Every answer, part 71 of 145
Answers 1,401 to 1,420 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
The Soma app
How could a longevity clinic keep clients coming back between workups?
Soma's suggestion is a weekly read between the deeper workups the clinic already runs, so clients have a reason to come back every week. Soma Axon would stand in the clinic on the same account members use at every pod, and each client's results would go to their own Soma app. The clinic sees how often the pod gets used and never anyone's results. Soma is a general wellness product, and the picture of a pod in a longevity clinic is still a concept render.
From For organizations and FAQ.
Is there a body scan that doesn't use needles?
Soma Axon is built that way unless you choose otherwise: a visit uses no cuff and no needle unless you add the optional blood test, which takes a few drops from your fingertip at pods with an attendant. Cameras read your heart and breathing without wires. Results go to the Soma app. Soma is general wellness, and it isn't available yet.
What's the difference between a score and a raw reading in a wellness app?
In the Soma app, a reading is a single measured value shown with its margin of error, while a score sums up what was measured plus what you reported, like how you slept or whether you trained. Tap a score and you'll see what moved it, with each measure against your own usual range. Soma's scores are general wellness estimates, and they can be wrong.
From FAQ, Home and Terms of Use.
Why would a wellness app show a range instead of a single number?
Soma's view is that every number is an estimate, so it shows each one with its uncertainty. In the Soma app, every value comes with its margin of error, and Soma Labs says being honest about what a number can't tell you is part of knowing yourself. You'll also see whether the science behind a value is well established or still being tested. These readings are for general wellness.
From Terms of Use, Home, Know thyself and FAQ.
What's a derived fact in a wellness app?
In Soma's case, it's a result its server-side engines compute from your raw Apple Health record once you turn on history sync, such as a biological age estimate or a long-term trend. Each one comes back with its date, how much data it's based on and the version of the engine that computed it. Soma's Privacy Policy lists derived facts as inferences, kept while your account is open. They're estimates from wellness signals and can be wrong, and Soma isn't a medical device.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Is there a body scan where I don't have to undress fully?
With Soma Axon, you'd normally stand in your underwear after changing in a private room, and if you'd rather, Soma will give you a fitted garment to wear. The trade-off is that the skin it covers won't be photographed. Staff never see the skin photos. They see an outline of your body, and your results go to the Soma app. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod isn't available yet.
How can I keep up a weekly wellness habit?
Soma is building around that question. Soma Axon is meant to be a weekly habit and priced like one, with visits in and out in the time it takes to get a coffee. Soma Labs adds a reason in its mission: people tend to look after what they understand, and it wants to help with the understanding. Between visits, the app keeps reading your phone and watch. Soma is general wellness and still being built, so the waitlist is the way in.
From FAQ, Home, Know thyself and Waitlist.
What does the Soma app's Body view show after my first visit?
Not much of a trend yet. Soma says one reading on its own doesn't tell you much, and after a handful of visits it will have a baseline built from your own readings. From then on, the Body view reads the trend across all your visits and says how sure Soma is and how much data each answer rests on. The first visit still gives you one calm number on your way out and the details in the Soma app. Soma is meant for general wellness, and the pod is still being built.
From FAQ, The same instrument, every week, Home and About.
Why does the Soma app tell me how sure it is?
Soma Labs ties it to its mission. Knowing yourself also means being honest about what a number can't tell you, so every figure Soma shows comes with how sure Soma is of it. In the app, that means a margin of error on each value, and the Body view says how much data each answer is based on. Soma's estimates come from wellness signals and can be wrong. Soma is built for wellness: it isn't a medical device.
From Know thyself, Home, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Does the Soma app show the numbers my watch records?
Yes, through Apple Health. The Soma app shows what your phone and watch measure on its three views, reading the data types you've allowed and never writing anything back. A watch is optional, and wearing one gives the app more detail about the days between Soma Axon visits. Soma isn't a medical device, and it isn't medical care.
From FAQ, Privacy Policy and Compare.
Do the Soma app's Body and Mind views work offline too?
Soma's pages only say it for Today: the Today view is computed on your device and works offline, even in airplane mode. They don't make the same claim for Body or Mind. Body draws on your weekly Soma Axon visits, and long-term trends from history sync are computed on Soma's servers. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Privacy Policy, Home and FAQ.
Does turning on history sync give Soma more Apple Health access?
No. Granting Soma access to Apple Health and turning on history sync are separate choices you can revoke, and granting one doesn't grant the other. The app still reads only the data types you allow. What sync changes is that a compressed copy of your raw Apple Health record is uploaded once to Soma's servers. The app is general wellness software, and Soma isn't cleared or approved by the FDA.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Does Soma keep my Apple Health data after I delete the app?
It depends on history sync. Without it, nothing you read in the app leaves your phone. With sync on, your raw record and derived facts are kept while your account stays open, so ask Soma to delete them: they're removed from live systems within 30 days and roll off backups within 90. Soma keeps to general wellness and isn't medical care.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
How do I close my Soma account?
Soma's Terms say you can close your account at any time, though its pages don't spell out the steps. To delete your data, email privacy@somalabs.me, and Soma removes it from live systems within 30 days and from backups within 90, keeping only what the law requires. The Today view never needed an account in the first place. Soma is meant for general wellness.
From Terms of Use and FAQ.
What emails will Soma send me?
Soma sends waitlist and account-related messages, such as an invitation or a notice about its Privacy Policy, and you can unsubscribe from waitlist emails using the link in any message. Notices go to your account email or your waitlist email. A material change to the Privacy Policy reaches you in the app or by email before it takes effect. Soma isn't medical care, and for now there's only a waitlist.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Does the Soma app read reproductive health data?
Only if you allow it and a feature needs it. Soma requests sensitive Apple Health types, such as reproductive health, separately from other types and only when a feature actually needs them. Access stays read-only and can be turned off at any time in the iOS Settings app. Soma doesn't use Apple Health data for advertising or marketing. Soma is a wellness product and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Which AI model does the Soma app use?
Soma doesn't name one. Its AI features go through a routing service rather than a direct connection to a single AI provider, and Soma only uses providers that act on its behalf. Those providers may not train their models on what you send or keep it longer than they need to answer. The features are optional, and they send only your question and the part of your data that feature needs. It's general wellness information, and Soma isn't medical care.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Can research teams see my Soma data?
Only if you opt in to a specific study. Soma's research runs with members who opt in, inside a secure enclave where their data stays de-identified. The team's analysis runs there too, so the data never leaves. Using the Soma app doesn't enroll you in a study. Soma is meant for general wellness.
From Developers, For organizations, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What am I not allowed to do with the Soma app?
Soma's Terms list a few things. You can't use it for anything unlawful or try to access anyone else's data without their authority. You also can't scrape it, use bots on it, reverse engineer it except where the law allows, disrupt its servers or resell it as your own service. And you can't use Soma, or anything it computes, to make decisions about someone else's employment, insurance, credit or housing. The app is part of a general wellness product.
From Terms of Use and FAQ.
Does the Soma app compare me with other people?
Soma's pages describe it the other way around: the Soma app reads your HRV, resting heart rate and breathing against your own usual range, and tapping a score shows each measure against that same personal range. Soma builds a baseline from your own readings after a handful of visits. Its pages don't describe comparisons with other people. These readings are for general wellness.
From Home, The same instrument, every week and FAQ.