Cables are annoying. This applies not only to network connections, but also to audio and screen connections. The shift to wireless communication began with Wi-Fi and continued with headphones and speakers. And for video, Apple has also been offering AirPlay, a transmission option for 16 years that works without a VGA or HDMI cable. However, like Google Cast, this is proprietary. The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) may now force Apple to open up to competition. According to Mark Gurman, in this year’s series of system updates, Apple will allow users to decide which transmission standard they prefer when streaming the screen content. In iOS 27 it should therefore be possible to decide in the system settings that Google Cast (or similar protocols) is used as the screen transmission standard instead of AirPlay. A similar selection option exists in iOS 26 for a variety of services, such as email, navigation and translation. When setting up a new iPhone or iPad, the system even actively offers a selection of different browsers that can be used as standard instead of Safari. This is probably where the selection of the preferred screen streaming service should come into play.
In the EU, iOS users have more options for some services than in the USA.
Combination with framework
One possibility would be that Apple will develop a Google Cast driver itself. It is more likely that the company will present a framework at WWDC that third-party providers can use. This would also allow independent manufacturers such as Miracast or Pigeoncast to develop their own protocols for wireless image and sound transmission. A “ScreenKit” (or similar) integrated into the beta version of iOS 27 gives developers a few months to develop corresponding services and make them available in the App Store.
Only in the EU?
The future choice may be limited to Europe because, according to Gurman, this new development is due to external pressure: The Digital Markets Act puts pressure on providers in a dominant position to enable fair competition on their platforms. So far, only those iOS apps that have integrated the corresponding function into their own app allow streaming via Google Cast. It is not known whether Android will also offer AirPlay integration in the future – so far it has been similarly challenging to transfer content to AirPlay devices with the iPhone competition.
