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Apple Sports version 4.5, released October 15, 2026, makes Live Activities more informative during stoppages and adds five soccer competitions: Brazilian Serie B, English League One, English League Two, Norwegian Eliteserien and the UEFA Nations League. The free app remains iPhone-only, requires iOS 18 or later and an internet connection, and availability can differ by country, region or device.
What Apple Sports 4.5 changes
The headline change is an expansion of Live Activities. When you follow a team, Apple Sports can now show key game statistics during breaks in play, not only the score or most recent event. Apple describes the feature as a way to stay closer to the game “at a glance,” with information appearing on the iPhone Lock Screen when Live Activities are enabled.
The improvement applies across supported leagues rather than to one specific competition. Exactly which statistics appear depends on the sport, league data feed and the game state; Apple’s release note does not promise a fixed list of metrics for every match.
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Five soccer competitions added
Version 4.5 expands Apple Sports’ international soccer coverage with these competitions:
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| Competition | What it adds for followers |
|---|---|
| Brazilian Serie B | Coverage of Brazil’s second-tier national league. |
| English League One | Coverage of the third tier in the English league system. |
| English League Two | Coverage of the fourth tier in the English league system. |
| Norwegian Eliteserien | Coverage of Norway’s top men’s division. |
| UEFA Nations League | Coverage of the national-team competition organized across UEFA member associations. |
League-level availability is not necessarily identical in every market. Apple says features and content can vary by country, region and device, so a competition listed in the app’s broader release notes may not appear for every user.
How to enable Live Activities for a team
Live Activities are managed for individual teams in Apple Sports. Following a league alone does not automatically mean every match will occupy your Lock Screen.
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- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
- Install or update Apple Sports from the App Store, then open the app on an iPhone running iOS 18 or later.
- Find the team whose games you want to track and tap the follow control. You can also follow a league to make teams and fixtures easier to discover.
- Open the team’s settings in Apple Sports and turn on Live Activities for that team. Repeat this for each team you want to monitor.
- When the team is playing, check the iPhone Lock Screen for its live score and plays. During breaks in the action, supported games can show key statistics as part of the Live Activity.
If nothing appears, verify that notifications and Live Activities are allowed for Apple Sports in the iPhone’s system settings, that the team is followed in the app, and that the phone has an active internet connection.
Change how often Live Activities update
Apple provides a global update-rate control for Sports in iPhone Settings. Go to Settings > Apps > Sports > Live Activities, then choose the available update-rate option. A faster rate can provide more timely information but may use more battery or data; a less frequent rate reduces background activity.
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- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
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Device and software requirements
- Device: iPhone; the App Store listing identifies Apple Sports as “Only for iPhone.”
- Operating system: iOS 18 or later, according to the current listing.
- Connection: Internet access is required for scores, plays and statistics.
- Cost: The app is free to download.
- Availability: Features, leagues and supported devices can vary by country or region.
The listing does not establish that Apple Sports runs on iPad, Mac or Apple TV as an app. Apple previously announced widgets for iPhone, iPad and Mac, but those widgets are separate from the iPhone app requirement and their availability can depend on region and software version.
How 4.5 fits Apple Sports’ soccer expansion
The five new competitions continue a rapid sequence of additions in recent releases:
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- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
| Version | Soccer additions noted in Apple’s version history |
|---|---|
| 4.2 | Belgian Pro League, Danish Superliga, Dutch Eredivisie, Japanese J1 League, Polish Ekstraklasa, Scottish Premiership and Swiss Super League; formations were also added across most soccer leagues. |
| 4.3 | Austrian Bundesliga, English Women’s Super League, Greek Super League, Indian Super League, Saudi Pro League, Spanish Liga F and Turkish Süper Lig. |
| 4.4 | Australian A-League Men, Egyptian Premier League, Israeli Premier League and South African Premiership. |
| 4.5 | Brazilian Serie B, English League One, English League Two, Norwegian Eliteserien and UEFA Nations League, plus expanded Live Activity statistics during breaks. |
Apple’s September 2025 newsroom update had already introduced widgets for iPhone, iPad and Mac, scheduled Live Activities, seven additional countries and several European competitions, including 2. Bundesliga, Ligue 2, Segunda División, Serie B and Primeira Liga. Version 4.5 therefore combines another batch of league coverage with a change to how information is presented during matches.
What to expect in day-to-day use
More information without opening the app
The practical benefit is reduced app switching. A followed match can remain visible on the Lock Screen, while the in-break statistics provide context when play is temporarily stopped. The feature is still a live-data service: delays, missing events or incomplete statistics can occur if league data is delayed or a competition has different coverage rules.
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![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41s72HIk5TL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Coverage is broader, not universal
Adding five competitions does not mean every club, fixture type or statistic is available in every market. Check the competition and team pages in Apple Sports after updating, particularly if you are outside the service’s primary launch regions.
Quick Recap
Troubleshooting missing scores or statistics
- App will not install: Confirm the iPhone meets the iOS 18-or-later requirement and has enough storage for the update.
- No Lock Screen card: Follow the team in Apple Sports and enable its Live Activity; following a league by itself may not enable a team card.
- Updates seem slow: Review Settings > Apps > Sports > Live Activities, then check connectivity and any Low Power Mode or notification restrictions.
- A league is absent: Availability may be restricted by country, region, device or the competition’s data rights. Updating the app cannot override those restrictions.
- Statistics do not appear during a break: The new display is available for supported games and data feeds, not guaranteed for every stoppage in every competition.
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