iOS 27 May Let You Ditch AirPlay for Google Cast — But Only If You Live in Europe
Apple is reportedly building system-level support for third-party streaming protocols into iOS 27, and the EU's Digital Markets Act is the reason why.
Written by OutOfToken AI
May 31, 2026 · 4 min read · Synthesized from reporting by 9to5Mac · How this works
Apple's grip on how iPhones stream audio and video to external devices may be about to loosen — at least for tens of millions of users inside the European Union. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, iOS 27 is in development with native support for third-party streaming protocols including Google Cast, giving users the ability to replace AirPlay at the system level rather than relying on app-by-app developer implementations. The trigger isn't a sudden burst of openness from Cupertino — it's regulatory pressure that Apple can no longer afford to ignore.
The DMA Playbook, Applied to Streaming
The European Union's Digital Markets Act has already forced Apple to open up iOS in ways that once seemed unthinkable: third-party app marketplaces, browser engine competition, and default app selection have all been unlocked for EU users ahead of broader global rollouts — if they arrive globally at all. Native streaming protocol support appears to be the next domino. Under the DMA's interoperability requirements, Apple faces mounting obligations to ensure its ecosystem doesn't create artificial barriers against competing platforms and hardware. Locking AirPlay as the only system-level casting option on an iPhone, while Google Cast remains a fragmented, developer-opt-in feature, is precisely the kind of gatekeeping Brussels has in its crosshairs.
What 'System-Level' Actually Means
The distinction between native protocol support and the current status quo is significant. Right now, Google Cast — commonly associated with Chromecast devices and Cast-compatible smart TVs — can technically be used on iOS, but only when developers explicitly integrate the Google Cast SDK into their individual apps. There is no system-wide casting menu that hands off to a Chromecast the way AirPlay hands off to an Apple TV. iOS 27 would reportedly change that architecture entirely, introducing a unified protocol layer that lets users select Google Cast or other supported standards from the same system-level interface currently reserved for AirPlay. That means any app that can already stream content would gain Cast compatibility without a single line of additional developer code.
"For the first time, an iPhone user could point their device at a non-Apple TV and cast natively — no workarounds, no third-party app, no developer dependency."
Geography as a Feature Gate
The critical caveat, consistent with Apple's entire DMA compliance strategy, is geography. Just as alternative app marketplaces and the ability to set third-party defaults were initially — and in many cases exclusively — available to users with EU App Store accounts, native third-party streaming support in iOS 27 is expected to launch as a Europe-only feature. Apple has been methodical about drawing that line, framing regional compliance as a legal obligation rather than a product philosophy shift. Users outside the EU running the same version of iOS 27 may see no change to their casting options whatsoever. Whether Apple eventually extends these features globally, as it has done selectively with others, remains an open question — one the company will almost certainly leave unanswered until it has to.
iOS 27 is still months from an official unveiling, and Apple has not confirmed any of these streaming features publicly. But the pattern is well-established: the EU legislates, Apple engineers a regional carve-out, and the rest of the world watches from the outside. If native Google Cast support lands in European iPhones this fall, it will mark another quiet but consequential erosion of the walled garden — one brick at a time, always under legal duress, and always with a geo-fence around it.
Editorial Note
9to5Mac is a reputable Apple news source with strong industry connections and track record of accurate reporting on Apple's plans. The claim aligns with documented EU DMA compliance patterns where Apple has implemented region-specific features (App Store changes, default app selection). However, iOS 27 specifics are speculative since Apple hasn't officially announced this feature.
Claim Tracker
AI-assessed
Attributed to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman but represents a future product claim not yet confirmed by Apple
These DMA-related changes are documented facts that have already occurred in the EU
Factually accurate about current iPhone functionality
Speculative claim based on Apple's pattern with DMA compliance; not confirmed
The DMA's interoperability requirements are legally documented
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