Apple recently introduced a sports app for iPhone. With so many major sports happening this year, I thought it was time to take a look.
Apple Sports is available for free download from the iOS App Store.
Apple says the sports app is built for speed and simplicity. The app provides real-time scores, statistics, and more, including betting odds and TV broadcast information.
“We built Apple Sports to give sports fans what they want: apps that give them blazingly fast access to scores and stats,” said Eddie Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. . “Apple Sports is available for free on the App Store and makes it easy for users to stay up-to-date on their favorite teams and leagues.”
If you subscribe to the appropriate service for a particular sport, you can find a link to the online stream if a match is currently in progress.
I had instant access to NCAA Basketball Tournament games through my DirecTV Stream subscription.
When you download a sports app, you’ll be able to choose your favorite leagues and teams. If those leagues or teams are playing today, the match combinations and times will be displayed on the “Today” tab on the main page. Naturally, there are also tabs for “Yesterday” and “Future.”
Before the game begins, you will be shown information about your team’s record, current betting odds, and standings in the league or conference.
You can also call up incredibly detailed live play during the game.
The Apple Sports app isn’t just for the US. The app is available in the US, UK, and Canadian app stores, and supports French and Spanish as well as English.
Leagues currently included in the app include MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, NCAA men’s and women’s basketball, and soccer leagues such as Bundesliga, Liga MX, Ligue 1, and the Premier League.
Future seasons will include NCAA football as well as other sports such as the NFL and WNBA.
One feature I’d like to see included is the game score displayed on your phone’s lock screen or on a dynamic island.
I use an app called Sports Alerts that shows live scores for my favorite team on my lock screen during games. You can also push live scores to your Apple Watch.
Perhaps Apple will incorporate that feature into its sports app someday.
Jim Rossman is a technology columnist for Tribune News Service.You can contact him at jrosmantechadviser@gmail.com.
