Apple is building a feature called Reference Image that authenticates whether a photo actually came from an iPhone camera by using unique hardware identifiers tied to the device. Users have to shoot in a special "Reference" mode, then can authenticate the photo later through Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers—Apple sees only metadata and sensor data, not the actual image. The system lets people share authenticated photos with others who can verify them locally without Apple knowing which images are being checked.

• Reference Image ties photo authenticity to unique hardware IDs from the iPhone's camera sensor, verified via Apple's Private Cloud Compute without Apple ever seeing the actual image.
• It's opt-in and requires shooting in a special "Reference" mode (Settings > Camera > Reference Image); normal photos can't be authenticated after the fact.
• Authenticated photos can be verified locally on other Apple devices via AirDrop, Messages, or USB (including a new "Transfer with Provenance" option for Mac/PC), without Apple tracking which images get checked.
• Apple can revoke all past authentications tied to a camera sensor if that hardware is found to be compromised.