Apple launches Reference Image: sensor-level digital negatives to verify authentic photos

BenBajarin · x · 2026-09-10

Apple's new Reference Image feature captures sensor-level data at capture time to create a reference image—essentially a digital negative—that can be kept alongside an edited photo to prove it is real and unaltered.

Analyst Ben Bajarin notes this is a big deal in the age of AI-generated images, especially for regulated industries whose workers use phone cameras on the job.

Related event: Apple Launches Reference Image to Prove Photos Aren't AI-Generated(2 posts)→

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