Apple Sports gets major updates just in time for football season

Apple’s Sports app, launched in February 2023 and available as a free download from the App Store, is receiving a significant update just in time for football season. The app, which quickly became a favorite among sports enthusiasts, now includes enhancements specifically for NFL and college football fans, alongside new features that improve navigation and integration with Apple’s broader ecosystem.

Football fans rejoice

For NFL and college football games, the app now offers an improved play-by-play experience, providing quick access to scoring drives displayed alongside every play. A dynamic drive tracker allows fans to visualize where the ball is on the field in real time, making it easier to follow the action as it unfolds.

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College football fans can now follow the top 25 teams, updated weekly, along with their favorite teams and conferences. Every game within the app features real-time scores, stats, and live betting odds, similar to the coverage provided for other leagues.

Added integration with Apple ecosystem

With the upcoming iOS 18 and watchOS 11 releases, Apple Sports will introduce Live Activities, allowing users to receive live scores and play-by-play updates directly on their iPhone and Apple Watch Lock Screens. This feature will be available for all teams and leagues within the app, offering fans quick access to the latest updates without needing to open the app.

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Additionally, the app will soon feature a new drop-down navigation system within the main scorecard views, making switching between My Leagues, My Teams, and personalized feeds faster. An enhanced search function is also on the way, making it easier to view matches from leagues fans may not currently follow.

Expanding sports coverage

Apple Sports continues to broaden its horizons with comprehensive coverage of numerous leagues. Fans can receive scores, updates, betting data, and more for the following leagues:

• NFL
• NCAAF
• MLS
• MLB
• NBA
• WNBA
• NCAA basketball (men’s and women’s)
• NHL
• NWSL
• Premier League
• Bundesliga
• LaLiga
• Liga MX
• Ligue 1
• Serie A

Apple has also announced that the app will offer additional leagues, including the Champions League and Europa League, starting with the league phase in September.

Personalized and seamless experience

Apple Sports is designed to be easily operated so fans can stay updated on their favorite teams and leagues. The app’s interface allows users to customize their scoreboards by following specific teams, tournaments, and leagues. Users can easily navigate between scores, upcoming games, play-by-play information, and lineup details. 

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The app also integrates with Apple TV devices, providing notifications of upcoming games and allowing users to tap and watch live games, provided they have the necessary streaming apps and subscriptions. For instance, to watch New York Yankees games, users would need to install YES or MLB.TV on Fubo. The app will suggest which streaming services need to be installed if they are missing on Apple TV.

Apple Sports also syncs seamlessly with favorites selected within the My Sports experience, including in the Apple TV app and Apple News, ensuring a unified experience across all Apple devices.

But what about AI?

During a recent briefing, Apple was asked about the potential integration of Apple Intelligence, particularly generative AI (gen AI), beyond the current notification summary support shown in the recently released iOS 18.1 Developer Beta 3. 

While it acknowledged the growing importance of gen AI, Apple indicated that it is actively investigating ways to bring this technology to Apple Sports in the future. However, the company made no commitments, leaving room for speculation about how AI might eventually enhance the app’s capabilities.