Apple Sports Adds NFL, College Football Support, Prepares for Live Activities With iOS 18

Apple Sports is gearing up for the upcoming NFL and college football seasons with several updates.

With the latest update, Apple is enhancing its dedicated Sports app by adding play-by-play support for football games and a “dynamic drive tracker” to follow live action more closely. The update also makes it easier to keep track of the NFL schedule and college football’s weekly Top 25 rankings.

While these features are not unique compared to other sports apps like ESPN, CBS, or Yahoo, they are essential and expected by fans who are following along.

More notably, with the release of iOS 18 this fall, Apple will introduce Live Activities to the Sports app. This will allow fans to receive continuous updates on games within the Dynamic Island of compatible iPhones, even when using other apps, and also display score updates on the lock screen.

Previously, this feature was available to sports fans but had to be set up through the Apple News app on iPhones or the Apple TV app on iPads. However, with the upcoming app update, the setup will be directly within the Apple Sports app, making it more intuitive and easier to use. Additionally, those with an Apple Watch running WatchOS 11 will be able to receive Live Activities updates on their wrists through the Sports app, making it even more convenient to follow your favorite teams.

However, there is still no dedicated Apple Sports app for iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Vision Pro.

With the football season starting before the new iOS is released, fans can still follow teams and get Live Activities through the Apple TV app. These preferences will automatically transfer to the Sports app with the upcoming update alongside iOS 18, so there’s no need to re-follow those teams.

Besides tracking your favorite teams, the upcoming update will also allow you to set up Live Activities for individual games directly from within the Sports app, which could be particularly useful for monitoring rivals during playoff pushes.

In addition to North American football, Apple plans to add support for the Champions League and Europa League in September. All leagues and teams available in the app will be able to utilize Live Activities once the updated app is released.

Apple Sports, first introduced in February, is a dedicated app for following scores and stats. Unlike other services, Apple focuses solely on providing quick and easy access to live game updates. If you want news on your favorite players or teams, you will still need to use the Apple News app. Major plays or games that trigger a “tune in” alert will continue to send notifications from the Apple TV app.

Apple Sports remains a free app available in the US, Canada, and the UK and will not be preloaded with iOS 18.