Apple has confirmed that some of its new Apple Intelligence features for the Home app will require a 2TB iCloud+ subscription, clarifying one of the biggest unanswered questions following WWDC 2026.
The requirement was revealed in the latest macOS 27 Golden Gate Beta 3 release notes, confirming that users will need the 2TB iCloud+ tier or an Apple One Premier subscription to access the AI-powered Home experience announced for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27.
The new Apple Intelligence features are centered around HomeKit Secure Video. Instead of simply recording motion events, the Home app can generate written summaries of activity, stitch together footage captured from multiple cameras into a single timeline, highlight important events, and let users search recordings using natural language.
These capabilities are designed to make reviewing security footage much faster, allowing users to search for events like “person delivering a package” or quickly see everything that happened around a specific time without manually scrubbing through video.
Apple had previously said that some Apple Intelligence features would require iCloud+, but it did not specify which subscription tier would be needed. Beta 3 confirms that these Home features are reserved for the 2TB iCloud+ plan, which also remains the tier that supports unlimited HomeKit Secure Video cameras.
Users subscribed to the 50GB and 200GB iCloud+ plans can still use HomeKit Secure Video, but those plans remain limited to one and five cameras, respectively. HomeKit Secure Video storage also continues to be excluded from a user’s purchased iCloud storage, meaning the full 2TB remains available for photos, backups, and other files.
The subscription requirement appears to apply specifically to Apple Intelligence-powered video analysis. Features such as grouped notifications and 4K HomeKit Secure Video support are not believed to require the higher-tier plan because they do not rely on Apple’s AI models.
For users already paying for the 2TB iCloud+ plan or Apple One Premier, the new Apple Intelligence features will become another benefit included with their subscription. However, anyone hoping to use AI-powered HomeKit Secure Video summaries and natural language search will need to upgrade if they’re currently on Apple’s lower iCloud+ tiers.
