads the trend. Soma isn't medical care, and for now there's only a waitlist.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ, Blog and Home.
Can I use a weekly body scan if I'm pregnant?
Not the first version of Soma Axon. Soma says it isn't for anyone who's pregnant or under 18, or for people with a pacemaker, an implanted defibrillator or another implanted electronic device. If you're unsure whether it suits you, Soma suggests asking your doctor before a first visit. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod is still being built.
What does read-only access to Apple Health mean?
In the Soma app's case, it means Soma reads the data types you allow and never writes anything back to Apple Health. Sensitive types are requested separately and only when a feature needs them, and you can turn access off at any time in the iOS Settings app. All of this sits in general wellness, and Soma isn't a medical device.
From Privacy Policy, Compare and FAQ.
Can I try a weekly body scan before paying for it?
Not yet with Soma, because there's nothing to try: Soma Labs is building the first prototype of Soma Axon now. Soma says it'll share prices before the first pod opens, with the waitlist hearing them first. It's meant to be a weekly habit, priced like one. The Soma app is free during the beta. Soma is a wellness product and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA.
From FAQ, About and Terms of Use.
Can a wellness app show my body's changes as plain facts instead of charts?
That's how the Soma app's Body view works: it turns your weekly Soma Axon visits into a handful of facts. Each one comes with how sure Soma is and how much data it's based on, and everything is explained in plain words with the margin of error for each value. Soma is meant for general wellness, and the pod and app are still being built.
What's a wellness check that takes about as long as getting a coffee?
Soma Axon is designed around that time frame: in and out in the time it takes to get a coffee. You stand still for a few minutes while the pod takes its reading, turning a quarter at a time for the skin photos. A recovery part follows. Results wait in the Soma app. Soma isn't available yet and isn't medical care.
What are the three scores on the Soma app's Today view?
Soma's public pages say Today sums up the day in three scores and one next move the second you open the app, and that every score shows what moved it. They don't name the three scores. Today is computed on your phone and works offline. It's general wellness information, and Soma isn't medical care.
From Home, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What does the Soma app do with my Apple Health data?
Soma says it uses that data to provide the Today view, plus history sync and AI features if you choose them. Sensitive personal information like health data is used only to provide the services you ask for and to keep your account secure. Soma doesn't use Apple Health data for advertising or marketing, and it doesn't store it in iCloud. Soma's Terms describe Soma as a general wellness product.
From Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Does Soma use data from the app to improve Soma?
Only in de-identified or aggregated form, meaning it can't reasonably be used to identify you, and Soma commits not to try to re-identify it. Using the app doesn't put you in a research study either: that needs your separate opt-in consent to a specific study. Soma keeps to general wellness and isn't medical care.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Can Soma staff see my data?
Soma limits access to the few people who need it to run Soma, as part of safeguards designed for health data that also include encryption in transit between the app and its servers. Staff at a pod never see the photos of your skin, only an outline of your body. Before you turn on history sync, nothing you read in the app leaves your phone. Soma is a wellness product and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Can I delete my Soma data from inside the app?
Soma says you can ask for deletion at any time, from the pod and the app. To delete everything, email privacy@somalabs.me, and Soma removes your data from its live systems within 30 days and from its backups within 90. It may keep what the law requires. Soma isn't a medical device, and it isn't medical care.
From FAQ and Terms of Use.
How is the Soma app different from the one number Soma Axon shows?
The pod shows you one calm number on your way out and leaves the rest to the app. In the Soma app, everything else is explained in plain words with the margin of error for each value, and the Body view turns your visits into a handful of facts with the trend across them. If you add the blood test, its results reach the app a few days later. Soma is meant for general wellness.
Does the Soma app replace my smart ring's app?
No. Your ring's own app keeps doing its job, because the Soma app only reads Apple Health and never writes anything back. The ring makers Soma compared say they write some readings to Apple Health, where the Soma app can read the ones you allow. Soma's framing is that the ring covers your nights and Soma Axon covers the week. All of this sits in general wellness, and Soma isn't a medical device.
From Compare, Privacy Policy, Blog and FAQ.
How does a fitness band's strain score compare with what Soma reads?
Soma's comparison describes the band as tracking strain and steps during the day, built around recovery and training load. Soma comes at activity differently: Soma Axon is being built to read strength, balance and how you move once a week, which Soma calls the first things to change with age. The Soma app's Mind view adds HRV, resting heart rate and breathing against your own usual range. Soma's scores are general wellness estimates, and they can be wrong.
From Blog, Home, FAQ and Terms of Use.
Is a clinic scan or a weekly pod better if I want a doctor to go through my results?
If you want a clinician to go through results with you, a clinic scan fits that: it puts several instruments and a clinician in one visit. Soma Axon is a general wellness read of a few minutes every week, with results in the Soma app. Using Soma doesn't create a clinician-patient relationship, and Soma says to talk to a qualified clinician about your health.
From Full-body scans compared, Compare, FAQ and Terms of Use.