Apple is giving its dedicated Sports app a boost ahead of the NFL and college football seasons. Rolling out as part of a new update, Apple is adding support for play-by-play of football games as well a "dynamic drive tracker" for following live action in the app alongside easier looks at what is happening with the NFL slate and college football's weekly Top 25.
These updates aren't unique to Apple Sports compared with other sports-following apps offered by ESPN, CBS, Yahoo or the leagues themselves, but all are necessary and expected from fans following along.
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What is more notable is that with iOS 18 this fall Apple will be adding support for Live Activities to its Sports app, allowing fans to get continuous updates on games in the compatible iPhone's Dynamic Island space when you're in other apps as well as getting score updates displayed on lock screens.
Football is coming to the Apple Sports app.
This feature was previously available for sports fans but needed to be set up through the Apple News app on iPhones (which you can manage from an iPhone by going to Sports tab in Apple News, selecting the three dots in the upper right followed by Manage My Sports) or the Apple TV app on iPads.
What that upcoming app update that arrives alongside the next iOS, the setup will finally be inside the Apple Sports app and should hopefully not only be more logical but also easier to set up and use. Those with an Apple Watch and WatchOS 11 will similarly be able to get Live Activities on their wrists through Apple Sports, another new feature that could make following along with your favorite teams a bit simpler than pulling out your phone.
There's still, however, no dedicated Apple Sports app for iPad, Apple TV or Apple Vision Pro.
With football season starting before the new iOS drops, you will still be able to follow teams and get Live Activities on their games through the Apple TV app. Those choices will automatically carry over to the Sports app with the forthcoming update that arrives alongside iOS 18 so you won't need to re-follow those clubs.
In addition to following your favorite teams, with the forthcoming update you will have the ability to set up Live Activities for individual games directly from inside the Sports app, a potentially useful feature for monitoring rivals during playoff pushes.
Beyond North American football, Apple says it will be adding support for the Champions League and Europa League in September. All leagues and teams available in the app will be able to take advantage of Live Activities once the updated app arrives.
First introduced in February, Apple Sports is a dedicated app for following scores and stats. Unlike rival services, Apple isn't interested in providing news and highlights, with this app focused solely on providing quick and easy access to what is happening in games as they happen. If you want news on your favorite players or teams you will need to use the Apple News app while big plays or games that get a "tune in" alert will still get those notifications from the Apple TV app.
Apple Sports remains a free app available in the US, Canada and UK and won't be preloaded with iOS 18.