Dark Mode Siri and Google Cast? The Latest iOS 27 Leaks
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It’s T-minus 14 days to Apple’s 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote, where the company will unveil iOS 27, and over the weekend Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has given us some more hints on what we can expect from the next major iPhone software update.
While Apple’s long-awaited Siri improvements are still expected to steal the show, the company isn’t putting all of its eggs in that particular basket. iOS 27 is also expected to unlock more Camera customization, create custom Wallet passes, and add more AI improvements in everything from Writing Tools and Photos to accessibility features.
However, that’s not all. Gurman shared a few other tidbits in his latest Power On newsletter, including polished-up AirPods settings and Apple opening up the iPhone to even more rival technologies.
AirPods Controls
Apple’s AirPods have grown in leaps and bounds since their humble debut in late 2016, adding a plethora of new features that go far beyond simply letting you enjoy your audio. Today, the AirPods Pro support Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes, Personalized Spatial Audio, and Conversation Awareness — and that’s just the audio features.
You can also use your AirPods Pro to conduct hearing tests, act as hearing aids, trigger your camera shutter, and handle Live Translation of conversations. Needless to say, there’s enough packed in here that the AirPods settings panel is starting to feel a bit cluttered — and Apple reportedly plans to address this in iOS 27.
According to Gurman, Apple has considered moving the AirPods controls into a standalone app, similar to what it offers for the Apple Watch and Vision Pro. Although that may not be in the cards for iOS 27, it will reportedly overhaul the AirPods section of the Settings app in a pretty significant way.
The company is revamping the AirPods settings menu to be more functional, better organized and more streamlined. That should mean the earbuds are easier to manage and major feature options are better highlighted. It will be a noticeable change in iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27.
Mark Gurman
It’s less clear if Apple plans to highlight these settings in any way. As things stand now, the AirPods Settings only appear when AirPods are actively connected. An always-available version might make the settings more accessible, particularly when it comes to things like checking firmware versions or adjusting accessibility settings.
Google Cast from an iPhone?
While the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) is best known in the Apple ecosystem for its role in forcing the company to open up the App Store in Europe, it’s also forced Apple to open up connectivity to third-party hardware, such as allowing rival smartwatches to pair with an iPhone and receive notifications from it.
Now it looks like Apple is being forced to take another big step in this direction by embracing support for casting and streaming protocols beyond its own AirPlay. According to Gurman, Apple will be building support in iOS 27 for services like Google Cast — and even allow users to set it as “the default solution for beaming video, photos and audio from an Apple device to a speaker or TV.”
Unfortunately, Gurman doesn’t say whether Apple plans to make this a universal upgrade or limit it to iPhone users in the EU, and it’s difficult to predict which way Apple will go here, as it hasn’t been entirely consistent so far. For example, it opened up contactless payments globally in iOS 18.1 and added support for setting more default apps in iOS 18.2, although some default app categories, like Navigation, remain EU-only, as do other mandated interoperability features like support for third-party smartwatches.
Genmoji and Image Playground Upgrades
Gurman previously reported that Apple plans to allow more third-party AI models to power Image Playground, but it looks like Apple won’t be solely relying on these to improve the quality of its generative AI experience.
While users will reportedly be able to opt to use models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, Gurman adds that Apple has also improved its own models for Image Playground and Genmoji, so we should expect a “big boost” in quality this year.
‘Siri 2.0’ Goes Dark
Lastly, Apple’s new Siri is already expected to get a big redesign to match its new brain, from a Dynamic Island interface to a standalone app. However, Gurman reports that this will be confined to a dark theme, regardless of what mode your iPhone is operating in.
The other thing Apple is doing with its online WWDC materials this year is sticking to a dark theme. That’s because, at least for now, the new Siri interface uses dark colors — without a light-mode option. The Search or Ask bar at the top of iOS 27 will have a dark background with a cursor that blinks in the same colors as the animations in the latest WWDC art.
Mark Gurman
This has been hinted at in the WWDC logo and other related materials this year, which are reflective of the new UI design.
Either way, we shouldn’t have to wait long to find out, as Apple’s WWDC 2026 Keynote is scheduled for June 8 at 10:00 a.m. PT.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
