iOS 27.2 Adds Invisible SynthID Watermarks to AI Edits in Photos

Real photos can be tagged too

Image Playground produces entirely new images, so it is closest to what most people consider an "AI image." But Apple notes that the watermark is also added to genuine photos from your library if you edit them with Clean Up, Extend or Spatial Reframing. A real photograph that has been altered with those tools can therefore carry the tag.

The key word is "invisible." Nothing appears on the picture itself, and neither you nor anyone you share it with will see a mark unless the image is run through a SynthID detector.

How to check an image

Apple recommends visiting synthid.com, where you can upload an image and see the result of the check.

Why it matters

As AI editing becomes routine, an image that looks authentic may be partly or fully synthetic. Invisible watermarks give platforms and users a way to verify whether a file was touched by generative tools, without altering how the picture looks. For people who use Clean Up to remove a stray object from a vacation photo, it also means the edit leaves a detectable trace even though the result looks natural.

The update is available now for supported Apple devices.