Apple is adding two new benefits to iCloud+ paid storage plans with iOS 27, and both center on AI features that free users will either get less of or not get at all.
The first change affects how often you can use certain Apple Intelligence features, particularly image generation in the updated Image Playground app.
Apple has confirmed that daily usage limits will apply to features running on server-based AI models, which cost more to operate than on-device processing.
Subscribers on most iCloud+ tiers will receive higher daily allowances than users on the free 5GB plan.
While Apple hasn’t published specific limits, it indicated that the base 50GB plan ($0.99/month) may not qualify for the increased access. Instead, the benefit will likely kick in at the 200GB tier ($2.99/month).
The AI powering these features has also changed significantly. Apple Intelligence is now built on Google’s Gemini models, and Image Playground can produce photorealistic images for the first time as a direct result.
More capable models, though, come with higher infrastructure costs, which is the reason Apple is tiering access by subscription level.
The second benefit lands inside Apple’s Home app. Subscribers with compatible HomeKit Secure Video cameras will gain three new AI features:
- A curated feed that surfaces clips the system flags as worth reviewing.
- Smart text descriptions that automatically summarize recorded footage.
- A clip search function to quickly find specific moments.
Instead of scrubbing through hours of footage to find when a package arrived or a car pulled into the driveway, the system can locate and present that moment directly.
This addition matters most to people who already use HomeKit cameras but rarely dig through their recorded clips because the process is too time-consuming. The search capability, in particular, changes how that footage becomes usable day to day.
Access to the HomeKit camera features will likely require the 200GB plan at $2.99 per month or higher.
Subscribers on Apple One Family at $25.95 per month or Apple One Premier at $37.95 per month are also expected to qualify for both perks.
Apple has not announced any price increases tied to these additions. Both features are expected to roll out when iOS 27 launches publicly this fall.
