Google’s betting invisible AI watermarks will be just as good as visible ones. The company is continuing its week of Gemini 3 news with an announcement that it’s bringing its AI content detector, SynthID detector, out of a private beta for everyone to use.

This news comes in tandem with the release of nano banana pro, Google’s ultrapopular AI image editor. The new pro model comes with a lot of upgrades, including the ability to create legible text and upscale your images to 4K. That’s great for creators who use AI, but it also means it will be harder than ever to identify AI-generated content.

We’ve had deepfakes since long before generative AI. But AI tools, like the ones Google and OpenAI develop, let anyone create convincing fake content quicker and cheaper than ever before. That’s led to a massive influx of AI content online, everything from low-quality AI slop to realistic-looking deepfakes. OpenAI’s viral AI video app, Sora, was another major tool that showed us how easily these AI tools can be abused. It’s not a new problem, but AI has led to a dramatic escalation of the deepfake crisis.

Read more: AI Slop Has Turned Social Media Into an Antisocial Wasteland

That’s why SynthID was created. Google introduced SynthID in 2023, and every AI model it has released since then has attached these invisible watermarks to AI content. Google adds a small, visible, sparkle-shaped watermark, too, but neither really help when you’re quickly scrolling your social media feed and not vigorously analyzing each post. To help prevent the deepfake crisis (that the company helped create) from getting worse, Google is introducing a new tool to use to identify AI content.

SynthID Detector does exactly what its name implies; it analyzes images and can pick up on the invisible SynthID watermark. So in theory, you can upload an image to Gemini and ask the chatbot whether it was created with AI. But there’s a huge catch — Gemini can only confirm if an image was made with Google’s AI, not any other company’s. Because there are so many AI image and video models available, that means Gemini likely isn’t able to tell you if it was AI-generated with a non-Google program.

Right now, you can only ask about images, but Google said in a blog post that it plans to expand the capabilities to video and audio. No matter how limited, tools like these are still a step in the right direction. There are a number of AI detection tools, but none of them are perfect. Generative media models are improving quickly, sometimes too quickly for detection tools to keep up. That’s why it’s incredibly important to label any AI content you’re sharing online and to remain dubious of any suspicious images or videos you see in your feeds.

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For more, check out everything in Gemini 3 and what’s new in nano banana pro.

The newest version of Google’s AI image model is here, thanks to Gemini 3. Whether you choose to call it by its official name (Gemini 3 Pro Image) or its better-known nickname (nano banana pro), this model uses Gemini’s «deep thinking» feature to create better content.

Nano banana pro promises to be more capable, specifically with generating legible text, using up to 14 reference images and creating images in resolutions up to 4K. 

Nano banana pro is available now, rolling out globally in the Gemini app. In Gemini, select «Create images» (with a 🍌 emoji) and switch your model to the Thinking model (located on the right side of the prompt window). 

You can use nano banana pro for free, but you will hit a generation limit faster than paying Google AI subscribers. Those plans start at $20 per month. You’ll be automatically switched back to the original model once you’ve used up your credits. The model is also available in the Gemini API, Google AI Studio and Flow.

Inside the new nano banana model

AI image generators have notoriously struggled to create clear text; mangled words have been clear signs that an image was created with AI. OpenAI’s GPT-Image-1 was one of the first models to make significant progress in fixing this, but CNET’s testing showed it wasn’t able to reliably create readable text.

Google says nano banana pro is supposed to be better at this — so good that you can use the new model to create infographics, relying on Gemini’s integration with Google Search (and Search’s AI Mode for paying Pro users) to aid the process. 

You might’ve noticed that none of the images made with nano banana pro have Google’s diamond-shaped watermark, which usually denotes that it was made with AI. That’s because Google is introducing a new way for its highest-paying subscribers (those paying $250 per month for the Ultra plan) to remove those watermarks. Even though it’s restricted to that top-tier plan, it’s already extremely difficult to tell if something was created with AI. Fewer watermarks won’t help. Google says Gemini will be able to identify any images made with its AI because of its SynthID, an invisible watermark attached to its AI-generated content. So in theory, you can upload an image to Gemini and ask whether it’s real or made with Google’s AI. We’ll have to wait and see how well it actually works.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

The original nano banana model, Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, was released this summer. Early testers thought the capabilities were, well, bananas. Throw in a series of fruit-themed teasers from Google executives, and the model quickly became best known by its nickname, nano banana. Its popularity soared in the following days.

One of the things fans liked about the original nano banana was how well it maintained character consistency. Meaning nano banana was able to edit your existing photos without distorting the characters or people in them. CNET’s hands-on testing found this was true, but there were still obvious AI slip-ups. The new model might eliminate some of those errors.

It’s been a big week for Google as it dropped a major update to its AI system, Gemini 3. The new models are rolling out now, aiming to give Gemini users a smarter, less sycophantic experience.

For more, check out how to write the best AI image prompt and the best AI image generators.

On Thursday, Apple added a new iPhone accessory to its online store: the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand. It’s an adaptive, ergonomic accessory that was designed using input from people with a range of disabilities, including ones affecting dexterity, grip and hand control. 

The $69.95 Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand is MagSafe compatible, and functions as both a stabilizing grip and a vertical or horizontal stand for propping up an iPhone. It’s made of silicone and has a triangular shape, with curved ridges along its outside and a hole in the center. The accessory is designed to cater to people with a range of motor skills, muscle strength and grip tension, as well as those who use an iPhone with one or no hands. 

You can choose from a greenish-yellow chartreuse or a color Apple calls «crater,» which is gray with white and black specks. The accessory is available for a limited time on Apple’s online store in the US.   

The grip was designed by Bailey Hikawa in Los Angeles. Hikawa has also made cases for the iPhone, which are bold and eccentric, with brightly colored knobs — a little like wrapping a smartphone in modern sculpture. This is the first MagSafe accessory she’s created.

Earlier this year, Apple added a host of new accessibility features to its products, including Braille Access for note-taking, Live Captions on the Apple Watch and Head Tracking for controlling an iPhone or iPad with head movements.

Unrelated to accessibility, one of Apple’s latest accessories has been getting plenty of attention: the iPhone Pocket, a $230 crossbody pouch for your handset.