Tim Cook suggests paid iCloud Plus upgrades for more Apple AI use

In short: Apple may add paid iCloud Plus upgrades that let people use Apple’s AI features more often.

What happened

Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company may offer “upgrade possibilities” on iCloud Plus. He made the comment during an Apple earnings call. Cook said he expects people will want to use Apple Intelligence and the upcoming Siri AI “a lot,” and that users may be able to “buy up the stack,” meaning pay for higher limits.

Apple Intelligence is Apple’s name for its AI features. These tools can do things like generate images and help with tasks inside Apple apps. Apple has said some of these features have daily usage limits because they rely on “powerful server models,” which are large computer systems in data centers (like renting time on a very strong computer that many people share).

Cook’s comments also connect to Apple’s plans for Siri. Apple is expected to broadly launch its long-delayed Siri AI this fall with iOS 27. The Verge reports the updated Siri can answer questions about what is on your screen and can take actions across your apps, and it will also include a separate Siri AI app with a chat-style screen similar to ChatGPT.

Why it matters

If Apple adds new iCloud Plus tiers for AI, some features could become more of a paid add-on, especially for people who use them heavily. For everyday users, it may mean clearer limits on how often you can use AI tools and an option to pay for more, like buying a bigger data plan for your phone.

Source: The Verge AI