Withings requires subscription for third-party health data synchronization

From 13 October 2026, Withings required accounts created from that date to have a Withings+ subscription to synchronize measurements with third-party applications, including Apple Health and Google Health Connect. Accounts created on or before 12 October retained free synchronization, including when their owners purchased new devices. The change added a recurring charge for affected users who wanted to send measurements from purchased hardware to other health apps; basic data and trends remained available in the Withings app without subscribing.

Background

Withings announced Health+ on 1 September 2022 as a service adding health analysis and habit-building tools to its Health Mate app. It was initially offered with the Body Comp scale and 12 months of access, with availability announced for 4 October 2022. The company identifies Health+ as the former name of Withings+.

Withings documents an Apple Health integration for sharing measurements such as weight, blood pressure and heart rate between applications. Its US health-spending-account store page advertises Apple Health compatibility for its scales and watches.

Subscription requirement

Withings' Apple Health support page dates the new-account requirement to 13 October 2026, attributing it to changes to its application programming interface (API) and privacy measures. Its AI Connector frequently asked questions page links those changes to the introduction of its connector for artificial intelligence services.

The developer Partner Hub separately dates its change to the Start for Free API plan to 12 October 2026. It states that accounts created after that date need membership to share data with free-plan applications, including existing integrations, and that Enterprise arrangements can lift the requirement for particular uses. The consumer-facing support page identifies 13 October as the first affected account-creation date.

As checked on 16 October 2026, the Withings website listed US prices of $9.95 monthly or $99.50 annually, and euro prices of €9.95 monthly or €99.50 annually. It offered a free month when adding the subscription to a device purchase. The US App Store listing instead showed in-app offers of $9.99 monthly and $99.99 annually.

Consumer impact

For affected accounts, synchronization with third-party health applications became dependent on an ongoing subscription, although basic measurements and trends remained free in Withings' own app. Engadget reported criticism from existing users over charging new customers for synchronization, while Numerama reported that Apple Health compatibility had influenced a buyer's purchase decision.

Apple describes HealthKit as an on-device repository through which applications can read and write health data with permission. In a January 2025 support reply about Body Smart, Withings said its app required an internet connection for measurements to appear and synchronize with Apple Health.

Customer response

Matteo A opened the original Withings community discussion on 13 October 2026. Participants described plans to stop buying or recommending Withings products, or to postpone purchases.

On Reddit's r/withings community, Mars0813 posted a screenshot of a subscription prompt encountered while setting up Apple Health sharing. The author said Apple Health compatibility had been the reason for buying the scale. Another post, by teobiondo91, directed users to the official support discussion to request a reversal. Comments in the setup thread included a statement by xxSeahawks that they intended to return a recently purchased BodyFit scale.

Company response

On 15 October 2026 at 10:04, an official reply by “Markus From Withings” in the original discussion confirmed that accounts created through 12 October would retain free third-party synchronization. The exemption follows the account and continues when an existing user buys another Withings device.

The reply said all users could export their complete history as CSV or PDF, import data from other apps, and share information with a doctor through HealthLink and PDF reports without subscribing. New accounts could try synchronization during a free trial; if membership ended, synchronization would pause without data loss and resume when membership became active again.

Withings said subscriptions funded services surrounding users' data, while “your data itself stays yours”. It listed additional scores, an expanded Health Assistant, physician electrocardiogram reviews, discounted access to US medical services and its AI Connector among membership features. It invited users with questions about their account's eligibility to contact support.

In a separate interview published by Numerama on 15 October, digital product manager Vincent Brand defended the change as part of a move toward services and health-data interpretation. He argued that other applications benefited from data produced through Withings' investment in hardware and research, and said the company needed a sustainable business beyond hardware sales. Withings also disputed suggestions that the policy breached European law, pointing to free CSV, PDF and HealthLink access.

Platform and data portability questions

Apple App Review Guideline 4.10

A separate Withings community post questioned whether charging for HealthKit writing was consistent with Apple's App Review Guideline 4.10. That guideline prohibits monetizing built-in hardware or operating-system capabilities and Apple services or technologies. Its examples do not specifically name HealthKit.

European data access rules

Numerama raised the question of how the synchronization restriction fits with European data access and portability rights, while noting that free default synchronization is not itself guaranteed by the Data Act. Article 20 of the General Data Protection Regulation provides portability rights for personal data supplied to a controller where processing is automated and based on consent or contract, including direct controller-to-controller transmission where technically feasible. Article 12(5) generally requires actions under those rights to be free, with exceptions for manifestly unfounded or excessive requests.

The EU Data Act began applying on 12 September 2025. Articles 4 and 5 provide for access to readily available connected-product data and sharing with eligible third parties, free of charge to the user and in a machine-readable format, subject to the Act's conditions. Article 5(3) excludes designated gatekeepers as eligible third-party recipients. Numerama identified that exclusion as relevant to Apple and Google, while questioning restrictions affecting services such as Strava and MyFitnessPal. Withings' response was that users retained free access through exports and HealthLink.

See also

• Subscription service
• Pay-walling
• Peloton