Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin
ShakataGaNai16 hours ago | parent | context | favorite | on: New Withings Users Must Pay $99/Year for Apple Hea... #1 - If you bought the product with Apple Health sync in mind and it doesn't do that for free, file a complaint with your OAG. It's false advertising. #2 - If you have the apps today, you should warn other users with a review (which may or may not be 1 star). #3 - If you haven't reviewed the product on Amazon, you should warn other users with a review (which may or may not be 1 star). help 
qurren7 hours ago | next[–] > #3 - If you haven't reviewed the product on Amazon, you should warn other users with a review I've warned users of many such instances of false claims, and safety issues with products. As a consequence, I've been banned from reviewing, and all my past reviews have been removed. "Community standards", I guess. reply nick4863 hours ago | parent | next[–] I've stopped trusting reviews altogether. They're to easily gamed - dishonest competition and clients posts fakes. Dishonest businesses dispute all negative reviews(and most disappointed customers don't have the time to fight it). Reviews just don't work when the user pool goes below a certain "average honesty level" reply itopaloglu8316 hours ago | prev | next[–] Nowadays, companies see the users of their platforms as captive audiences, and they try to extract as much money from them as possible. This completely destroyed the resale value of this product as well. It's not a product we own, but it's their product we happen to use, and we're still subject to all kinds of ads and traps for subscriptions etc. reply Macha10 hours ago | parent | next[–] I'm on holiday at the moment so reopened the app to transfer photos from my camera directly to my phone again after a while of not using it (at home I just use the microsd card readers in my computers). Anyway, I discovered Canon now has a mandatory account requirement. There wasn't even an account option when I bought the camera. Luckily the old apk from APK mirror still works on my phone. reply joquarky3 hours ago | root | parent | next[–] You'll want to keep a copy archived for reverse engineering if/when Google decides to prevent these "loopholes". reply rectang15 hours ago | parent | prev | next[–] Tricking the customer into an exploitative subscription is more profitable than earning loyalty by providing good value. reply r-w6 hours ago | root | parent | next[–] And it requires less work to boot! reply dmix9 hours ago | parent | prev | next[–] A $100 scale isn't really that captive, especially if continuing to use it costs that much per year. There's no shortage of scales for tracking weight loss and the Apple health integration in my Withings is pretty useless from experience. reply PaulHoule10 minutes ago | root | parent | next[–] I have a $100 Garmin scale as well as a watch [1] and some similar devices and it seems like a good value to me but many people I know say "gee, that's expensive!" I am really impressed with my Apple hardware but the services strike me as uniformly shoddy and dare I say a lifestyle brand that seduces people into treating garbage as if was gold. Ok, I like what they did with Foundation, I really do, but I think Apple Health, Apple Home and all of those things are for suckers and Withings probably thinks so too. For all I know Apple is charging them an arm and a leg to participate. On the other hand, Garmin Connect takes my active lifestyle seriously. [1] with 100% satisfaction after discovering third party charging cables! reply itopaloglu8330 minutes ago | root | parent | prev | next[–] Yes, it's not as captivating as a $1,200 iPhone or $4,000 MacBook Pro. But we're talking about habits, and gradual changes and engagements. However, once you're within a system, and used to interacting with it on a daily basis, you would lean towards their slight nudges and pushes, and over time subscribe to a $2/month service, or their "new solutions" etc. Not to forget their continued advertisements in the app, and constant pushes. You're no longer a customer that purchases a product, but instead a captive audience that is constantly being engaged and steered towards one thing or another. reply m46310 hours ago | parent | prev | next[–] At first I was think of the people who signed an agreement for their solar roof (which was entangled with solar credits, etc) nowadays selling your tesla involves the new owner identifying themselves and uploading their identity documents to tesla. reply JumpCrisscross15 hours ago | prev | next[–] >file a complaint with your OAG Honestly one of my new favourite uses for AI. Little things I wouldn't ordinarily complain about I can now engage the regulatory state on. (Currently pursuing LG under Wyoming's wiretapping statute.) Though heading that off might be why this is only "starting from October 13th, 2026" and in respect of "any new Withings account." reply ShakataGaNai13 hours ago | parent | next[–] I agree, that's a great use for AI. As for the timing... If you BOUGHT the product before October 13th and simply didn't activate an account yet - then it might still be worthy of a complaint. I'm not saying they are actively false advertising, I haven't checked every one of their store fronts after all. But it is a valid path for someone who did get swindled. reply mschuster912 hours ago | parent | prev | next[–] > Honestly one of my new favourite uses for AI. Little things I wouldn't ordinarily complain about I can now engage the regulatory state on. And public service is getting swamped with petty little BS in return. Even if the substance has merits (and most doesn't, because AI systems are yes-men that don't push back like an actually trained lawyer would), they have to spend sooooo much time reading and digesting all the AI written fluff plus checking if stuff like cited court cases actually exists. reply brookst1 hour ago | root | parent | next[–] Then perhaps they know the true scale of consumer complaints once friction to file is removed, they can take better actions to reduce those complaints. reply antihero1 hour ago | root | parent | prev | next[–] It's ok, they can use AI. reply OptionOfT11 hours ago | prev | next[–] Can I do the same for like EcoBee? I bought them a year ago and today they showed me an ad ON MY THERMOSTAT. reply notatoad11 hours ago | parent | next[–] If you bought from a big-box retailer and you’re considering ditching ecobee because of this, you should try to return them. Even if you’re outside the return policy, if you’re pleasant to the customer service staff they might be able to help you. Amazon reviews are essentially meaningless at this point, the important un-fakeable stat is return rates. Brands care, and retailers track it and will drop products with high return rates. reply m1015 hours ago | prev | next[–] Also trustpilot: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.withings.com I had a similar experience with tado that tried to paywall a basic temperature control of a smart thermostat. Their ratings got trashed and they pulled back. reply sheepscreek15 hours ago | prev[3 more] [flagged] hhh15 hours ago | parent[–] this isn't Apple though? reply sheepscreek13 hours ago | root | parent[–] Ah, you're right and I completely missed that detail. Thank heavens, my faith is restored. reply
Consider applying for YC's Winter 2027 batch! Applications are open till November 2. Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact Search: