iPhone AI Images and Edits Now Have a Hidden Watermark
Images generated with Image Playground and some photos edited with Apple Intelligence will now include a SynthID watermark. Apple announced plans to add SynthID support back in June, and the feature is live in iOS 27.2. SynthID is a Google-created tool that identifies AI-generated content. It watermarks images and videos at the pixel level instead of adding metadata. Google says it does not…
Apple has launched a new feature called SynthID, which will be embedded in images generated using the iPhone's Image Playground and photos edited with Apple Intelligence. This unique watermark will be visible at the pixel level, ensuring it remains intact even after the image undergoes modifications such as cropping, filters, and compression.
SynthID was initially announced in June and is now available in the latest iOS 27.2 update. Created by Google, this tool is already in use by various parties, including Google, Apple, OpenAI, and others. It's essential to note that there isn't any option on the iPhone to detect SynthID watermarks, so users must rely on the SynthID Detector website for verification.
During testing, it was found that images edited with Extend and Reframe were marked with SynthID watermarks, while edits performed using Clean Up seemed to depend on the extent of the modification. Smaller edits did not trigger the watermark, whereas larger Clean Up edits did incorporate the SynthID watermark. Images generated directly through Image Playground will always carry the SynthID watermark.
Written by urgent.news from MacRumors's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
