Google Opens SynthID Detector to Everyone, and It Also Spots Media From OpenAI and Nvidia

Google has opened SynthID Detector to all users. The site lets anyone check whether a file carries an invisible AI watermark. The tool, previously available only to journalists and media professionals, went live on October 7, 2026.

What has changed

Users upload a photo, video or audio file to the site, and the system looks for a SynthID watermark. The mark is invisible to humans and is meant to show that the material was created with AI. An earlier version of the tool reached journalists and media professionals last year. Access is now open to everyone.

The tool is free, but users must sign in with a Google, OpenAI or Apple account. Engadget reports that besides material from Google's tools, the detector recognizes content from OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao tools.

Apple and other partners

Engadget writes that support for images created and edited with Apple Intelligence is coming "soon." MacRumors adds that Apple plans to support SynthID "later this year." Engadget also notes that, according to earlier Google announcements, ElevenLabs has committed to supporting SynthID watermarks.

Google says it is continuously working on extending its partnerships to detect more generated media. SynthID checks are already built into Search, the Gemini app and Chrome, and Engadget also mentions Circle to Search.

Limits of the tool

Google stresses that this is not a general AI detector. According to MacRumors, it finds only content marked with SynthID technology. If a creator used a tool with a different watermarking standard, or none at all, the site will show nothing.

Engadget points out that companies use different watermarking standards and that watermarks can be stripped. The tool also does not distinguish entirely generated material from material only edited with AI, and it does not show which parts are synthetic. A missing watermark therefore does not prove a file is authentic.

Engadget notes that detectors rely on different standards, so no universal checker exists. Meta, for example, is experimenting with its own tool, which recognizes images only from its latest Muse Image models.

What it means in practice

For newsrooms, companies and schools, SynthID Detector is another, but partial, tool for verifying material. It covers only media from a few providers, so an image from a model outside that group can pass without a trace. For now the interface is English only.