Under the pressure of the European Law on Digital Markets, Apple has gradually loosened the closed model of its ecosystem in recent years. Although most of the changes are limited to the European Union for now, the company has already opened up space for alternative App Stores, allowed emulators in the App Store and relaxed some of the rules for developers. The next big change could be support for other protocols such as those for sending images, audio and video from the iPhone to other devices.
According to Bloomberg’s report, Apple in the iOS 27 version plans to enable other technologies for sending content wirelessly, in addition to its own AirPlay standard. The aim is to comply with the requirements of the European DMA law, and Apple is reportedly already developing support for other protocols. This would allow users to set up services like Google Cast as the default way to send video, photos and audio to TVs or speakers.
iOS 27 opens the door to Google Cast
For now, it is not clear whether this change will remain limited to the European Union market or will later be available globally. If indeed it is introduced, it could have a significant impact on the market for smart TVs and streaming devices. In the future, TV manufacturers may not have to pay for an Apple AirPlay license or meet strict Apple hardware requirements to continue supporting iPhone users.
This would especially suit more affordable streaming devices that rely on Google Cast. iPhone users could directly send content to devices with Google Cast support, without being tied exclusively to the AirPlay ecosystem. This would make the compatibility between Android TV devices and iPhone phones much better.
Bloomberg does not mention Miracast and other open standards in the report, so it is possible that Apple does not initially plan to open up to all content delivery technologies, but only to select protocols such as Google Cast.
Interestingly, if the iPhone supports AirPlay and Google Cast at the same time, it could gain an advantage over many Android phones when it comes to sending content between different platforms. Most Android devices support Google Cast or Miracast, but they almost certainly won’t get official Apple AirPlay support, writes LTN.