Apple Home AI functionalities carry an unexpected cost.

      Your cameras have become more intelligent, but so has Apple's upselling strategy.

      I previously reported on the new Apple Home AI features introduced at WWDC 2026, which bring numerous quality-of-life enhancements, such as auto-updating notifications, improved camera searches, automatic tracking and merging of multiple videos for a single event, and upgraded recording resolutions, among other things.

      As is the case with many Apple Home features, these enhancements are exclusively for iCloud+ subscribers. However, Apple did not specify during the event which plans would offer access to these functionalities. Today, we find out in the release notes for macOS Golden Gate beta 3, and you may not be pleased with the information.

      What is the hidden price of Home AI features?

      Apple provides several tiers of iCloud plans, starting with the most affordable option at $0.99 for 50GB of storage. The remaining plans are as follows:

      200GB: $2.99/month

      2TB: $9.99/month

      6TB: $29.99/month

      12TB: $59.99/month

      While I was doubtful that the new Home AI feature would be included with the lowest plan, I was optimistic that users with the 200GB plan would have access. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as Apple has limited the Apple Home AI features to the 2TB iCloud+ plan and higher. This means you'll have to pay at least $9.99/month to take advantage of the new AI capabilities in the Apple Home app.

      Why does 2TB seem like the wrong threshold?

      HomeKit Secure Video has always required a paid iCloud plan, and the tiers operate as follows: the 50GB plan allows one camera, the 200GB plan accommodates up to five, and the 2TB plan eliminates the camera limit completely.

      I can somewhat grasp why Apple kept the AI features away from the 50GB tier, since it only supports a single camera. However, the 200GB plan presents a different situation. It already supports up to five cameras, which is the type of multi-camera arrangement that would greatly benefit from AI summaries and cross-camera searches.

      Apple should have made these features accessible starting at the 200GB tier instead of pushing users all the way to 2TB just to gain value from a feature they already qualify for. It comes off as an obvious money grab by Apple, aimed at encouraging users to pay more to help cover Apple's increasing AI expenses.