The Apple Sports app has been around for a while, and while the App Store is already full of apps that offer similar functionality, the clean and fast nature of the app has the potential to make it a must-have for sports fans. Unfortunately, the initial launch had some issues, but the new update goes some way to fixing at least a few of them.
The new update, a first for the Sports app, bumps the version number to 1.1 and adds several new sports options as well as a change that means final results are now sorted by league for the first time. That limitation was a complaint from the initial release that Apple has now thankfully fixed, but there are more to look out for if the Sports app is to take its place on home screens everywhere.
Along with the new score sorting, Apple has added support for March Madness as well as MLB ahead of the new season.
Play ball!
Apple’s release notes detail what Sports app users can look forward to. In addition to the classification of the final result based on the league, two significant additions are added.
“Ready for March Madness? Follow the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments for real-time updates,” explains Apple, adding “Starting on Opening Day, delve into this MLB season with play-by-play updates, betting odds, scores, and more for all your favorite teams.”
The app was originally released last month and features information on a variety of sports including baseball, soccer, basketball and ice hockey with major leagues such as the Premier League, NBA, MLS and more. Statistics include team lineups, results, standings and upcoming matches, while betting odds are also displayed if supported.
This new update is welcome, but there are still areas where the app lets itself down. Fortunately, one annoyance – the fact that football lineups don’t line up properly – seems to have been fixed, although it wasn’t mentioned in the release notes. This suggests that there could be other improvements so be sure to give the app another try if it didn’t quite hit you before.
The release of the Sport app continued Apple’s focus on sports content and services. The MLS Season Pass offering cost Apple $2.5 billion over a 10-year deal, while the company also includes MLB content. There are constant rumors that Apple is looking to sign up for other sports and leagues, with the Premier League and La Liga just two football leagues that have been mentioned in the past. So far, however, there have been no signs that these deals are likely to happen.
Apple was also thought to be interested in bringing NFL Sunday Ticket to the Apple TV app before the league signed an exclusive deal with YouTube.
As for the Sports app, it is now available for everyone to download via the App Store. It’s a free app, as you’d expect, but it’s currently only available for iPhone. There is no iPad or Mac version of the app, but that may change in due course. Apple’s upcoming WWDC event in June could give Apple a chance to announce versions of the Sports app on other platforms that will tie in with the preview of macOS 15 and iPadOS 18, for example.