With the rollout of iOS 27, Apple has begun charging for a new AI-based Home app feature that converts motion-camera clips into text summaries. Under the update, the Apple Intelligence ability to recognize people, animals, vehicles, packages, and general motion events now requires users to pay depending on how many HomeKit Secure Video cameras are involved. Pricing and supported camera tiers have angered some users.
How Much Does It Cost?
The lowest tier—$9.99 per month—grants the AI summaries for just one HomeKit Secure Video camera. If you want the feature across more cameras, the pricing jumps sharply: $29.99/month for two cameras, or $59.99/month for up to five. The Premier bundle of Apple One also includes only one camera of support, since it provides the 2 TB iCloud+ storage that maps to the single-camera tier.
These fees are separate from standard iCloud+ costs needed just to use HomeKit Secure Video, which are much lower. For example, an iPhone user can employ one Secure Video camera with only the $0.99/month 50 GB plan, and support for up to five cameras under the $2.99/month 200 GB tier. Unlimited HomeKit camera recordings are allowed under the $9.99/month 2 TB plan. But access to AI summaries for multiple cameras requires stepping up to the more expensive tiers outlined above.
User Backlash & Feature Restrictions
Many people who’ve already invested in HomeKit Secure Video set-ups feel shortchanged: under the 2 TB plan, they may own multiple cameras but are limited to AI summaries on just one. Complaints have scattered across Reddit and other community forums about what’s been called mismatched expectations and unclear limits.
Apple has warned that the supported number of cameras and other limits for its AI tools could evolve. Other AI-related features—like Siri AI, the Image Playground, and photo-editing tools—will also carry usage caps under free tiers, with options to increase access through paid upgrades. For now, pricing has only been publicly revealed for the Apple Intelligence Home app features.
Looking ahead, Apple appears to be planning its own line of home security cameras and a monitoring service, possibly launching next year. These products will likely tie into these AI summary features and may require iCloud+ subscriptions for full-feature functionality.
What this means: Apple has drawn a clear line between basic HomeKit camera usage and premium AI summarization, establishing a new pricing architecture that may underdeliver for those expecting the AI upgrades to come bundled. The separation between physical device capabilities and AI tool access reflects a broader trend—companies are increasingly monetizing intelligent features rather than just hardware or storage. Users concerned about these restrictions should watch closely: as Apple adjusts limits and pricing over time, those changes may shift value dramatically for people with multi-camera setups.
