iPhone 18 Pro Reference Mode photo verification in France, Digi Mart USA News (France): Reference Mode on the iPhone 18 Pro allows the main camera to sign sensor data at the moment a photo is taken. According to a French publication, the feature is not available in the Camera app within the European Union, a detail it attributes to Apple’s documentation.
Photos, however, can display received reference images. When a file contains reference data, Photos can produce a version built from the sensor data, which can be compared with the usual photo to spot differences.
The publication says Apple describes this function on iPhone, iPad and Mac starting with iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, and that the recipient does not need to own an iPhone 18 Pro.
The publication advises requesting the original file that retains the reference data, since a screenshot or an image already recompressed by another service may not carry the necessary information. In Photos, users can open the picture and look for information about the reference image.
The publication notes that the signature documents data captured by a compatible sensor and can help examine an image’s technical origin and any differences from the shared version. It cautions that the caption, the claimed location and the context of the scene require their own verification.
This report is based on a single publisher article and has not been independently verified.
