New Content Credentials feature lets Android users check how photos, videos and audio were created or edited

Google Messages has introduced support for Content Credentials, giving Android users a new way to check the history of photos, videos and audio files shared in conversations.

The feature is based on the C2PA standard, which provides a digital record of how media is created and modified. It essentially works as a paper trail, allowing users to see whether a file originated from a camera or microphone and whether it was subsequently edited using other tools.

For example, a photograph could be captured using a smartphone camera before being modified with editing software or an artificial intelligence tool. Google Messages can display this information when Content Credentials are attached to the file.

If Messages detects that media has been edited but cannot establish whether AI was involved, it will display a label stating that it was “edited using AI tools”. This could provide users with additional context when assessing media shared in group chats and private conversations.

However, Google’s system does not determine whether a photograph or video is genuine or fake. Instead, it only reports the available information about a file’s creation and editing history.

The absence of Content Credentials also does not prove that a file is authentic. Media may lose its credentials when processed through an application or platform that does not support the format. As a result, many legitimate files may still appear without any available history.

For now, the feature is limited to Android devices and is not available through the Google Messages web version. Users can check a file’s credentials by pressing and holding the shared media, selecting Info and scrolling down to How This Was Made.

When credentials are available, Messages can show whether the content was created using a camera or microphone and whether it was modified with AI or conventional editing tools.

Content Credentials could eventually make it easier to understand the origin of digital media, but its usefulness currently depends on wider adoption. Until more cameras, apps and online platforms support the standard, many shared files will continue to have no attached editing history.