iCloud+ Subscribers Get Higher Apple Intelligence Usage Limits in iOS 27

[MacRumors]

Certain Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27 will carry daily usage limits, with iCloud+ subscribers receiving higher allowances than free users.

The company reiterated the details in its press release accompanying yesterday's Apple Intelligence announcements. Apple said the limits apply to features that rely on "powerful server models," with image generation cited as the primary example. According to Apple, increased access will be available with most iCloud+ subscription plans.

Some Apple Intelligence features, including image generation, have daily usage limits because they rely on powerful server models. Increased access is available with most iCloud+ subscription plans, which also include Apple Intelligence support for compatible Home cameras.

The phrase "most iCloud+ plans" suggests the cheapest tier, priced at $0.99 per month, may not qualify for the higher limits. Subscribers on any higher iCloud+ tier, or those with an Apple One bundle, appear to be in line for expanded access to advanced AI image generation and potentially other server-reliant features.

iCloud+ subscribers will also gain additional benefits in the Home app, including upgraded support for HomeKit Secure Video on compatible smart cameras.

Article Link: iCloud+ Subscribers Get Higher Apple Intelligence Usage Limits in iOS 27

 

[sniffies]

Nah, 500GB or 1TB iCloud tiers would've been infinitely more useful.

 

[dominiongamma]

Nah, give us 500GB or 1TB tier on iCloud.

iCloud pricing is pretty bad for the storage options

 

[Trusteft]

It's nice to pay to have more data shared with AI.

 

[Soonerpet]

How about they just let these advanced models run on our local machines instead? We supposedly have had these advanced AI chips in our Mac’s for years now, I don’t want some subscription tied to my basic usage of my machine, use the hardware I have. Just have a setting in system preferences to toggle between cloud and local AI, simple as that.

 

[miq]

Pay for yet another subscription service alongside the ten or so others you’re already paying for, and we’ll let you have slightly more AI Slop each day before cutting you off!

 

[markfc]

Nah, 500GB or 1TB iCloud tiers would've been infinitely more useful.

Yep, 1tb would suit me.

 

[mr_matalino]

I just want increased storage limits on my iCloud storage…

 

[needsomecoffee]

Is the image generation Google's NanoBanana ?? Thx, NSC

 

[Brenster]

Will be interested to see how the limits are quanitified. X number of images generated or amended per day/week/month for both the regular and iCloud+ tiers will be a lot easier to understand than x number of tokens per day/week/month.

 

[101phd]

So, just to be clear, we aren't going to need a Gemini subscription?

 

[iZac]

Can I get a discount on my iCloud+ if I don't want it?

 

[CarAnalogy]

Anything to get those users to put in a credit card number.

Of all the things I had hoped they would announce they were fixing, iCloud is still not one. 5GB in 2026, unchanged for literally over a decade.

It continues to very, very clearly be their plan to get users to put in a credit card, just to pay that $1 a month to make it actually useful and get their foot in the door.

The DropBox/OneDrive/iCloud plot to sync all a user's data by default to a storage they know damn well is too small, just to instantly generate a scary "you're out of storage!" email is just gross.

 

[963852741]

How long till our computers will just be terminals to buy compute time form the "cloud"? My lifetime?

 

[lazyrighteye]

So subscription prices are going up? John’s gotta go. 🤪

 

[Siliconguy]

How about they just let these advanced models run on our local machines instead? We supposedly have had these advanced AI chips in our Mac’s for years now,

The 12 GB RAM lower limit makes sense given that Tightwad Tim finally raised the entry level RAM when the first try at AI shipped. But the requirement for M3 or better for local models is puzzling. The M3 NPU is only slightly better than the M2's NPU. The M4 had the big jump in NPU performance so a cutoff there makes more sense but that's not where they drew the line.

I suspect more details will be coming down the line.

 

[CapitalIdea]

It's nice to pay to have more data shared with AI.

Things cost money.

How long till our computers will just be terminals to buy compute time form the "cloud"? My lifetime?

Since AOL/Compuserve/Prodigy, to some degree.

The 12 GB RAM lower limit makes sense given that Tightwad Tim finally raised the entry level RAM when the first try at AI shipped. But the requirement for M3 or better for local models is puzzling. The M3 NPU is only slightly better than the M2's NPU. The M4 had the big jump in NPU performance so a cutoff there makes more sense but that's not where they drew the line.

I suspect more details will be coming down the line.

It’s always interesting to see people endlessly bashing Tim Cook for trying to maximize margins and help Apple earn the most money per unit that the market will bear as if he’s not legally required to do so. It’s almost always the same people that complain about the prices of things yet none of them offer to reduce their own salary out of kindness.

 

[M4irmidnight]

How long till our computers will just be terminals to buy compute time form the "cloud"? My lifetime?

Absolutely. Hang on to old hardware. Hoard offline content you find useful or entertaining.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

How long till our computers will just be terminals to buy compute time form the "cloud"? My lifetime?

We're heading back around to the days of mainframe time sharing. Isn't technology wonderful?

 

[I7guy]

That perk is nice.

 

[richpjr]

So, just to be clear, we aren't going to need a Gemini subscription?

Does not appear so.

 

[I7guy]

We're heading back around to the days of mainframe time sharing. Isn't technology wonderful?

AI isn’t a free resource. And unlike google where you are the product, how are you going to be the product using AI?

 

[richpjr]

Absolutely. Hang on to old hardware. Hoard offline content you find useful or entertaining.

Except for the planned obsolescence that they are already pushing to prevent older platforms from accessing new stuff.

 

[kiranmk2]

There are 5 iCloud tiers. The assumption is that "most" includes all but the base tier, but it could equally be the top 3 tiers. My wife and I each have a 50 GB plan for £0.99 per month and are both within 10-20% of filling it. Perhaps it's time to upgrade to a single shared 200 GB plan between us (which she will likely fill up much faster than me).

 

[kiranmk2]

AI isn’t a free resource. And unlike google where you are the product, how are you going to be the product using AI?

The rumours a few years ago were that Apple would give free access for a period and then start charging for it. Not sure if that's still on the cards or not. I imagine there are a range of options being looked at to pay for this such as giving a years free access when you buy an iPhone, iPad or Mac to encourage more frequent upgrades, or increasing the icloud tier fees (e.g. drop the 50 GB plan and increase the 200 GB plan to $4.99/month, which will push a lot of people into a higher tier and extract more money per month whether they use AI or not.