What’s happened? In a recent conversation I had with Apple’s head of product for sports, Craig Mahonchak, on the latest update to the Sports app, he revealed a native iPad app is a possibility for the future.
Currently, if you download the Sports app on iPad you’re be greeted with an app which sits in an iPhone screen sized space in the middle of the display.
Mahonchak says the reason there’s no native iPad Sports app just yet is due to the team “really focusing on making the iPhone experience the best it can be, because it’s where most fans are checking scores throughout the day.”
However, for the iPad fans out there, he acknowledges “that said, we know iPad matters too, especially for fans who want a bigger view.”
Widgets the first step: With widget support for iPad (and Mac) as well as iPhone in the latest version of the app, we’ve been given a clear signal Apple hasn’t forgotten about larger screen sizes when working on new features for Sports.
“We think the widgets we’re adding here have actually done a great first step for us,” Mahonchak explains “giving fans a way to stay connected on iPad, and Mac too.”
With Apple assessing the possibility of adding more detail to the app, including “exploring ways to build it deeper around teams, players and the storylines”, being able to view expanded stats and information on a larger screen would be all the more beneficial.
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Okay, so what’s next? While Mahonchak hasn’t confirmed a native iPad Sports app will launch, he notes “we’re definitely continuing to evaluate what a native iPad experience could look like.”
With the news of Apple Sports expanding availability to eight new countries, and adding even more leagues, the userbase for the app continues to grow.
With that growth, demand will likely increase from iPad users wanting a native Sports app for their tablets – and I can see this potentially expediating any plans Apple has around this.
For now though, iPad users have the Sports app widgets to play around with, and the new iPadOS 26 update to explore.
John is Managing Editor at Digital Trends. He’s been a consumer technology & automotive journalist for over a decade.
