Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Apple just launched a new free iPhone app — called Apple Sports — that gives sports fans a personalized experience, making it easier to follow their teams’ and leagues’ scores and statistics.
After users download the app on their iPhones, they choose their favorite leagues and teams. Each day, the Apple Sports app will display that day’s scheduled matchups and results; users can swipe left to view the previous day’s results, complete with a summary, play-by-play, and box score, or swipe right to view their favorite teams’ upcoming games.
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Each matchup is shown in a card format, where you see a summary for each game as you scroll through the cards and then choose one that you want to expand to show more information. This makes for an intuitive interaction; however, the app is still young, and the navigation shows it.
While the stats are rich — you want from a sports app — there’s a lot of wasted space on the screen begging for a more compact visual design.
However, one great thing about the Apple Sports app is the lack of ads. Though I don’t believe Apple will add advertisements to its Sports app, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it incorporate a paid service or subscription model for extra features down the line, in the manner of Apple News. I expect Apple will take a similar approach to how it runs its soccer-focused MLS Season Pass, which the company uses to promote the Apple Sports app and vice-versa.
Apple Sports gives users access to leagues like the MLS, NBA, NCAA basketball, NHL, and European football leagues. More leagues — including the MLB, NFL, and WNBA — will be added once their respective seasons begin.
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The Apple Sports app is available for download in the App Store and works on iOS 17.2 or later for iPhone users in the US, UK, and Canada.