What happened?
On August 14, 2026, Google announced that it now offers an option to remove the visible watermark on AI-generated images, videos, and songs. Gemini VP Josh Woodward said in a post on X that the setting applies to the Nano Banana, Omni, and Lyria models.
The option to disable the visible watermark will be available in Gemini and Google's video editing tool, Flow, with support for Search coming soon. The feature will roll out in the coming days, and users will be able to toggle the visible mark on or off from Settings > Media Watermark.
Why does it matter?
Woodward said the change aims to strike a balance between creative control and safety. He noted that visible watermarks can make content unusable in professional and creative work, but the need to identify AI-generated content still remains.
For that reason, the invisible SynthID watermark and metadata tied to the C2PA standard will remain unchanged. According to Woodward, users will still be able to check whether an image was AI-generated through Gemini or Search.
What we know
- The setting covers the Nano Banana, Omni, and Lyria models.
- The invisible SynthID watermark and C2PA metadata are preserved.
- The feature will be available in Gemini and Flow, with Search support coming soon.
- Google has released an open-source verification library called Credentio for developers.
What's next?
Google said the feature will roll out gradually over the coming days. The company also announced a new open-source library called Credentio, which will allow developers to add a local verification mechanism to their own applications.
This move comes at a time when there is discussion around Anthropic adding watermarks to text and files generated by Claude to comply with EU regulations. This development shows how AI makers' approaches to content labeling are evolving.