Google's SynthID website is public: check AI images for free
Google opened its SynthID website to everyone to check images, video and audio for AI watermarks. How to use it on refund photos and supplier images, and where it fails.
Google opened its SynthID website to everyone this week. Upload an image, video or audio file and it checks for SynthID, Google's invisible AI watermark. TechCrunch reports the tool was limited to selected journalists and researchers before. For a small business, the use is simple: a free second look at the photo a customer sends with a refund claim.
What actually happened
Per TechCrunch, the site accepts common image formats (JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC, AVIF, GIF and more), video (MP4, MOV, WEBM) and audio (WAV, MP3, FLAC, M4A and others). Google says people now make about 1 million verification requests a day. The same check is built into the Gemini app and Chrome.
SynthID marks output from Google's own models, including Nano Banana, Veo and Lyria, and from tools such as Gemini, Flow and Vids. TechCrunch reports that OpenAI, Nvidia and Kakao also support SynthID. Google first showed the detector in 2025 as a waitlisted portal. This is the open version.
Why the SynthID website matters for your business
Refund fraud has a new tool on both sides. A customer can make a photo of a cracked mug or a stained shirt in seconds. Now you can check that photo in seconds too. Make it a step in your support process for high-value claims, not a reaction when something feels off.
"No watermark" does not mean "real." SynthID only finds SynthID. An image from a model that does not use it, or one that was cropped, screenshotted or edited, can pass clean. TechCrunch notes that Meta's own detector missed some of Meta's cropped AI images. Use a hit as evidence. Do not use a miss as proof.
Your own images carry the mark too. If you make product photos with Nano Banana, they are watermarked. A marketplace, an ad platform or a sharp customer can see that. Decide now whether you disclose AI product images, before someone else decides for you.
Automate the boring part. One upload at a time is fine for five claims a week. At fifty, the check belongs in your helpdesk flow, with the result logged on the ticket and a person making the call.
Key takeaways
- Google's SynthID website is now open to everyone, for images, video and audio
- It detects SynthID watermarks from Google models and partners that use SynthID
- A positive result is evidence; a negative result proves nothing
- Add the check to refund and damage-claim reviews above a set dollar amount
- Product images you make with Google AI carry the watermark too
Getting more refund photos that look too clean? We build support workflows that flag high-value claims, run the checks, log the result on the ticket and leave the decision to your team. See what fewer bad refunds are worth or walk us through your claims process.
Sources: TechCrunch, Google, SynthID.
- #synthid
- #ai-detection
- #watermarks
- #fraud-prevention
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