Apple tests iPhone photo verification feature in iOS 27 beta

In short: Apple is testing an iPhone camera option that can add proof data to a photo, so people can later show it really came from an iPhone and was not altered by AI.

What happened

Reports spotted code in iOS 27 beta 5 that points to a feature called “Apple Reference Image.” The idea is to save extra information inside certain photos at the moment you take them. That extra information is called “provenance metadata,” which basically means a built in record of where a file came from (like a receipt attached to a photo).

According to 9to5Mac, the feature is not live yet and it would be turned off by default. If Apple releases it, it could be switched on in the iPhone’s Settings app under Camera settings. Only photos taken using a new “Reference” option in the Camera app would include this proof data.

MacRumors reports that checking a photo would not happen automatically. A person would tap a “Reference” badge on the photo to start the check. The phone would send the original photo and its proof data, including sensor signatures (patterns from the camera hardware), a capture time window, and device identifiers, to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers for verification, then return an authenticated version with a unique ID.

Apple reportedly does not access the raw photo itself during verification, but it may receive sensor data. That could help Apple block verification for photos linked to a compromised camera sensor, or cancel earlier verifications tied to that sensor.

Why it matters

Fake images are getting easier to make, and they spread fast. A tool like this could help journalists, researchers, and everyday people show that a specific photo was taken on a real iPhone at a specific time, similar to showing a stamped ticket when someone questions if you were there.

Source: The Verge AI