As AI gets better at outputting photorealistic images, tech companies have been rolling out tools to identify when an image was generated by AI. Now, Apple is taking a different approach, with a new feature designed to prove when a photo is real.
The tech giant announced Apple Reference Image on Wednesday at its event unveiling a slate of new products, including the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo.
“Users can now prove the authenticity of a photo taken on iPhone 18 Pro models with Apple Reference Image, powered by the new sensor in the Main camera that can sign every pixel it sees,” Apple said in a press release.
When a user takes a photo using the new Reference mode on an iPhone 18 Pro, the camera captures signed sensor data. That data is then processed using Apple’s Private Cloud Compute to create what the company says is an unalterable reference image.
The reference image can then be viewed in the Photos app alongside the regular photo. Apple compares it to a “digital negative” that lets users see what the camera originally captured and compare it with any altered images.
Apple is making APIs for the feature available in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 27 to allow third-party apps to view reference Images.
The company is pairing Reference Image with other tools meant to make AI-generated and edited images easier to spot. Apple says image metadata and upcoming support for the SynthID standard will help users identify images that have been generated or edited with AI.
SynthID is an AI watermarking tool developed by Google DeepMind. It works by embedding an invisible digital watermark directly into AI-generated images, audio, text, or video that can later be detected using SynthID tech.
SynthID is already used across Google’s generative AI products, as well as by OpenAI for images generated through ChatGPT, Codex, and its API.
“Together with Apple Reference Image, this set of features represents a multifaceted approach to image authenticity — vital for photojournalists, photographers, and everyday viewers,” Apple said.
Interestingly, Reference Image won’t be available everywhere at launch.
In China, the feature won’t be available initially because of what Apple describes only as “regulatory requirements.” Meanwhile, in the European Union, iPhone 18 Pro users won’t be able to capture Reference Images at launch, although users with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 will still be able to develop and view them.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.