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Unacceptable: Apple Health Sync is now behind a $99/year paywall for new accounts

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Answered
Written by Matteo A

214 comments

Hi everyone,

I’m writing this because I recently found out about a silent and incredibly anti-consumer change Withings just implemented, and I think the whole community needs to be aware of it.

Starting from October 13th, 2026, any new Withings account is forced to pay for a Withings+ subscription ($99.99/year) just to sync their own data to Apple Health.

I reached out to Customer Support and their response was completely contradictory. They claimed that syncing with Apple Health is a "standard feature that does not require a subscription," but in the very next sentence, they confirmed that "any account created after October 13th will be asked to sign up for a Withings+ subscription in order to export data" justifying it with new "privacy measures" and an "AI connector".

Let's be clear: writing data to Apple Health via HealthKit happens locally on the phone. It does not require complex cloud compute, server costs, or any "AI connector". It's a basic API call. I know we can still manually export a CSV file, but let's be real—nobody wants to manually import CSV files in 2026. Even the absolute cheapest, no-name smart scales on the market offer automatic Apple Health synchronization for free.

Taking a fundamental feature that has always been free and locking it behind a paywall for new users is an obvious cash grab. It ruins the hardware experience and destroys the trust in the brand.

I strongly urge Withings to backtrack on this terrible decision. If you agree, please upvote and reply so they hear us. We shouldn't have to pay a subscription to access our own health data.

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Comments

Date Votes
  • Official comments from Withings
    Markus From Withings

    Hi everyone,

    We’ve been closely following the active discussions regarding the recent updates, and we’d like to offer some clarity and reassurance about what is changing and who is affected. 

    • 1.) If you already have a Withings account, nothing changes. If you created your account on or before October 12, 2026, automatic third-party sync stays free. This is tied to your account, not your device, so buying a new scale, watch or any other Withings device in the future won’t affect it. Your sync stays free.

    • 2.) Every user, member or not, can export their full history as CSV or PDF at any time, keep importing data from other apps, and share data with their doctor through HealthLink and PDF reports. None of this is behind a paywall.

    What’s changing for new members: for accounts created from October 13, 2026, automatic sync to third-party apps is part of Withings+.

    Members also get:

    • Exclusive scores (Heart Age, Readiness, Glucose Resilience)

    • An improved Health Assistant that remembers your health profile and trends over time

    • ECG reviews by qualified physicians through Cardio Check-Up

    • Better-priced access to medical services with Sunrise, Fay and Dune (US)

    • The new Withings AI Connector (MCP), to securely connect your data to the AI assistants you use

    New members can try everything, sync included, with the free trial. If a membership ends, sync pauses, no data is lost, and sync resumes as soon as the membership is active again.

    Our mission hasn’t changed. We exist to help people take care of their health at home, so they can spot changes early and act before small issues become big ones. Withings+ helps us do that over the long term: it funds the services around your data, while your data itself stays yours.

    If you’re unsure about your account status, had sync issues before October 13, or think you should have free sync but don’t, please contact our support team, we will be happy to review your situation.

    Thank you for your continued feedback and for being part of the community,

    Team Withings

  • Namir B
    49

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    I second this

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  • Marius R
    55

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    Completely agree; this is an awful decision!

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  • Byron M
    • Edited
    62

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    I have several Withings products but will not buy any in the future based on this decision. Absolutely terrible.

    62

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  • Mike S
    72

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    Yep, I mean, fine that I'm grandfathered in for now, but I will *not* be buying any future Withings stuff if this is their direction. Sheesh. Any product requiring a subscription like this is a hard pass for me (and a *lot* of customers in general). This is how you go from a company with decent reputation and a fair bit of customer goodwill to being dropped like a hot potato for blatant enshittification.

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  • Richard O
    52

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    100% agree.  Thankfully, I'm a long-term user and therefore 'grandfathered' in, but this kind of enshittification tactic is likely to make me rethink my future support of Withings devices.

     

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  • Martin L
    34

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    100% agree

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  • Ryan B
    35

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    I will actively seek out other products going forward and get myself out of this ecosystem if connecting to Apple Health is a paid feature, this is a ridiculous decision. If you want people to use your paid subscription make it worthwhile don’t hold people hostage to basic functionality…

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  • Jeff C
    • Edited
    51

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    I have been a Withings customer for 10 years or more. I will not buy another single product if they don’t reverse course. Appalling behavior and way to treat customers.

    51

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  • Gunnar K
    • Edited
    43

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    I agree and will never buy Withings products again if you go down this road.

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  • Ivan D
    37

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    Completely agree, I think this is a bad decision. I recently bought a Withings smart scale and am happy with the experience so far. But if I had to choose now, with this paywall for syncing with Apple Health, I’d definitely go with one of the competitor smart scale brands.

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  • Roman H
    36

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    If so. I stop buying there new stuff. I loved the sync option in devices that why I overpaid for devices. Now it won’t make sence. Blood pressure device price is 60$ max. Why pay 150$ and a subscription?
    Will happily use the ones i own, but not buying any more.

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  • John E
    • Edited
    35

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    I have a few Withings devices and have recommended them to family and friends who also bought them. That stops today.

    While I’m not yet impacted by this change it’s only a matter of time.

    At a minimum, I’ll use the ChatGPT sub I already pay for to scrape the web page for the details rather than pay this insane amount.

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  • Walker R
    31

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    Agree, total lost of years of built up goodwill with this move.

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  • Michiel d
    26

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    Was about to buy a new watch. Will hold off until this is reversed.
    For clarity this also concerns Google's Health Connect

    Recent changes to our API and new privacy measures have been implemented as of October 13th, 2026. Users will need an active Withings+ subscription in order to export their Withings data to third party apps like Apple Health and Health Connect if you create account on or after this date. You always have direct access to your data no matter what your subscription status. Accounts that already existed before October 13th 2026 will never need to worry about this change, but new users who make their accounts after that date will need to sign up for Withings+ in order to transfer their data between the Withings App and our partner apps. To download or share a pdf of your data, see this article for more information.

    Source 

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  • Giacinto R
    26

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    I have been an happy Withings customers for 10+ but I will leave in an heartbeat if this goes through and switch to Apple Watch and other products.

    I currently own more than 4 Withings products and championed it in my family.

    Pity that it will go bankrupt after this move.

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  • Ralf 4
    24

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    I’ve been using Withing watches since 2019 and watching the App getting worse and worse, but i could use Apple Health instead, so i waas ok. Requiring a paid subscription for a local API call is peak enshitifaction.
    The next watch will be an Apple Watch then. It‘s a pitty no one makes decent hybrid watches anymore.

    24

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  • Hunter K
    29

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    Couldn’t agree more. No faster way to lose a customer than removing features and locking them behind a paywall

    29

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  • ASEM S
    20

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    … Stop with the crap … Why are you making yourselves unnecessarily unlikeable? … I currently like paying for Withings Plus and recommend your products, but don’t force anyone to sign up for this membership! It backfires!

    20

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  • Meggie P
    23

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    I have been recommending Withings scales in the GLP1 communities when there are posts asking about smart scales. I will no longer do so. I may be grandfathered in but anyone who buys a scale now will be squeezed for the basic process of syncing with Apple Health. Ridiculous! I also will switch to a different brand if I ever want to upgrade to whatever the next great feature is.

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  • Jason B
    24

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    I guess no need to purchase any further withings product. may be time to start looking for replacement products.. how long until they decide to drop the grandfathered

    24

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  • Wesley T
    21

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    Absolutely horrendous decision in the name of greed. I can’t in good conscience recommend Withings to anyone now and will no longer be supporting the company due to these predatory practices. As stated in the initial post, there is no reason for this as the syncing to HealthKit is done locally and requires nothing on Withings aside from data structuring for compatibility. Predatory and disappointing

    21

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  • Adam M
    18

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    I believe this to be a poor decision. I just purchased a BS2 yesterday, October 12th, and now I have to pay another extra $100 a year to sync my data to Apple Health? I am considering cancelling my order.

    18

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  • Eduardo F
    19

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    This is stupid and reckless. If you want us to sign up for subscriptions, add value to your products... do not make the original offerings crap instead. 

    19

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  • Robert M
    16

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    Agree. This is an extremely bad move to force subscriptions to your users. Will move to a different brand if this is the direction they will continue to move forward towards

    16

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  • Daniel M
    10

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    agree

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  • Igor T
    14

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    I've got my BodyFit on 10/9. It is/was my first Withings product. I was already annoyed by a subscription push in their app.. But after these changes.... I just printed my return label and plan to visit UPS office soon:) Returning back to my good old Garmin S1.

    14

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  • David W
    13

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    I just got my Body Fit a few weeks ago and am considering returning it if the ecosystem requires subscription to sync to Apple Health moving forward.  Please don't do this.

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  • João P
    21

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    Not only is this a stupid and anti-consumer change, it also makes their current packaging and advertising misleading and borderline fraudulent, as they advertise Apple Health integration.

    In addition to that, this change violates section 4.10 "Monetizing Built-In Capabilities" of the Apple App Review Guidelines. I've filed a complaint with Apple regarding the Withings app and I urge everyone to do the same.

    21

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  • Jared S
    17

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    Agreed. My next purchase won't be withings, if this is the case. 

    17

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