iOS 27.2 SynthID Watermark: Which Photo Edits Get Tagged?
Starting with iOS 27.2, Apple adds Google DeepMind’s invisible SynthID watermark to images made with Image Playground and Image Wand, and to real camera photos you edit with Clean Up, Extend or Spatial Reframing in Photos. Use the checker below to see whether your edit is on Apple’s list, and what independent testing found.
Quick Answer
Five Apple tools add SynthID in iOS 27.2: Clean Up, Extend and Spatial Reframing in Photos, plus Image Playground and Image Wand.
Photos and images you edited before updating are not watermarked unless you edit them again with one of those tools. Standard edits such as crop, exposure and filters are not on Apple’s list.
Photos cannot read the watermark. To check a file, upload it at synthid.com.
Apple Photos & Apple Intelligence SynthID Checker
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Watch: How SynthID Works (Google DeepMind, Official)
SynthID: A tool for watermarking and identifying AI-generated content
A short overview of how SynthID embeds a watermark in AI-generated images, video and audio that people cannot see but a detector can read.
This video predates Apple’s adoption and does not cover Apple Photos. For Apple’s tools, use the table below.
iOS 27.2 SynthID Trigger Table
Apple’s list comes from HT149520. The test column reflects MacRumors’ testing, independently reproduced by Beebom.
| Tool | On Apple’s list? | Seen in testing (synthid.com) | Getting back an unedited version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image Playground | Yes | All images carried the watermark | No camera original exists (generated image) |
| Image Wand (in Notes) | Yes | Not separately reported in the sources reviewed | No camera original; work from your sketch or text in Notes |
| Photos: Extend | Yes | Watermark found | Edit → Revert → Revert to Original |
| Photos: Spatial Reframing | Yes | Watermark found (tested as Reframe) | Edit → Revert → Revert to Original |
| Photos: Clean Up | Yes, no size condition listed | Small edits: no watermark found. Larger edits: watermark found | Edit → Tools → Clean Up → Reset (per Apple’s guide), or Revert to Original |
| Standard edits (crop, exposure, filters, Photographic Styles, Markup) | Not listed | Not part of the reported tests | Edit → Revert → Revert to Original |
| Anything edited before 27.2 | Not watermarked until re-edited with a listed tool | Not part of the reported tests | Not applicable |
Apple’s iPhone guide says that in iOS 27.2 or later most images created or edited with Apple Intelligence tools include a SynthID watermark. That wording is why the Clean Up size finding is treated as a test result rather than a rule.
What Apple Says vs. What Testing Found vs. What Isn’t Documented
| Claim | Evidence type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Five tools add SynthID from version 27.2 | Apple documentation | Apple HT149520 |
| Pre-27.2 images stay unmarked until edited with a listed tool | Apple documentation | Apple HT149520 |
| Check an image by uploading it at synthid.com | Apple documentation | Apple HT149520 |
| Photos has no built-in SynthID detector | Press reporting | MacRumors |
| Extend and Reframe images carried the watermark; small Clean Up edits did not | Independent testing (early) | MacRumors, Beebom |
| Watermark survives cropping, filters and compression | Google’s design claim, reported | Notebookcheck; not addressed by Apple |
| Revert to Original restores the photo as taken | Apple documentation (general Photos feature) | Apple Photos guide |
| What Revert does to any SynthID mark | Not documented by Apple | Check the restored export at synthid.com |
How to Check an Image at synthid.com (and What the Result Means)
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- Open synthid.com in a web browser. Apple’s Photos app cannot scan for the watermark.
- Sign in when prompted, upload the image and follow the on-screen steps to see the result.
- Check the exported or shared file, not just the one in your library, if you want to know what others will receive.
Privacy: uploading sends the image to Google’s servers. Skip sensitive photos unless you are comfortable with that.
Reading the result
- Detected: a SynthID watermark was found, so a SynthID-enabled generative tool was involved.
- Not detected: this does not prove the photo is real or unedited. The edit may have been too small, or made with a tool whose watermark the detector does not recognize.
Access and limits: Google opened the SynthID Detector globally in English on October 7, 2026, and lists Apple among the partners whose media it can check. The tool is public rather than invite-only, but Ars Technica reports that sign-in is required and each user gets roughly 10 checks a day across images, video and audio.
Cropping, Metadata Strippers and Reverting: What We Can and Can’t Say
- Pixels vs. metadata: SynthID is described as a signal in the image pixels, not a text tag in the file header. Google says it is designed to survive cropping, filters and compression, so deleting EXIF data alone should not be treated as a removal method. Apple’s own page does not make this claim, and no independent adversarial testing is cited, so treat it as directional.
- Getting an untouched copy: Photos keeps your original when you edit. Open the photo, tap Edit, then Revert and Revert to Original. For Clean Up, Apple’s guide says to open Edit → Tools → Clean Up and tap Reset.
- Plan ahead: if you need both versions, tap Duplicate before using an Apple Intelligence tool. Copies you already exported or shared are separate files and are not changed by reverting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Apple tools add a SynthID watermark in iOS 27.2?
Apple’s support document HT149520 (published November 5, 2026) lists Clean Up, Extend and Spatial Reframing in Photos, plus Image Playground and Image Wand, starting with iOS 27.2, iPadOS 27.2, macOS 27.2 and visionOS 27.2.
Do photos edited before iOS 27.2 have a SynthID watermark?
No. Apple says images you create or edit before updating will not have a SynthID watermark until you edit them with one of the listed tools.
Does Clean Up always add a SynthID watermark?
Apple lists Clean Up with no size condition. In MacRumors’ testing, small edits did not produce a detectable watermark and larger edits did. Treat that as an early test result, not a documented rule.
How do I check an image for a SynthID watermark?
Open synthid.com in a browser, sign in, upload the image and follow the on-screen steps. Photos has no built-in detector, a daily check limit applies, and uploading sends the image to Google.
Does cropping or applying a filter remove the SynthID watermark?
Google designs SynthID to survive cropping, filters and compression. Apple’s page does not address it, and the claim comes from Google’s description as reported by the press, so it is not a guarantee.
How do I get my original photo back after an Apple Intelligence edit?
Open the photo, tap Edit, then Revert and Revert to Original. For Clean Up, Apple’s guide says to tap Edit, Tools, Clean Up, then Reset. Copies you already exported or shared are not changed.
Does a clean detector result prove a photo is real?
No. The detector only looks for watermarks from Google and its partners, so a clean result does not prove an image is untouched or authentic.
Sources
- About SynthID watermarks in images created or edited with Apple Intelligence — Apple Support, published November 5, 2026
- Clean up, extend, and reframe photos on iPhone — Apple Support
- Edit photos and videos on iPhone — Apple Support
- iPhone AI Images and Edits Now Have a Hidden Watermark — MacRumors, October 26, 2026
- iOS 27.2 adds Apple Photos invisible watermark feature — 9to5Mac, November 6, 2026
- iOS 27.2: Apple’s AI images now carry Google’s SynthID watermark — Notebookcheck, October 27, 2026
- Your iPhone’s AI-Generated Images Now Carry Google’s Hidden SynthID Watermark — Beebom, independent testing
- We’re making it easier to identify AI-generated content globally — Google, October 7, 2026 (public SynthID Detector)
- SynthID — Google DeepMind overview
This page is informational. Apple may change which tools add the watermark in later updates, so confirm against Apple’s support page.
