What Counts Against the Monthly AI Allowance in iWatch PDF

The AI allowance in iWatch PDF is measured in tokens, the units a language model reads and writes, and it is spent by two actions: asking a document a question, and generating a new quiz. Reading, searching, favourites, sharing, and taking a quiz that already exists never touch it. Pro accounts get 500,000 tokens a month; free accounts get five questions a day and one quiz to try.

People reasonably ask why the number is not simply "questions remaining". This piece answers that and explains how to read the Usage page.

Why tokens and not a count of questions?

Because a question is not a fixed amount of work. Asking a two-page memo something costs almost nothing; asking a three-hundred-page manual costs far more, because the relevant pages are sent to the model along with your question. Quizzes vary even more. Across 567 documents, one quiz ranged from 303 to 59,861 tokens, roughly sixty-fold between the tenth and ninetieth percentile. A count of "quizzes remaining" would describe anything between a rounding error and most of a month.

Tokens describe the actual cost, so the meter moves in proportion to what you did. It is less friendly at first glance and more honest afterwards.

What spends the allowance?

• Ask this PDF. Each question, including follow-ups in the same conversation. Longer documents cost more per question because more pages are considered.
• Generating a quiz. Creating a new question bank for a document. Regenerating one counts again.

What never spends it?

• Reading documents on any device, online or offline.
• Text search inside a document.
• Taking a quiz that has already been generated, as many times as you like.
• Favourites, folders, tags, sharing, and everything on iwatchly.com that is not a question or a new quiz.

How do you read the Usage page?

The page, in the app and on iwatchly.com, shows tokens used this month against the cap, split between questions and quizzes, plus the counts of each. Underneath is the reset date: the first of the next month. Free accounts also see today's questions used out of five, which resets daily.

Every figure is shown next to what it is measured against. A number on its own tells you how much; the cap beside it tells you whether that is a lot.

What happens when it is used up?

Questions and new quizzes wait until the reset. Nothing else changes: your documents, existing quizzes and conversations stay available, and the Watch keeps working offline. On the free plan, the daily five questions come back the next day.

Where does it apply?

One allowance covers your account everywhere. A question asked on iwatchly.com and a quiz generated on the iPhone draw from the same monthly total, and the Usage page shows the same figure on both.

Q: Does a long conversation cost more than a short one?
A: Each turn is charged as it happens, so yes, ten follow-ups cost more than one question. Starting a new conversation for a new topic keeps each turn lean.

Q: Do unused tokens carry over?
A: No. The allowance resets on the first of each month.

Q: Can I buy more tokens on the website?
A: No. The website does not sell anything. Pro is bought and managed in the iWatch PDF app through the App Store.

Q: Does the one free quiz expire?
A: No. It is attached to the first document you generate it for and can be taken as often as you like.

The short version

Tokens measure real work. Questions and new quizzes spend them; reading, searching and retaking quizzes do not. Check the Usage page, and remember the meter resets on the first.

iWatch PDF is available on the App Store.