Siri AI has daily usage limits, and Apple says expanded access will come for a fee

Apple's new Siri AI comes with a daily cap, and Apple says getting more than that will cost money at some point. The fine print in Apple's September 14 Siri AI announcement says features that rely on server-side models "are subject to daily usage limits", and that "Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future."

Image Playground is one of the server-side features Apple lists with daily usage limits. Image: Apple

Apple names four examples: Siri AI itself, the intelligent photo editing tools, Image Playground and the AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. It gives no numbers for the limits and no price, plan name or date for the paid access.

Limits change with demand, says Apple

How much you get depends on what you ask. "Limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors," Apple's support document says, so a simple question and a long, multi-step request may not cost the same share of the allowance.

That support document, published on September 9, also explains what happens at the cap. If you reach a limit in one feature, Apple says, "that feature will become available again after a time out period". The same page adds developer apps that use Apple Foundation Models through Private Cloud Compute to the list, and repeats that "increased access to such features will be available for a fee."

Apple worded it differently in June. Apple's June 8 announcement of the new Apple Intelligence said some features, including image generation, have daily usage limits, and that "increased access is available with most iCloud+ subscription plans". The September 14 announcement and the support document do not repeat that iCloud+ line, and neither names a price, a plan or a date for the fee.

So far, the only tier Apple spells out is in the Home app. The support page says Apple Intelligence video summaries work with up to one camera on the 2TB iCloud+ plan, two on 6TB and five on 12TB.

Vision Pro owners are covered by the same rules

The limits apply across Apple's 2027 software releases, and Apple Vision Pro is on the list of supported devices along with iPhone 16 models or later, iPhone 15 Pro, Macs and iPads with M1 or later and recent Apple Watch models. On Vision Pro, Apple says Siri AI appears as a 3D visualisation you can place in the room and start talking to just by looking at it.

Siri AI itself is a beta, in English only for now. Apple says French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish follow in October. It will not be available initially in the EU on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS, a restriction Apple's note does not extend to macOS or visionOS, and none of the new features are coming to China for now.

Apple says the models behind it are its own Apple Foundation Models, "custom-built in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models", running on device and on Private Cloud Compute servers. The daily limits apply to the features that rely on those server-side models.

Meta charges for heavier AI use too

Apple is not alone in rationing AI. Meta launched its Meta One subscription on September 15, with a $7.99 a month Core plan in the US that includes "more media generation with Meta AI", while Meta says everyday use of Meta AI stays free.

Mixed News readers may remember when Apple Intelligence first reached Vision Pro in 2025, at no extra cost. The features are still free, up to a point Apple has not published.