Complications for Sports

[fmofmpls]

Love the Apple Watch, but I'm either confused, or very disappointed about how Complications work.

I like keeping my eye on my Minnesota sports teams and the scores in a given game. I use the Sports Alerts app which offers complications for the Apple Watch. The games load just fine, but the score is never current. There are numerous times when it looks like my team is kicking ass, only to find out later (in real time) their losing ass.

What good are complications, especially sports team scores if they can't refresh the scores in real time?

 

[BlueMoon63]

Love the Apple Watch, but I'm either confused, or very disappointed about how Complications work.

I like keeping my eye on my Minnesota sports teams and the scores in a given game. I use the Sports Alerts app which offers complications for the Apple Watch. The games load just fine, but the score is never current. There are numerous times when it looks like my team is kicking ass, only to find out later (in real time) their losing ass.

What good are complications, especially sports team scores if they can't refresh the scores in real time?

Sadly, we root for the same teams and sadly, Apple limits the updates to the complications to at best 30 minutes.

There is a way around this... Setup Sports alert to send you notifications every 1-5 minutes. Even if you ignore the notification, it will update the complication. The only issue I had was the alerts didn't always come through every 5 minutes.

 

[fmofmpls]

Sadly, we root for the same teams

Then you know my pain! Lol!

There is a way around this... Setup Sports alert to send you notifications every 1-5 minutes. Even if you ignore the notification, it will update the complication. The only issue I had was the alerts didn't always come through every 5 minutes.

Thanks for the tip! I'll give it a try.

 

[BarracksSi]

I use ESPN ScoreBoard (or whatever it is) for mine.

 

[BlueMoon63]

I use ESPN ScoreBoard (or whatever it is) for mine.

I still use ESPN for a glance for my same pathetic Minnesota teams. I kept imagining a great complication for sport scores but the limitation Apple has on updating complications and the fact ESPN doesn't have one has made it weak. Playing with Sports complication during the NCAA tournament would update the complication only when you clicked on it or if you activated notification. It was right on top of scores then but would fall behind if the notification weren't there.

 

[BarracksSi]

Ah, I didn't even think of using a complication, I just wait for the alerts, and might use a Glance. I don't know what info would be useful on the watch faces I normally use, Simple and Utility.

I think one of Apple's UI requirements (or is it an advisement?) for complications is to have the ability to display something in every version and size. So, although you could get three lines of text in the middle of the Utility face, you'd get a lot less space when applied to a complication tucked into a corner. For sports scores, I don't know how to fit enough info in a five-millimeter circle to make it useful.

 

[BlueMoon63]

Ah, I didn't even think of using a complication, I just wait for the alerts, and might use a Glance. I don't know what info would be useful on the watch faces I normally use, Simple and Utility.

I think one of Apple's UI requirements (or is it an advisement?) for complications is to have the ability to display something in every version and size. So, although you could get three lines of text in the middle of the Utility face, you'd get a lot less space when applied to a complication tucked into a corner. For sports scores, I don't know how to fit enough info in a five-millimeter circle to make it useful.

The small complication would show the two teams and score. For example :

Min 2
KC 3

It for your liking:

Neb 28
Min 14

 

[JerTheGeek]

I just installed the "theScore" app and it seems to work pretty well so far. In fact was just listening to the Cubs game and it updated from "top 2nd" to say "mid 2nd" at like same time as the radio. So good sign. I'm using the modular face. I just put my four teams in and should get their scores on my modular face from now on. I get alerts from the MLB and NHL apps anyway, but still would like it on my watchface. MLB's complication isn't as good, and I wanted a complication for all my teams, so this looks great.
EDIT: looks like it isn't updating often now. Guess this is an issue with complications.

 

[BarracksSi]

The small complication would show the two teams and score. For example :

Min 2
KC 3

It for your liking:

Neb 28
Min 14

Ha!

I don't know if minimal info like this can be fit into the corners of this face, though. I've got as many complications on it as I can fit into Modular, and like I said, I think Apple's requirements for complications is the ability to display something in every size and format.

 

[fmofmpls]

I've tested out every possible sports app with every notification activated, and still no luck with a functional sports score complication. Therefore, I've given up and will use Glances or leave "last app open" for refreshed sports scores.

I think this is very lame that the Apple Watch cannot deliver real time updates with complications. Hopefully, this gets corrected in future software releases. And stop blaming battery life too.

 

[JerTheGeek]

I've tested out every possible sports app with every notification activated, and still no luck with a functional sports score complication. Therefore, I've given up and will use Glances or leave "last app open" for refreshed sports scores.

I think this is very lame that the Apple Watch cannot deliver real time updates with complications. Hopefully, this gets corrected in future software releases. And stop blaming battery life too.

It is quite annoying. I am still using "theScore" complication, but mainly just before the game so I know what time it starts. Once it does start I have to swipe up and wait for the glance to refresh for it to do anything.