Apple has confirmed new usage limits for some Apple Intelligence features starting with its 2027 software releases, and the changes will also affect Apple Home and some of the new intelligent features coming to HomeKit Secure Video cameras.
Apple says some Apple Intelligence features rely on powerful server-side models and will have usage limits to maintain a high-quality and reliable experience. This includes Siri AI, intelligent photo editing tools including Clean Up, Extend and Spatial Reframing, Image Playground, AFM 3 Cloud and AFM 3 Cloud Pro models in Shortcuts, and developer apps using Apple Foundation Models through Private Cloud Compute.
The company says these limits may vary depending on the feature, complexity of a request, system demand, system policies and other factors. If a user reaches a limit for a particular feature, it will become available again following a timeout period. Apple has also confirmed that increased access to these features will be available for a fee, although pricing has not yet been announced.
What this means for Apple Home
Apple Intelligence is also becoming a bigger part of Apple Home, particularly when it comes to HomeKit Secure Video cameras and understanding activity around the home.
Apple Intelligence will bring new capabilities to the Home app, including video summaries that can provide users with a more useful overview of activity captured by their cameras. Rather than simply relying on individual motion and detection events, Apple Intelligence can provide additional context around what has happened.
However, Apple has now confirmed that some Apple Intelligence features in the Home app, such as video summaries, will only be available for a limited number of cameras depending on the user’s iCloud+ plan.
Apple Intelligence camera limits
- 2TB iCloud+ — 1 camera
- 6TB iCloud+ — 2 cameras
- 12TB iCloud+ — 5 cameras
Apple notes that these supported camera counts and other iCloud+ plan features may change over time.
Importantly, these are Apple Intelligence camera limits and do not replace the existing HomeKit Secure Video camera allowances.
HomeKit Secure Video camera limits remain unchanged
The existing HomeKit Secure Video limits continue to apply separately. This means users can have considerably more cameras recording through HomeKit Secure Video than can currently use the new Apple Intelligence features.
HomeKit Secure Video camera limits
- 50GB iCloud+ — 1 camera
- 200GB iCloud+ — 5 cameras
- 2TB iCloud+ and above — Unlimited cameras
This distinction is particularly important for anyone with a larger Apple Home camera setup. A user on the 2TB iCloud+ plan, for example, can continue to use an unlimited number of cameras with HomeKit Secure Video, but Apple Intelligence features such as video summaries will currently be limited to one camera.
The important distinction going into Apple’s 2027 software releases is that HomeKit Secure Video itself isn’t being reduced or restricted by these new limits. Instead, Apple is introducing a separate allowance for some of the more advanced Apple Intelligence features.
