What is Private Cloud Compute? Apple's privacy rules, the daily limit and third-party apps

Private Cloud Compute is the server system Apple uses for Apple Intelligence requests that need more than the model on the iPhone. Apple documents it on its Security Research blog and in a Security Guide, down to what its own staff cannot do. iOS can export a report of the requests your iPhone sends to it, and on iOS 27 third-party apps such as Orvena can use it within a daily limit Apple sets.

What Private Cloud Compute is

Apple's iPhone User Guide page on Apple Intelligence and privacy puts it this way: "When a user makes a request, Apple Intelligence analyzes whether it can be processed on device. For more complex requests, it can draw on Private Cloud Compute," which uses "larger, server-based models." It "isn't available in all regions."

The five requirements behind Private Cloud Compute

Apple set out the design on its Security Research blog on June 10, 2024, in Private Cloud Compute: A new frontier for AI privacy in the cloud. It lists five requirements. The key sentence from each:

Is Private Cloud Compute safe? What outsiders can check

The fifth requirement is what lets people outside Apple test the other four. Apple makes "software images of every production build of PCC publicly available for security research," keeps the measurements of all code in "an append-only and cryptographically tamper-proof transparency log," and publishes software "within 90 days of inclusion in the log." Apple calls the publishing promise "an enforceable guarantee: user devices will be willing to send data only to PCC nodes that can cryptographically attest to running publicly listed software." Apple's iPhone User Guide adds that "attestation enables a user's device to securely verify the identity and configuration of a Private Cloud Compute cluster before sending a request."

On October 24, 2024, Apple opened the tools to all researchers: a Virtual Research Environment, the PCC Security Guide, source code for key components in the apple/security-pcc repository, and PCC categories in the Apple Security Bounty. The top reward, $1,000,000, is for a "Remote attack on request data" with "Arbitrary code execution with arbitrary entitlements."

None of this changes where the request goes: it leaves the iPhone, and the protections cover how the server handles it. For the difference from a model on the phone, see what makes an AI assistant private; for Siri, does Siri send your requests to Apple.

Private Cloud Compute on Google Cloud since June 2026

On June 8, 2026, Apple announced that for "the most demanding tasks, including agentic tool-use and complex reasoning," PCC now extends "to Google Cloud systems using NVIDIA GPUs." What Apple says stays the same:

• "Our core PCC requirements remain exactly the same," with all five named.
• "Apple devices will only trust PCC software that is cryptographically approved by Apple."
• "As with PCC on Apple silicon, all binaries will be published for public inspection."

What is new is "the implementation: NVIDIA Confidential Computing with NVIDIA GPUs, Intel CPUs with TDX, and Google's Titan chip," and PCC on Google Cloud "will be gradually ramping towards the complete set of protections throughout the summer preview period." The iOS 27 iPhone User Guide still says data is "processed on Apple silicon servers," which does not reflect the change.

How to see your Private Cloud Compute requests

iOS can export a log of the requests your iPhone sent. Apple's steps, from the iPhone User Guide:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Privacy & Security.
2. Tap Apple Intelligence Report, then choose a duration: the last 15 minutes (the default) or the last 7 days. Off disables the report.
3. Tap Export Activity, choose where to store the file, then tap Export.
4. Open Apple_Intelligence_Report.json with a text reader.

The report "may be empty if there haven't been any Private Cloud Compute requests since you changed the duration," so choose 7 days first and export later. According to the PCC Security Guide, when PCC calls "tools hosted outside PCC on the user's behalf, for example, to retrieve world knowledge," each call "carries no source-device or user identifier" and is "surfaced in the user's Apple Intelligence Report."

The Private Cloud Compute daily limit and iCloud+

There is a daily limit, and Apple has not published its size. The wording on getting more changed between June and September 2026.

The June WWDC26 press release: "Some features, including image generation, have daily usage limits because they rely on powerful server models. Increased access is available with most iCloud+ subscription plans." Apple's developer documentation says people get "a daily request limit" and "can upgrade their iCloud+ subscription to get more access when they want it."

Apple's September 14 Newsroom announcement of iOS 27 names "Siri AI, intelligent photo editing tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts" among the limited features and says "Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future," with no mention of iCloud+. Apple's usage limits page, dated September 9, lists "Developer apps using Apple Foundation Models in Private Cloud Compute" among the server features and says "In the future, Apple will implement usage limits on these and other Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features," and "Increased access to such features will be available for a fee."

The developer documentation describes a limit that applies now: past the quota, "a person either waits for their usage quota to refresh or they upgrade to a higher tier."

Private Cloud Compute apps: how third-party apps get access

On iOS 27, apps reach the server model through Apple's Foundation Models framework. Apple's developer page sets three conditions: enrollment in the App Store Small Business Program, "fewer than 2 million first-time app downloads from any of their apps on the App Store," and "the Private Cloud Compute entitlement assigned to their account." Eligible developers pay "no cloud API cost," and one that crosses the threshold "must migrate to an alternative solution within 6 months." The app handles no API keys or authentication, and people "just need a device that supports Apple Intelligence." Apple's comparison of the two models:

How Private Cloud Compute works in Orvena

Orvena offers Private Cloud Compute as an answer engine on iOS 27, as part of Premium Unlock, a one-time $14.99 purchase that also adds connectors, voice conversations and scheduled tasks. Apple Intelligence stays free. Open Settings from the menu at the top left, go to Models, and under Cloud tap Use on Private Cloud Compute. Without Premium the button reads Unlock; on iOS 26 the card says "Update to iOS 27 to use Private Cloud Compute in Orvena."

The first time, one alert asks "Use Private Cloud Compute?" with this text: "Each answer sends your conversation, and the tool results it needs, to Apple's servers. Apple doesn't keep them. Health and financial data still ask every time." Choosing Use saves the consent for all conversations. It is listed in Settings, Data sharing, under All conversations, where you can revoke it. Orvena never switches to it on its own: Automatic uses the downloaded model, or Apple Intelligence while none is ready.

Tool results are included. Ask about your calendar and the calendar permission works as on the device, then the events go to Apple with the conversation. Health and financial data are the exception: a Health lookup asks each time, and if earlier health data is in the conversation, every answer asks "This conversation contains earlier health data from tools. Send that history to Private Cloud Compute for this answer?"

Orvena gives Private Cloud Compute a 32,768-token window and Apple's moderate reasoning level. The Thinking setting is hidden while it is active. In a long conversation Orvena keeps whole recent turns and drops the oldest ones, without summarizing. If that still does not fit, it says "This conversation is too long for Private Cloud Compute. Start a new chat to continue."

It suits requests with several steps. Asked "Suggest a walking tour of Rome for the day, starting at the Colosseum, with walking times between the stops", Orvena 2.0.0 on Private Cloud Compute searched the web, read a page, and made one travel-time card per leg:

When the daily limit is reached

Near the limit, the Private Cloud Compute card in Models shows "Close to today's Private Cloud Compute limit." At the limit it shows "Today's Private Cloud Compute limit is reached. It resets tomorrow." When Apple offers more access, a Show options button opens Apple's sheet. If the limit runs out while you ask, the message is "Today's Private Cloud Compute requests are used up. They reset tomorrow, and iCloud+ raises the limit." If no tool has run yet, Orvena answers on the iPhone with Apple Intelligence, when it supports your language, and adds "This answer comes from this iPhone." If a tool already ran, it stops there, so an action such as adding an event is not repeated. The same applies when Apple's servers cannot be reached.

When to use the on-device engines instead

• Health data. With the on-device engines, Orvena reads Apple Health without asking each time (iOS asks for Health access once), and the summary stays on the phone. On Private Cloud Compute, every Health lookup asks, and so does every step with financial data.
• No connection, or no requests left. Both on-device engines work offline with no daily limit.
• Single lookups. In a 2.0.0 test, Apple Intelligence answered "How long is the walk from the Colosseum to the Trevi Fountain in Rome?" with a travel-time card, Colosseum to Trevi Fountain, 1.6 km, about 20 min, with a route map, and the answer "The walk from the Colosseum to the Trevi Fountain in Rome is about 20 minutes, covering 1.6 km."
• Other languages and iOS 26. Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 supports 16 languages, listed on Apple's support page. For languages not on that list, and on iOS 26, download Orvena's own model in Models.

Orvena cannot change Apple's limit itself, cannot change the reasoning level, and cannot override a refusal. More access comes only from Apple's own options, such as iCloud+, in the sheet that Show options opens. When Private Cloud Compute declines, Orvena shows "Private Cloud Compute declined to answer this. Try rephrasing it."

Common questions

Can Apple see my data on Private Cloud Compute?

Apple says no. Its iPhone User Guide states that "The data being processed in Private Cloud Compute is not stored or made accessible to Apple," and the design rules out privileged access even for Apple's site reliability staff. Outside researchers can inspect the published server software to check this. Since June 2026 some requests run on Google Cloud, where Apple says it "retains complete control over PCC software" and said PCC there "will be gradually ramping towards the complete set of protections throughout the summer preview period."

Is there a daily limit on Private Cloud Compute, and does iCloud+ raise it?

Yes, there is a daily limit, and Apple has not published the number. Apple's developer documentation says people "can upgrade their iCloud+ subscription to get more access." Apple's September 14, 2026 announcement of iOS 27 says instead that expanded access "will be available for a fee in the future," without naming iCloud+.

Can third-party apps use Private Cloud Compute?

Yes, on iOS 27, if the developer is in the App Store Small Business Program, has fewer than 2 million first-time downloads and has been given the Private Cloud Compute entitlement. The developer pays no cloud API cost, and each user gets a daily request limit.

Is Private Cloud Compute as private as on-device AI?

Apple's own comparison marks both as preserving privacy, but they work differently. With the on-device model the request stays on the iPhone, and it works offline. With Private Cloud Compute it goes to a server, which Apple says keeps nothing and which researchers can check. See on-device AI vs cloud AI for the tradeoffs.