Google's SynthID Detector now tells anyone if a photo was made with AI, as long as the AI signed its work
By Brett Gavaghan, Founder of Adaptd ·
On 7 October Google opened SynthID Detector to the public. It's free, it checks media for hidden AI watermarks, and it only knows about the tools that add them.
The short version
- SynthID Detector is a free Google website that checks images, video and audio for invisible SynthID watermarks left by AI tools.
- It opened to everyone on 7 October 2026 at synthid.com, worldwide in English, and you sign in with a Google, OpenAI or Apple account.
- Use it to check suspicious media, but a clean result doesn't prove a file is real, because many AI tools add no SynthID watermark.
Every business has had the forwarded photo that looks a bit too good, like the flawless product shot from a new supplier. Google now has a free tool that can tell you if certain AI tools made it.
What is SynthID Detector?
SynthID Detector is a Google website where you upload a photo, video or audio file and it tells you whether the file carries a SynthID watermark. SynthID is an invisible marker that some AI tools add when they create media, so people can't see it but software can.
Until now the detector was limited to a waitlist of journalists and media professionals. On 7 October Google opened it to the public at synthid.com. It recognises media made with AI from Google and partners including OpenAI and NVIDIA, with Apple support on the way. Google has also built the same check into Search and Chrome.
Who can use it, and what can't it tell you?
Anyone can use SynthID Detector for free, worldwide in English, once they sign in.
The limits matter more than the features. Google says it is not a general AI detector: it only finds its own watermark, so content from tools that don't use SynthID comes back clean. Engadget notes watermarks can be stripped out, and the tool can't tell whether a file was made from scratch by AI or just edited with it. Think of it as a metal detector that only beeps for one brand of coin.
Should your business use it?
Businesses can use SynthID Detector as one quick check on suspicious images, video or voice recordings, especially anything tied to money.
My take: bookmark it, but don't let it make the call. A positive result is useful evidence. A negative result means "not made by those tools", not "real". If a photo or voice message is pushing you to pay a new account in a hurry, the old rule still wins: call the person back on a number you already have. The detector is a second opinion, not a referee.
Sources
Wondering what this means for your business?
That's exactly what the discovery call is for.