Apple Home AI functionalities come with an underlying cost.
Your cameras have become smarter, but so has Apple's upselling strategy.
I previously reported on the new Apple Home AI features announced at WWDC 2026, which include various enhancements for user convenience, such as auto-updating notifications, a more advanced camera search, automatic tracking and video stitching for events, and improved recording resolutions, among other features.
As with many Apple Home functionalities, access to these features is limited to iCloud+ subscribers. However, during the event, Apple did not specify which plans would include these features. Today, we found the details in the release notes for macOS Golden Gate beta 3, and the news may not be favorable for many users.
What is the hidden cost of Home AI features?
Apple offers several tiers of iCloud plans, starting with the most affordable option at $0.99 for 50GB of storage. The pricing for other plans is as follows:
- 200GB: $2.99/month
- 2TB: $9.99/month
- 6TB: $29.99/month
- 12TB: $59.99/month
Although I was not particularly optimistic that the new Home AI features would be included with the lowest plan, I had hoped that users on the 200GB plan could access them. Unfortunately, that's not the case, as Apple has limited the Home AI features to the 2TB iCloud+ plan and higher. This means that users must pay at least $9.99/month to utilize the new AI functionalities in the Apple Home app.
Why is the 2TB threshold the wrong choice?
HomeKit Secure Video has always required a paid iCloud plan, and the structure is as follows: the 50GB plan covers one camera, the 200GB plan supports up to five cameras, while the 2TB plan lifts the camera limit entirely.
I can partially understand Apple's decision to withhold the AI features from the 50GB tier, as it allows for only one camera. However, the situation is different for the 200GB plan, which accommodates up to five cameras—precisely the type of multi-camera environment that would greatly benefit from AI-powered summaries and cross-camera searching.
Apple should have made these features available starting at the 200GB tier instead of requiring users to upgrade to the 2TB plan to gain value from a feature that their setup already qualifies for. This move feels like a clear attempt by Apple to generate more revenue, pushing users to pay more to compensate for the increasing costs associated with their AI development.
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Apple Home AI functionalities come with an underlying cost.
Apple's latest AI-driven Home app sounds impressive, but there's a downside: you must have the 2TB iCloud+ plan to access these features.