#Subscriptions & Usage

The AI is brilliant, generous, and eager to help — but it does eat tokens. Here's how the economics work, and why you might want to feed it more.

#What It Does

ambientChat uses a credit-based system tied to subscription tiers. Every time the AI processes a question, analyzes an image, or searches your inventory, it uses tokens — think of them as tiny units of computational effort. Your subscription tier determines how many tokens you get each month.

The tiers:

Tier What You Get
Free A generous taste of what's possible. Enough tokens to explore the app, scan some items, and chat with the AI. Perfect for deciding if ambientChat is for you.
Standard A solid monthly token allocation for regular use. Scan your groceries, track your inventory, ask questions daily.
Premium More tokens, access to more capable AI models, and priority processing. For users who rely on the app as a daily tool.
Max The full experience. Maximum token allocation, all models, all features. For power users who want to catalog everything and ask about it constantly.

Tokens reset at the beginning of each billing cycle. Use them or lose them — they don't roll over.

#How to Use It

#iOS App

#Checking Your Current Plan

  1. Go to Account (tap your profile icon or the Account tab)
  2. Tap My Subscription
  3. You'll see your current tier, renewal date, and token usage for this period

#Viewing the Usage Ring

The usage ring is a visual indicator that appears in the app showing how much of your monthly token budget you've consumed. Think of it as a fuel gauge for your AI:

  • Mostly empty — you've barely used your allocation, chat away freely
  • Half full — you're on pace, nothing to worry about
  • Nearly full — you're approaching your limit, be more selective with questions
  • Full — you've hit your ceiling for this month

The usage ring updates after each AI interaction, so you always know where you stand.

#Comparing Plans

  1. Go to Account
  2. Tap Compare Plans
  3. A comparison screen shows all tiers side by side with token allocations, available models, and features
  4. Pick the tier that matches how you use the app

#Upgrading Your Subscription

  1. Go to Account > My Subscription
  2. Tap Upgrade or navigate to Compare Plans
  3. Select the tier you want
  4. Complete the purchase through Apple In-App Purchase
  5. Your new token allocation is available immediately
  6. Your billing cycle resets to start from the upgrade date

#Monitoring Usage in Chat

While chatting, a small usage indicator is visible showing token consumption. Each AI response updates this counter. Longer, more complex questions and responses use more tokens. More capable models generally consume tokens at a higher rate.

#Via Chat

You can ask the AI about your usage:

  • "How many tokens have I used this month?"
  • "Am I close to my limit?"
  • "What plan am I on?"

The AI has access to your subscription status and can give you a plain-language summary of where you stand.

#Billing History

Billing History gives you an itemized breakdown of every AI request — like a phone bill for your AI usage. Each entry shows the date, what kind of request it was (chat, voice, scan, image), which model handled it, and how many credits it consumed.

#iOS App

  1. Go to Account > My Subscription
  2. Scroll down to the Billing History section
  3. Tap Load Billing History to fetch your events
  4. Use the This Period / Previous toggle to switch between billing periods
  5. A running total of credits appears at the bottom

#Admin Web

  1. Go to Settings (gear icon)
  2. Scroll down past the subscription summary card
  3. The Billing History card shows events for the current period
  4. Use the period selector to switch between current and previous periods

#Via Chat

Ask the AI about your billing details:

  • "Show me my billing history"
  • "What have I been charged for this month?"
  • "How many credits did my last scan use?"

The AI uses the get_billing_events tool to pull your itemized history and summarize it.

#Via Claude Desktop (MCP)

Two tools are available in Claude Desktop:

  • get_usage_state — Your usage summary: tier, credits used/remaining, period dates, streak, and exemption status
  • get_billing_events — Itemized billing events with optional period (current/previous), limit, and offset parameters

#Tips & Tricks

  • The free tier is genuinely useful for trying the app. Don't feel pressured to upgrade immediately. Scan some items, ask some questions, see if the context-aware AI is actually valuable to you. If you find yourself hitting the limit regularly, that's a good sign you should upgrade — it means you're actually using it.
  • Shorter, more specific questions use fewer tokens. "What food expires this week?" is cheaper than "Tell me everything about all my food items and their expiry dates and what I should cook with each one." Both work, but the first is more token-efficient.
  • Check your usage ring before a big session. If you're about to scan a week's worth of groceries and then ask the AI to generate a meal plan, glance at your usage first. Nothing worse than running out of tokens mid-meal-plan.

#Options

Setting What It Does Default
Current Plan Your active subscription tier Free
Usage Ring Visual indicator of monthly token consumption Always visible
Auto-Renewal Whether your subscription renews automatically On (managed by Apple)

#Known Limitations

  • Tokens don't roll over. Unused tokens from this month don't carry into next month. Your allocation resets fresh at the start of each billing cycle.
  • Refunds are handled by Apple. Since subscriptions are purchased through Apple In-App Purchase, refund requests must go through Apple's process, not through ambientChat directly. Visit the Apple App Store or reportaproblem.apple.com.
  • Token usage is approximate in the UI. The usage indicator gives you a good sense of where you stand, but exact token counts vary based on model, response length, and context size. Think of it as a reliable estimate, not a precise meter.
  • Downgrading takes effect at renewal. If you switch to a lower tier, you keep your current tier's benefits until the end of the billing period. The lower tier kicks in at the next renewal.
  • Some models are tier-restricted. Not every AI model is available on every plan. The model selector shows which models your current tier can access. Upgrading unlocks additional models.

#Version History

Version Date What Changed
2 2026-03-31 Added Billing History section — itemized billing events on iOS, admin web, chat, and Claude Desktop
1 2026-03-01 Initial guide