Every answer, part 72 of 145
Answers 1,421 to 1,440 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
Is the Soma app cleared by the FDA?
No. Soma's Terms say Soma isn't a medical device and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA, and Soma's comparison table lists its status as general wellness. That covers the app and Soma Axon alike. Talk to a qualified clinician about your health, and don't start, stop or change any medication or treatment because of something Soma shows.
From Terms of Use and Compare.
Can I use the Soma app to make decisions about 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's estimates come from wellness signals rather than clinical tests and can be wrong. Soma isn't medical care, and the app isn't a medical device.
From Terms of Use and FAQ.
Can I trust week-to-week changes in the Soma app?
That's what the sameness is for. Soma says Soma Axon is the same instrument every week, so when a number moves, you can trust it: the pod, its lighting and its camera angles don't change between visits. Each value still carries its margin of error, and the Body view says how sure Soma is of each answer. Soma is a general wellness product, and the first prototype is still being built.
What's the difference between the Today and Body views in the Soma app?
Time span, mostly. Today is about the day: three scores and one next move, computed on your phone the moment you open the app. Body is about the weeks: it turns your Soma Axon visits into a handful of facts and reads the trend across all of them. Soma is meant for general wellness.
From Home, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
How do I give the Soma app access to Apple Health?
The Soma app asks for your permission and then reads only the data types you specifically allow, through HealthKit. Sensitive types come as their own request, only when a feature needs them. Soma's pages don't walk through the setup steps, but you can change your mind at any time in the iOS Settings app, under Health, then Data Access & Devices, then Soma. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Does a smartwatch measure body composition like Soma Axon?
The smartwatch Soma compared doesn't list a body composition sensor in its specs. Soma Axon is being built to read body composition at every visit with a very small electrical current while you stand on its plate with your hands on the grips, and the Soma app's Body view reads the trend. A watch still covers your days. Soma isn't a medical device, and it isn't medical care.
Can a smartwatch keep a record of my skin like Soma Axon?
Neither the watch nor the band Soma compared lists a way to photograph your skin. Soma Axon is being built to photograph your skin at every visit, so you have dated photos to look back on and to show a clinician if you choose, while staff see only an outline of your body. Soma won't say whether a mole is harmful, and it's a general wellness product.
What does a weekly pod read that a smart scale doesn't?
Both read body composition with a very small electrical current, and a smart scale's strength is that it's at home every morning. Beyond body composition, Soma Axon is being built to add photos of your skin all the way around, balance, grip strength, EEG and thermal imaging, along with heart and breathing. The Soma app reads the trend across visits. Soma is general wellness, and it isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, Blog, Home, FAQ and Compare.
How does a 3D body scanner's posture reading compare with Soma's balance reading?
Soma's guide says a gym's 3D body scanner reads your body's shape and measurements, estimated fat and lean mass and posture. Soma Axon is being built to measure something different: its floor plate reads balance, and a pair of grips reads grip strength, at every weekly visit. The Soma app's Body view reads the trend across visits. Soma keeps to general wellness and isn't medical care.
From Full-body scans compared, Home and FAQ.
How does a clinic scan's same-visit blood work compare with Soma's blood test?
The clinic scan Soma compared tests a blood sample in a lab inside the clinic before the consultation, with results within the hour, as of September 26, 2026. Soma's blood test is an optional add-on handled by a partner lab. At pods with an attendant, a few drops from your fingertip go to the lab, with results in the Soma app a few days later. Where a state doesn't allow that, there's a kit to use at home. Soma is a general wellness product.
How can I understand my body better without medical jargon?
Soma's approach is plain words: everything beyond Soma Axon's one calm number is in the Soma app, explained in plain words, with the margin of error for each value. Soma Labs says people tend to look after what they understand, and it wants to help with the understanding. It's a wellness product that isn't cleared or approved by the FDA, and the waitlist hears first when it's ready.
From FAQ and Know thyself.
What does know thyself have to do with tracking my health?
For Soma Labs, it's the starting point. The company took the Delphic maxim "know thyself" as its mission and added a second half, "love yourself", because people tend to look after what they understand. In practice that means honest numbers: every figure in the Soma app comes with how sure Soma is of it, and anything not measured stays blank. It's general wellness information, and Soma isn't medical care.
From Know thyself, Home and FAQ.
What's a good weekly ritual for checking in on my body?
Soma is designing one around a short visit. At Soma Axon, someone from Soma greets you with a few questions about your night, your last meal and any training. Then you stand still for a few minutes, and a short recovery part follows. Results wait in the Soma app. Soma is general wellness and still being built, so the waitlist is the way in.
Is there a wellness routine that pairs a body check with some recovery time?
That's how Soma Axon is being built. After the few-minute reading comes a recovery part: warmth, cool air and mist, light, sound and a slow breath. You can make any part of it gentler. Soma says it's there to help you feel good and isn't meant to treat anything. Results go to the Soma app. Soma is a general wellness product, and it isn't available yet.
Can a wellness app help me see how food affects how I feel?
Soma lists the gut among what it looks at: what you eat, how you feel and how your body responds. The Soma app lets you write notes and log your mood, and once history sync is on, those are stored with your record. Soma's pages don't go into more detail on food. Soma keeps to general wellness and isn't medical care.
From Home, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What happens to my wellness data if I close my account?
With Soma, your account, raw record and derived facts are kept while the account stays open. You can close it at any time. Ask Soma to delete your data and it leaves live systems within 30 days and rolls off backups within 90. Soma may keep what the law requires. The app is part of a general wellness product.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Can a wellness app keep my data forever?
Soma sets limits. An account's raw record and derived facts stay only while the account is open, a waitlist email no longer than 24 months after you joined, and server logs typically 30 days or less. After a deletion request, data leaves live systems within 30 days and backups within 90. Soma is meant for general wellness.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What happens to my data if a wellness app ends its beta?
Soma's Terms cover that case: Soma can end the beta or discontinue its services, and where it reasonably can, it'll give notice first. A deletion request clears live systems within 30 days and backups within 90, and Soma's license to backup copies lasts only until they roll off. Soma is general wellness, and it isn't a medical device.
From Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Can a wellness app share my data with advertisers?
Soma says it doesn't. It doesn't use what it collects to advertise to you, doesn't sell it and doesn't share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. There are no ads in Soma, and its website sets no advertising cookies. Soma is a wellness product and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Does joining a wellness app's waitlist track me around the web?
Soma says its website sets no advertising or analytics cookies and loads no third-party trackers. Visit details are kept in your browser's session storage and cleared when you close the tab, and its visit counter can't follow you across other websites. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.