Google opens SynthID Detector website to everyone globally

Google launched SynthID Detector as a standalone website available globally in English on 7 October 2026, letting anyone check whether an image, video or audio file was made with AI. The tool, previously limited to select journalists, media professionals and researchers, is now open to everyone. It flags content created by Google AI tools and those of partners including OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao, with Apple support expected soon.techcrunch.com+1

The launch matters because it moves AI-content verification from built-in features inside Google's own products to a public website anyone can visit. Verification features in Search, the Gemini app and Chrome already handle over 1 million requests daily, but those tools sit inside Google's ecosystem. A dedicated site at synthid.com makes watermark checking accessible to people who do not otherwise use Google's AI tools, and it is free to use.

What the new website offers

SynthID works by embedding imperceptible watermarks into media as it is generated. Google's Nano Banana, Veo and Lyria models, along with tools like Gemini, Flow, ProducerAI and Vids, apply SynthID watermarks to what they produce. OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao also support the standard, and OpenAI runs its own checking site. Apple is expected to add support soon, including for images created with Apple Intelligence features like Image Playground.

Google says it has watermarked over 180 billion images and videos, plus 240,000 years of audio content, since SynthID launched in 2023. Those figures give a sense of scale: the watermark now covers a vast share of AI-generated media, not just Google's own output. The company introduced an early version of SynthID Detector last year for media professionals, and has now expanded access to everyone globally in English.blog.google

The website accepts a wide range of file formats. Images can be JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, WEBP, AVIF, HEIC, HEIF, TIFF, TIF or GIF. Videos can be MP4, MOV or WEBM. Audio can be WAV, MP3, OGG, FLAC, AAC or M4A. Users must log in with a Google, OpenAI or Apple account to use the tool, which is free.

Where the watermark numbers came from

SynthID Detector cannot catch every piece of AI-generated content, because different companies use different watermarking standards. Watermarks can also be stripped from content in some situations. The tool does not distinguish between content that was entirely AI-created and content that was merely edited with AI, so it will not explain how a specific piece of content was made or which parts are synthetic.

Verification remains far from foolproof across the industry. Microsoft and Meta have their own watermarking standards, and these tools sometimes fail to identify content created by their makers' own models. Meta has experimented with a web tool that identifies images from its latest Muse Image models but not from other companies or its own earlier models. No universal checker exists, since standards remain fragmented.

Google is working to widen the network of partners that support SynthID. The company previously said ElevenLabs had committed to adding support for the watermarks, and its website notes it is continuously working on extending partnerships to detect more generated media. Google also offers watermark detection through Circle to Search and the Gemini app, alongside support for C2PA content credentials.

What the tool cannot detect

The next step for SynthID Detector is broader partner adoption, with Apple support described as coming soon. Google has not announced a date for Apple Intelligence image detection or for languages beyond English. The tool's global English launch on 7 October 2026 sets the baseline from which Google will expand format support, partner coverage and language availability over time.