Every answer, part 83 of 145
Answers 1,641 to 1,660 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
How the numbers work
Why is there no cuff in Soma Axon?
The pod is designed to read heart and breathing with cameras, so you don't need a cuff or any wires. Those cameras read pulse and breathing without touching you. A visit has no cuff at all, and no needle unless you add the optional blood test. Soma Axon isn't a medical device. It's still a prototype, with a waitlist for the first opening.
How does Soma Axon read body composition?
With a very small electrical current, the same basic way a smart scale does. You stand on the plate with your hands on the grips, and the floor plate reads body composition and balance. Like every number Soma shows, the result comes with its margin of error. Soma Axon isn't a medical device. Soma Labs in Palo Alto is still building the first pod, and a waitlist hears first.
Does Soma Axon use X-rays for its readings?
No. Soma Axon uses no X-rays, no CT and nothing else ionizing. It reads you with cameras, light and sensors you touch. It isn't an MRI either, so it doesn't take images of your organs. Soma Axon isn't a medical device. You can't try it yet, but you can join the waitlist.
From FAQ.
Which Apple Health data does Soma read?
Only the data types you specifically allow, and only with your permission. Access is read-only: Soma never writes anything back to Apple Health. Sensitive types, such as reproductive health and basal body temperature, are requested separately and only when a feature actually needs them. You can turn off Soma's access at any time in the iOS Settings app, under Health, then Data Access & Devices, then Soma. Soma keeps to general wellness and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA. The app is still on its way to the public, with a waitlist in the meantime.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What does "Know yourself, love yourself" have to do with Soma's numbers?
It's Soma's mission. Soma added "love yourself" because people tend to look after what they understand, and it wants to help with the understanding. Knowing yourself, Soma says, also means being honest about what a number can't tell you, so every figure Soma shows will come with how sure Soma is of it. These are general wellness readings, and Soma isn't medical care. Soma Labs, a Palo Alto company, is building the first prototype and keeps a waitlist.
From Know thyself, FAQ and About.
Does Soma Labs write about how it builds its numbers?
Yes, on its blog. Soma Labs uses it to write about building Soma Axon as it happens, including the research behind it and the calls it makes along the way. One early post, "The same instrument, every week" from September 23, 2026, explains why the pod reads you the same way each time. Soma Labs, based in Palo Alto, calls Soma a general wellness product. The first pod hasn't opened, and people on the waitlist will hear first.
From Know thyself, Blog, The same instrument, every week, About and FAQ.
Where are my Soma numbers stored?
It depends on the feature. Today is computed on your phone, and nothing shown on it gets sent to Soma. If you turn on history sync, Soma stores your raw Apple Health record with its cloud host in the United States, along with your notes, your mood and your derived facts. Soma is a general wellness product. Soma Labs Inc. in Palo Alto hasn't opened the app to the public yet, and there's a waitlist.
From Privacy Policy, FAQ and About.
Can I get a copy of my Soma numbers?
Yes. You can ask Soma for access to your data, a copy of it, a correction or deletion by emailing privacy@somalabs.me. California residents also have the right to receive a portable copy of their personal information. Soma responds to privacy requests within 45 days. Soma describes itself as a general wellness product. The app isn't ready for the public yet, and there's a waitlist.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
What if a number in my Soma profile is wrong?
It depends on where it came from. Anything you type in yourself, like your profile details or a note, is yours to keep correct, according to Soma's Terms. You can ask Soma for a correction by emailing privacy@somalabs.me. Soma's own estimates come from wellness signals and can be wrong, and each one comes with its margin of error. Soma's Terms call it a general wellness product. The app isn't out for everyone yet, and the waitlist hears first when it's ready.
From Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Home and FAQ.
When does Soma Axon take its readings during a visit?
After a quick check-in and before the recovery part. Someone from Soma welcomes you and asks how you slept, when you last ate and whether you trained. Then you stand still for a few minutes with your hands on the grips and feet on the plate while the pod reads you, turning a quarter at a time for the skin photos. The recovery part follows, and you leave with one calm number. Soma Axon isn't a medical device. No pod is open yet. People on the waitlist hear first.
Do my Soma numbers follow me between different pods?
Yes. One Soma account works at every Soma Axon pod, so your record follows you from one venue's pod to another's. Pods are planned for Soma's own studio and for longevity clinics, gyms, workplaces and pharmacies. It's general wellness, and Soma isn't a medical device. No pod is open yet, and people on the waitlist will hear first where one opens.
From FAQ and For organizations.
Does Soma tell me what to do about my numbers?
Only lightly. Today sums up each day in three scores and one next move. Soma's AI features, if you choose to use them, are informational only and can be wrong or incomplete. Soma's Terms also say not to start, stop or change any medication or treatment because of something Soma shows, and to talk to a qualified clinician about your health. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't medical care. The app isn't ready for the public yet.
From Home, Terms of Use and FAQ.
When do Soma blood test results show up in the app?
A few days after the visit. The blood test is an optional add-on with its own price: at pods with an attendant, a few drops from your fingertip go to a partner lab, and the results reach the Soma app a few days later. Where a state doesn't allow that, you get a kit to use at home instead. Soma isn't medical care: it's a general wellness product. The blood test and the pod aren't available yet, and there's a waitlist.
From FAQ.
How is a Soma score different from a smart ring's sleep score?
A smart ring reads a few signals all day, such as pulse, sleep and steps. Soma sees it as covering your nights while its pod covers the week. A Soma score only sums up what was measured and what you reported, and tapping it shows what moved it, each measure against your own usual range. All of this sits within general wellness. The app and Soma Axon aren't available yet, and there's a waitlist.
How do a smartwatch and Soma Axon read pulse differently?
They take different routes. A smartwatch picks up pulse with an optical sensor at the wrist, a method Soma's blog says gets less dependable when the wrist moves or the strap sits loose. Soma Axon's cameras take pulse and breathing without contact while you stand still, under light that's the same at every weekly visit. Soma sees the watch covering the days and the pod covering the week. Soma Axon isn't a medical device. Soma Labs Inc., the California company behind Soma Axon, hasn't opened it yet and keeps a waitlist.
From The same instrument, every week, Home, About, Blog and FAQ.
Would a smartwatch or Soma Axon show a slow change in strength?
Soma assigns that job to the pod. A watch reads a few signals all day, like pulse, sleep and steps, while Soma Axon is meant for the slower changes, such as your skin, your body composition and your strength, measured the same way every week. Grip strength is one of its readings, and Soma expects something like losing muscle over a winter of training less to show up as a trend. Soma offers it as a general wellness product. It isn't available yet, and there's a waitlist.
How does a smartwatch's sleep tracking compare with Soma's read on sleep?
Soma's blog credits watches with following trends in heart rate and sleep between check-ups, since they're worn all day. Soma frames sleep differently: it looks at whether your sleep makes up for what your days take out of you. In the Soma app, the Mind score sits next to last night's sleep, and the app reads your watch between Soma Axon visits. Soma is built for general wellness and isn't a medical device. The app isn't out for everyone yet, and the waitlist hears first when it's ready.
From The same instrument, every week, Home and FAQ.
How do the Soma app's numbers differ from what Apple Health holds?
The Soma app reads Apple Health, with your permission and only for the data types you allow, and it never writes anything back. On top of that data, the Soma app builds its own view: scores that show what moved them and numbers that carry a margin of error. Soma calls itself a general wellness product. Soma Labs, the Palo Alto company behind the app, hasn't released it yet but keeps a waitlist.
From Privacy Policy, Compare, Home, FAQ and About.
What's the difference between my iPhone's daily data and a Soma Axon read?
Your phone and watch measure you all day, and Soma says a ring or a watch reads a few signals, like pulse, sleep and steps. Soma Axon does the full read once a week, covering your heart, breathing, body composition, balance and strength and photographing your skin. The Soma app reads the phone and watch between visits, so the two sit side by side. Soma keeps to general wellness and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA. The first pod hasn't opened, and people on the waitlist will hear first.
From FAQ.
Does a whole-body MRI or a DEXA scan measure body composition?
DEXA is the one Soma's guide to full-body scans describes as measuring what you're made of, down to bone density, reading body fat, visceral fat, lean mass and bone density. A whole-body MRI takes images of your organs and tissue with a magnetic field and radio waves. Soma Axon reads body composition a third way, with a very small electrical current, at a weekly visit. The service is a general wellness product. Soma Labs, the Palo Alto company building Soma Axon, hasn't opened a pod yet but keeps a waitlist.
From Full-body scans compared, Blog, FAQ and About.