The NowPlaying framework introduces a first-class Swift API for surfacing app media in system-wide now-playing surfaces — Lock Screen, Control Center, Dynamic Island, StandBy, CarPlay, Apple Watch, and Apple TV — via a declarative MediaSessionRepresentable protocol. It also supports remote media sessions (for controlling external speakers/TVs) and Media Sharing Extensions for routing media to third-party devices.
• Replaces the older MPNowPlayingInfoCenter/MPRemoteCommandCenter approach with a clean, observable, protocol-driven API that integrates directly with SwiftUI and @Observable
• A single MediaSession object automatically keeps all system now-playing surfaces in sync without manual update calls
• Remote media sessions and Media Sharing Extensions let apps control playback on smart speakers and third-party devices through the unified system UI, removing the need to embed third-party SDKs
iOS 27 adds sectioned queries, codable model attributes, ResultsObserver for non-SwiftUI change observation, and HistoryObserver for reacting to persistent history changes in SwiftData.
iOS 27 expands the App Intents framework with RelevantEntities for contextual content surfacing, EntityCollection for high-performance batch parameter handling, SyncableEntity for cross-device Siri continuity, native Duration/PersonNameComponents parameter types, and @UnionValue for multi-type parameters — plus extended intent execution time limits.
USDKit is a new first-party Swift framework introduced in iOS/macOS 27 that brings native USD scene creation, composition, modification, and export capabilities to Apple platform apps, with deep RealityKit and Spatial Preview integration.
Xcode 27 introduces an agentic localization workflow that lets you ask a coding agent to translate your entire app directly inside Xcode, leveraging String Catalog context — including where and how strings are used — to produce accurate, consistent translations across all languages.