Handoffs
Write what the file claims to carry
A camera feature that says it signs every pixel is a claim about the file. Record the claim before you trust a handoff.
The Verge reported on September 9, 2026 that a Reference Image mode is planned for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The report says the mode is meant to show a photo was not manipulated, by signing every pixel.
This guide does not test a phone. It treats the sentence as a file-format claim: something in the file is supposed to travel with the picture and remain checkable.
Separate the picture from the proof
The picture is the pixels. The proof, as described, is a signature over those pixels. A handoff note needs both lines. Photo received is not Signature checked.
If you cannot run the check, write Check not available. Do not write Verified because the sender said the mode was on.
Write what a conversion would drop
A signature that lives in the original file can die in a resize, a recompress, or a paste into a document. The report does not say the mark survives those steps. Your note should not say it either.
For a CSV or JSON handoff the same habit applies. Write the fields you expect to survive, then name the conversion. Leading zeros and line breaks are the usual losses. A signature is the same class of fact: present in one file, absent after a careless save.
Cite the page that made the promise
Link the report next to the claim. If Apple later publishes a format note, link that note and retire this one as the source. A news summary is a start, not the file specification.
Until you have a sample file and a checker, the status of any given photo is Unchecked.