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
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.
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.
iOS 27 adds sectioned queries, codable model attributes, ResultsObserver for non-SwiftUI change observation, and HistoryObserver for reacting to persistent history changes in SwiftData.
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.