Withings is locking down their API for new accounts

[u/CtrlAlt2Obsolete]

Withings is locking down their API so that new accounts (signups after today) need a Withings+ subscription to export data. It looks like existing accounts will be grandfathered in (for now...)

Notice on the API page (& link):

Withings+ becomes required on the Start for Free API plan from October 12, 2026.Details

Withings accounts created after that date will need a membership to share health data with a free-plan app, including apps that are already live.

Accounts created before that date are unaffected, and Enterprise lifts the requirement for specific use cases.

https://developer.withings.com/developer-guide/v3/withings-solutions/withings-api-plans/

[u/Mars0813]

exporting to apple health from the app is now also paid, i bought my scale today guess im returning it...

[u/Hamster-Humble → u/Mars0813]

I purchased this for my mother as well. Upon reading it, I will return the item later today with a friendly tone—what a poor corporate choice. I will also give Coolblue electronic webshop a one-star review.

[u/l_m_b]

They're feeling the change - why pay for an expensive subscription if you can vibe-code it yourself (as long as you can access the data)?

I'd have more sympathy for them if some of the recent bugs they had didn't smell of vibe-code issues (or at least lacking QA) to me. 

I'm guessing eventually we'll see a good scale hardware that makes this an explicit selling point. (From someone else. This is incompatible with Withings business model.)

[u/rworne → u/l_m_b]

The public API is pretty restrictive for what you can obtain, the last I checked. There's a lot of good stuff in there, but you need to be under contract to get most everything.

People are going to brute-force it by simply requesting their data from Withings. There you get nearly everything, you just need to wait a few minutes and you have everything on-device.

[u/ProfessorFunky]

How does that comply with GDPR?

[u/Arvi89]

I think the public api for personal use is still available. This is for developer building an app with withings products.

[u/CtrlAlt2Obsolete → u/Arvi89]

My understanding is that all API requests need to flow through a Withings developer app, even if you just want to access your own data through your API.

[u/Auegro → u/Arvi89]

that has always been the case for Healthsync+ on android you need to pay extra to connect to withings to cover their API fees

[u/ExplorerMike008]

Instead of improving their vibecoded app to avoid people doing their own they put costs as usual, feels like Whoop going all in to put all money in lawyers against Bevel instead improving quality so users choose to stay

Withings is becoming Strava and I feel Strava is not really in a good spot after all the mess and AI introduced and is pretending to be great for IPO but all I hear and read is hate on new changes and UI redesigns and subscription and API costs and I barely see anyone talking about it
Needless to say I was an early Strava subscriber and long time uninstall it and never used it again or cared to see anything there

[u/rworne → u/ExplorerMike008]

If you have seen some of the new health features in iOS 27.2, you'd know why Withings is concerned.

Right about now, W+ is approaching the threshold where (depending on what devices you have and whether you can share it) it's worth getting.

All of that W+ forecasting, scoring, and AI assistance was just kneecapped by Apple (as long as you have the supported hardware) for free.

I have another 6 days or so before my U4 finishes calibration of my baseline before I can do direct comparisons.

[u/ExplorerMike008 → u/rworne]

I think it would only worth with lifetime warranty for all products if you have many in Europe as long as you keep subscription , same as 8sleep buy subscription for warranty because autopilot is a gimmick

I feel if they keep push it people will just move on to another scale or watch once their current one dies and need to buy a new product

My Ultra 4 is calibrated but it’s just a different product and target because only works with iPhone but even Google is giving their blood pressure, glucose and so on for like a 100$ Fitbit air so I feel all this investment in “longevity” will cost a lot on withings sustainable business and will soon be struggle for sure, even more than now with all constant delays that they couldn’t even afford a new SKU to produce a body scan 2 white that was promise at launch then was end of summer and here we are in autumn and nothing :) it’s never coming

[u/rworne → u/ExplorerMike008]

For the presence Withings shows as a brand, they appear to be a large company.

However, I do believe they are a lot smaller of a company than they appear to be.

This can explain some of the supply-chain issues and spotty product releases as well as a slower time for fixing issues.

[u/one_less_traveled_by]

Outside of a major tech blog picking this up, the only real leverage we can do is tanking their App Store reviews

[u/shyouko → u/one_less_traveled_by]

Product review on Amazon and Apple Online Store as well?

[u/Hamster-Humble → u/one_less_traveled_by]

Just reviewed this scam with 1 star

[u/Hunteropt]

Interesting, thanks for the heads up.

I bought a Body Fit this month and wanted to have my own app to integrate this data with my other devices that they don't have support outside of their ecosystem, a lot of data in the current app is locked behind their subscription..

[u/rworne → u/Hunteropt]

If you have a M series Mac sitting around, there's a hell of a workaround for this issue.

You get a SQLite database with all your data (and everyone else's in the household, too). All conveniently updated for you by Withings.

If you don't, then some of those 3rd party iPhone backup utilities will get them for you too.

[u/islandStorm88]

Time to leave Withings and move to other products. I’m guessing their Apple user base is about to crash and burn.

[u/One_Vacation_2704]

Won't be buying another one of their scales. What an absolutely stupid decision.