iOS 27 is slated for a public launch sometime in September, and as Apple previously revealed, it will include a variety of AI-focused features. Of course, with the heavy emphasis on AI, there may be some concerns surrounding these tools, particularly those meant for generating images. To address this, the bitten fruit brand may be developing a feature for verifying the camera source of an iPhone photo.
According to 9to5Mac, new code in iOS 27 beta 5 includes references to what is known as “Apple Reference Image”. Apparently, the feature will be turned off by default, and users will only be able to access it by enabling Reference Mode in the camera settings. Once turned on, provenance data will be embedded within images taken with the device. The publication says that photos taken in this mode aren’t automatically authenticated.
Instead, the user will have the option to verify the pictures. When doing so, the raw image, its metadata, as well as information on the camera sensor and other unique hardware identifiers will be sent to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers. The company will also attach a unique ID to the photo. If the image sensor has been compromised, Apple will refuse to verify images taken with it and will even revoke prior authentications associated with that sensor.
The outlet also notes that only select sensor information and photo metadata will be sent to Apple, and not the raw image itself. Other than that, users will be able to share the authenticated photo to other devices, which can then check whether it remains authenticated. Once again, this process will not involve sharing the image to the company, preserving user privacy. With this in mind, the report states that the data included when sharing photos may vary depending on the transfer method and whether the image is the original, authenticated, or edited version. Additionally, the company will apparently introduce a way to include all data when transferring images.
For now, it’s uncertain whether the feature will roll out with the initial iOS 27 public release this September, or if it will be bundled in a later update. Furthermore, its final iteration may not be exactly as described in the report. In any case, it seems that the tool will serve a similar purpose as C2PA Content Credentials, which Google adopted for its Pixel 10 lineup last year.
Once it launches, Apple Reference Image should be a welcome complement to existing measures for discerning real images from fake ones. As it stands, most tools are focused on AI-generated content. For instance, SynthID, which Apple is implementing, relies on embedding hidden watermarks in AI images.
(Source: 9to5Mac)
