iOS 18 and watchOS 11 will bring live sports scores to the Lock screen of iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple announced ahead of the company’s major product event on September 9.
The news will come as a welcome boost to NFL fans who use an iPhone or Apple Watch, as the football season kicks off on September 5 with the defending Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Baltimore Ravens.
For football fans, Apple has also confirmed that the Champions League and Europa League will be making their way to the Apple Sports app in September. These competitions will join the NFL and 14 other football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey and soccer leagues in being lock screen compatible.
In a press release, Apple detailed how a free update to the Apple Sports app in iOS 18 and watchOS 11 brings a number of new features, the biggest of which is the ability to view live scores without unlocking your device.
The scorecards, delivered via Apple’s Live Activities feature, also provide short progress updates. You can also follow multiple matches at once.
If ZDNET According to reports, the update also brings these features to the top 25 college football teams in the United States. This list is updated weekly.
The update brings drop-down navigation for the main scorecard views, which Apple says will speed up switching between the My Leagues, My Teams and Favorite Leagues feeds. Additionally, improved search for matches in leagues outside of those you already follow is on the way.
Apple Sports is available in the US, UK, and Canada, but there’s no indication Apple plans to add more countries anytime soon.
The Apple Sports app will provide scores, updates and betting data for these competitions for the duration of their respective seasons. Live betting can be disabled at any time in settings.
Apple TV owners hoping for live scoring on the big screen will be disappointed, however: the fine print in the press release confirms that Live Activities will not be available on Apple TV with the introduction of iOS 18.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 16 series and Apple Watch Series 10 during the company’s “It’s Glowtime” event on September 9. For more information on how to watch the iPhone 16 launch event and what we expect to see, check out our special Apple event page and more general iPhone coverage.
