Apple Weighs iPhone Photo Provenance Tool in iOS 27

Apple may add a “Reference Image” photo-authentication feature in iOS 27 to verify a photo’s iPhone origin by sending sensor data and metadata to a Private Cloud Compute for verification, with a new Reference mode enabling this option in camera settings. Seen in beta analyses by 9to5Mac, the tool could help prove provenance amid AI-generated imagery and would complement existing watermarking efforts from Apple and Google, though it may not be included in the public rollout this fall.