Apple may put heavy Siri AI use behind iCloud+ upgrades

Apple could tie heavier use of its upgraded Siri AI to iCloud+ subscriptions, according to comments from CEO Tim Cook reported by TechCrunch. Cook said the company believes some people will want to use Siri AI a lot and may be able to buy more compute through iCloud+.

The plan is not final, but it would bring Apple closer to the pricing structure used by other AI providers. Many services offer limited free access and then charge users who need more capacity, faster responses or heavier usage.

The new Siri AI is available in the iOS 27 beta and is planned for a broader rollout this fall. For Apple, the upgrade arrives after criticism that Siri has lagged behind newer AI assistants from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.

The practical question is where Apple draws the free-versus-paid line. If everyday use stays included while high-volume requests require iCloud+, the model could feel familiar. If core assistant features are constrained, users may see it as a paywall around a long-promised Siri improvement.