We Maxed Out an iCloud+ Plan on iOS 27 to Find Apple’s Hidden HomeKit AI Limits
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On Monday, Apple dropped the fifth developer beta of iOS 27, bringing more customizable immersive voices for Siri AI, some new search settings, redesigned icons, and a few other tweaks. Now, it also seems the beta quietly reveals how Apple plans to charge for some of its Apple Intelligence features going forward.
Apple made it clear from the start that users on paid iCloud+ plans will be able to enjoy higher usage limits for features like image generation and Apple Intelligence support for home cameras (provided you have an Apple Intelligence-capable device to view them). However, Apple still hasn’t officially provided any details on how those usage limits would work.
While a lot of that remains vague, iOS 27 DB5 offers a new interface that at least tells us how it will fit into HomeKit Secure Video cameras — and it feels like a rehash of the original iCloud+ strategy, dialed up a notch.
Apple currently offers five iCloud+ plans that are mostly distinguished based on the included storage: 50 GB for $0.99 monthly, 200 GB for $2.99, 2 TB for $9.99, 6 TB for $29.99, and 12 TB for $59.99. Those top two are relatively new, having been added in 2023 for folks with extremely demanding storage needs. But now it looks like they’ll be offering more than just storage.
When Apple introduced HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV) in 2019, it offered “free” iCloud storage for up to 10 days of video clips from compatible home cameras. However, since it wasn’t charging for the storage, it limited the number of cameras that could be used based on the subscriber’s iCloud+ tier. At the time, you had to be paying at least $2.99 monthly for the 200 GB plan to use even a single camera, while the $9.99 / 2 TB plan offered support for up to five cameras.
Apple shifted that in 2021 when it rebranded the service as iCloud+, moving the tiers down a notch: the cheapest $0.99 / 50 GB monthly plan gave you a single camera, $2.99 / 200 GB gave you five, and $9.99 / 2 TB opened up recording from an unlimited number of cameras.
Now, it looks like Apple is applying similar logic to its new Apple Intelligence HKSV features, but it’s leveling them up.
The New Apple Intelligence Camera Limits
As I was poking around after installing iOS 27 DB5 last night, I noticed that the Apple Intelligence > Cameras and Language section in the Home app’s settings showed me a limit of “video summaries for 5 cameras” for my iCloud+ plan — the 2 TB included with Apple One Premier in my case — followed by a “See iCloud+ Plans” link.
Selecting that presents a screen to Upgrade your iCloud+ Plan for More Apple Intelligence that somewhat vaguely says, “Get more access to intelligence features, increase storage, and more,” followed by a “Learn more” link that, as is the norm for betas, goes nowhere yet.
This screen provides a single option to upgrade to whatever the next available storage tier is compared to your current plan. For me, it offered “2 TB and More Intelligence,” since that can be stacked on top of an Apple One Premier plan. If you’re already on the 2 TB plan, it will offer the 6 TB plan, and if you’re on the 6 TB plan, it will offer the 12 TB plan.
Sadly, there’s no unlimited option, but here are the number of cameras that appear to be available on each tier:
- iCloud+ 2 TB: Includes video summaries for 5 cameras.
- iCloud+ 6 TB: Includes video summaries for 10 cameras.
- iCloud+ 12 TB: Includes video summaries for 25 cameras.
Pushing the Limits ‘For Science’
However, like storage, it seems these can also be “stacked” with an Apple One Premier plan. I tested this firsthand by maxing out an iCloud+ subscription on the latest beta, and can confirm that stacking Apple One Premier — which already includes 2 TB of storage and video summaries for up to five cameras — brings the absolute maximum to a whopping 30 cameras.
- Apple One Premier + iCloud+ 2 TB: 10 cameras (4 TB of storage)
- Apple One Premier + iCloud+ 6 TB: 15 cameras (8 TB of storage)
- Apple One Premier + iCloud+ 12 TB: 30 cameras (14 TB of storage)
Note that this doesn’t impact the number of HKSV cameras that can be used for recording. That’s still unlimited on the 2 TB plan or above, regardless of whether it’s purchased standalone or as part of Apple One Premier.
These limits are strictly for “video summaries” — the new iOS 27 feature that uses Apple Intelligence to analyze your video streams to provide more detailed descriptions as to what’s going on.
Users on lower-tier iCloud+ plans will still be able to use HKSV as before, and will still have access to features like facial recognition for doorbell cameras.
The good news is that these new limits won’t block you from using these features entirely. You’ll just have to choose which cameras to enable them for.
In other words, if you have eight HKSV cameras and are on the 2 TB plan, you’ll be able to continue recording on all eight of them, just as you could before, but you’ll need to choose which five will generate video summaries. This also doesn’t appear to be a permanent choice; you can flip them around at any time as long as you don’t have more than five enabled simultaneously.
This means not everyone will need to worry too much about these limits, as not every camera around most homes really needs sophisticated AI summaries of what’s going on. For instance, I don’t really need AI to tell me when I’m grilling burgers or have raccoons running through my backyard at 3 a.m.
