ChatGPT Might Add Watermarks To AI Photographs However Paid Customers May Bypass It

OpenAI seems to be making ready to introduce watermarks on AI-generated photographs in ChatGPT, based mostly on findings from an APK teardown of the app’s newest beta model (v1.2025.196). The characteristic, presently in improvement, could apply watermarks to all generated photographs, notably for customers on the free tier. Nonetheless, indications counsel that paid customers might be given the choice to avoid wasting photographs with out the watermark.

The APK teardown — a course of the place in-development app code is examined for unreleased options — revealed a string labeled “image-gen-watermark-for-free,” which means that watermarking could also be restricted to free accounts. This aligns with an earlier leak from April 2025, when a watermark characteristic labeled “ImageGen” was first noticed by a person on X (previously Twitter).

Screenshots from the activated characteristic shared by AndroidAuthority present the usual picture interplay choices — Edit, Choose, Save, and Share — together with a new possibility within the three-dot menu: “Save with out watermark.” Whereas this characteristic was momentarily enabled even for a free-tier account throughout testing, it’s probably that entry will likely be restricted to subscribers as soon as the characteristic is formally launched.

There may be nonetheless some uncertainty about how the watermarking system will likely be applied. One risk is that all customers will see watermarked photographs by default, with solely paid customers in a position to take away the watermark. One other state of affairs might contain permitting all customers to avoid wasting unwatermarked photographs, however by a extra sophisticated course of that daunts widespread informal use. This technique might assist OpenAI stability transparency and branding with person flexibility.

It’s essential to notice that this watermarking characteristic has not been formally introduced by OpenAI, and its inclusion within the closing launch will not be assured. APK teardowns provide insights into options that builders are experimenting with, however they don’t affirm closing implementation.

OpenAI continues to experiment with a spread of recent options for ChatGPT, together with Examine Collectively modes, Picture Kinds, and subscription modifications like a potential annual plan. The watermarking characteristic provides to this checklist of in-progress enhancements, doubtlessly signaling a broader effort to handle the traceability and use of AI-generated content material.

Till OpenAI makes an official assertion, these findings stay speculative. Additional updates are anticipated as improvement progresses.

Filed in Cellphones >Robots. Learn extra about AI (Artificial Intelligence), ChatGPT and OpenAI.