Apple has revealed a significant requirement for users who want to take advantage of the new Apple Intelligence capabilities in the Home app of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate. According to the release notes for the third macOS Golden Gate beta released today, an iCloud+ subscription of at least 2TB is necessary to activate the artificial intelligence features related to HomeKit Secure Video cameras. This decision marks an expansion of Apple's paid ecosystem, pushing users toward larger storage plans.
New Apple Intelligence capabilities in the Home app
With iOS 27, the Home app introduces three main innovations powered by Apple Intelligence. First, it can generate textual summaries for motion alerts from HomeKit Secure Video cameras. Second, it can group footage from multiple cameras to provide an activity overview and extract noteworthy recordings. Finally, it supports natural language search, allowing users to find specific clips by describing what they are looking for in plain words. These features require local and cloud processing, justifying the need for more storage.
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Why the 2TB iCloud+ plan is needed
Apple had already hinted at WWDC that some Apple Intelligence features would require an iCloud+ subscription, but did not specify which tier. It has now emerged that for Home features, the 2TB plan is required, which costs $9.99 per month and offers 2TB of storage. Importantly, HomeKit Secure Video storage does not count against the subscription limit: the full 2TB remains available for photos, videos, and other data. The lower plans, 50GB and 200GB, are insufficient to enable these AI options.
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The context of the iCloud+ ecosystem and HomeKit
HomeKit Secure Video has always required a paid iCloud+ plan for cloud storage. The 50GB plan supports one camera, the 200GB plan supports up to five, while the 2TB plan allows an unlimited number of cameras. Now the 2TB plan also adds the Apple Intelligence feature set for Home. This move encourages users with multiple devices to consider a more expensive subscription, aligning with Apple's strategy to monetize services. Unlike other tech companies that have reduced their workforce, such as Microsoft which recently laid off 4,800 employees impacting Xbox and commercial sales, Apple continues to invest in artificial intelligence but passes on the costs to the end user. For more details, read the article on Microsoft lays off 4,800 employees.
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For more information on HomeKit Secure Video, visit the Wikipedia page. Apple Intelligence features require compatible devices such as iPhone 17 Pro and later, iPads with M4 chip or later, and Macs with M4 chip or later. The public beta of iOS 27 will be available soon, with the final release expected in September.
Source: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/06/ios-27-home-app-features-icloud
