Google will now allow users to remove visible watermarks from AI-generated content, including images, videos, and songs. The company specified that this change won't affect invisible SynthID watermarks and C2PA standard-related metadata, which will remain in place for transparency purposes.
Josh Woodward, Google's VP for Gemini, announced on X that the toggle to disable visible watermarks will be available for Nano Banana, Omni, and Lyria models within Settings > Media Watermark. The feature will first roll out to Gemini and Google's video editor Flow, with Search support coming soon.
The change reflects a balance between creative control and safety, as visible watermarks can reduce the usefulness of content for professional and creative applications. "While the visible watermarks are now optional, invisible SynthID watermarks and C2PA metadata are still being used for transparency," Woodward wrote. Users can still detect AI-generated content through Gemini or Search.
Google is also open sourcing a new library called Credentio to let developers embed a local validation mechanism in their applications. This move comes after Anthropic's decision to include watermarks in Claude-generated text and files to comply with EU regulations.