Apple has introduced a new feature aimed at helping users establish whether a photograph is an original camera capture or has been altered using editing or generative AI tools.
Called Apple Reference Image, the feature was announced alongside the company's latest iPhone lineup and is designed to work like a digital negative, giving users a record of what the camera originally captured.
What is Apple Reference Image?
The feature is available with the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, as well as Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, running iOS 27.
Apple says Reference Image uses the new sensor in the Main camera to sign every pixel captured by the device. The signed sensor information is then processed through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute to produce what the company describes as an unalterable reference image.
“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.
How does the feature work?
Users first need to switch to the new Reference mode before taking a photograph. Once enabled, the camera records signed sensor data along with the image.
The resulting reference image can then be viewed in the Photos app alongside the regular photograph, allowing users to compare the original capture with an edited version.
Apple is also opening up APIs for Reference Images in iOS, iPadOS and macOS 27, allowing third-party applications to access the feature.
Apple adds support for Google's SynthID
The company is also supporting Google's SynthID watermarking technology. SynthID places an invisible watermark within AI-generated or AI-edited content, which can later be detected using compatible tools.
The technology is already used across Google's generative AI products and 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.
Feature availability varies by market
Apple Reference Image will not be available in every market at launch. China and the European Union are among the regions excluded because of regulatory requirements.
However, Apple said users in the EU with iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 may still be able to develop and view Reference Images.