Now, when you see a flawless photo in your group chat, you might be able to see its history. Google Messages has added support for Content Credentials, so users can check the editing history of photos, videos, and audio files shared in conversations, including whether AI tools were involved.
This feature uses C2PA standards, a system that tracks how media files are created and changed. It acts as a paper trail for each file. For example, a sunset photo might show it started as a camera photo but was later edited with AI software.
If Messages detects that a media file has been edited but can’t determine whether AI was used, it will label the file as “edited using AI tools.”
There is an important limitation: the feature can’t say if an image is real or fake. It only shows the file’s history. A photo without any content credentials might still have been edited.
Sometimes a file lacks credentials simply because it was handled by an app that doesn’t support the new format. So, missing credentials do not prove anything about whether the file is authentic.
Right now, the tool only works on Android devices and not on the Google Messages Web version. To use it, press and hold the content, tap Info, and scroll down to How This Was Made.
If Content Credentials are available for a file, Messages will show if it was made with a camera or microphone and whether it was edited with AI or other tools.
Content credentials won’t solve every debate about suspicious photos right now. The standard is not yet widely used by all cameras, apps, and platforms, so many files still won’t have any record attached.
