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Apple has published a support document that, for the first time, specifies which AI features will be capped in the future. Five areas are affected, including Siri AI and Image Playground. Users who want more features will have to pay for them – the company hasn't specified how much or when this will start.
Apple had already announced in June that computationally intensive Apple Intelligence features would have daily limits, citing the server models behind the requests as the reason. Specifics were not provided at the time. On the evening of the keynote, the company released a support document titled Learn about Apple Intelligence usage limits, along with its own terms of service for Apple Intelligence.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Five areas are explicitly mentioned, including Siri AI, the intelligent photo tools, and Image Playground.
- If a limit is reached, the affected function will be unusable for a certain period of time, after which it will be available again.
- Apple says that extended access will be available for a fee. The company has not specified the amount.
- For video summaries in the Home app, the number of cameras that can be analyzed depends directly on the iCloud+ plan.
- The terms of service allow Apple to throttle or block access in case of excessive use.
These five areas are affected
Apple lists the features that rely on server-side models and may therefore be subject to limitations:
- Siri AI, the newly built assistant
- Intelligent photo editing tools, including cleaning, expanding, and spatial reorientation.
- Image Playground for image creation
- AFM 3 Cloud and AFM 3 Cloud Pro in the Shortcuts app
- Apps from developers who use Apple's Foundation Models via Private Cloud Compute
The list is explicitly not exhaustive. Apple writes that limits will also apply to other features "in the future," without specifying a date.
What happens when the limit is reached?
According to Apple, the affected feature will be temporarily unavailable and then reactivated. The limits will not be the same for all features. The determining factors will be the type of feature, the complexity of the request, the current system load, and other factors.
The document further states that extended access to these features will be available for a fee. It does not specify whether this will be through existing iCloud+ tiers or via a separate subscription.
The Home app is tiered according to the iCloud+ plan
Apple is already being specific at one point. For video summaries in the Home app, the number of cameras that can be analyzed depends on the storage plan purchased.
| iCloud+ plan | Analyzable cameras |
|---|---|
| 2 TB | 1 |
| 6 TB | 2 |
| 12 TB | 5 |
The tiered pricing is less pronounced than with the storage itself: from the smallest to the largest of the three plans, the storage space increases sixfold, while the number of supported cameras increases fivefold. Which tier is most cost-effective depends on individual needs – the iCloud storage plan overview helps in assessing the costs. Apple points out that the number of supported cameras may change over time.
What the terms of service say
In parallel, Apple has published its own terms of service for Apple Intelligence. Two sections of these are practically relevant.
Under the heading "Inappropriate Use," the company reserves the right to restrict, throttle, suspend, or impose additional limits on excessive, abusive, automated, fraudulent, or unlawful use. Apple determines what constitutes inappropriate use based on usage volume, frequency, complexity of requests, system load, and usage patterns.
The enforcement section grants Apple the right to investigate violations and to restrict, suspend, or terminate access to Apple Intelligence features. These terms are subject to change at any time; continued use of the features after a change constitutes acceptance of the new version.
What of this applies here in this country
For users in Germany and Austria, the issue is initially resolved differently. According to Apple, Siri AI will not launch on iOS in the EU at first – meaning the most prominent of the restricted features is not available there at all. Switzerland is not part of the EU and is not affected by this restriction; however, Siri AI only launches in English anyway.
The situation is different for the other points: The intelligent photo tools, Image Playground, and the models in the Shortcuts app work in Germany, and Apple Intelligence supports German. Therefore, the announced limits are immediately relevant for these features as soon as they take effect. How Apple secures the data processing is detailed in its commitments regarding Apple Intelligence and data privacy.
The free feature will become a level
Until this document, Apple Intelligence could be interpreted as an integral part of the operating system: present if the device supports it, without any further action required. With a fee for extended access, this becomes a service with a quota – the same model that other AI service providers have long been using.
The reason is obvious. Requests to Private Cloud Compute consume processing time, and that's per request. What runs on the device costs Apple nothing – what goes into the server infrastructure does.
In practical terms, this means that as long as there are no concrete figures, you can't assess whether the limits will actually affect you in everyday use. Apple has yet to commit to a specific figure on this point.
The figures are still missing
iOS 27 will be released on September 14th, and the affected features will be included with it. Apple has not yet specified when the limits will actually take effect or where they will be set – nor has it revealed how much the extended access will cost.
Would you prefer a fixed quota with a clear number to the current wording, which leaves everything open? Let us know what you think of the staggered system in the comments.
