Fix: Apple Sports Widgets Missing After iOS 26 Update

The Apple Sports app provides some of the most useful widgets for sports fans, offering at‑a‑glance scores and live updates right on your iPhone’s Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Apple Watch’s Smart Stack. However, after updating to iOS 26 and watchOS 26, many users have discovered that these widgets have simply disappeared. As described in a recent Apple Community discussion, the main app might work perfectly, but the option to add the widget is gone, and existing Live Activities no longer function.

This issue is typically caused by a software glitch where the new operating system fails to properly register the app’s widget components. A lagging Home Screen can also hide newly added widgets; you may want to learn how to fix home screen lag.

Why Apple Sports Widgets Disappear

Widgets are not part of the main app itself but are separate extensions that the app provides to the operating system. When you perform a major update like installing iOS 26, your iPhone and Apple Watch have to re‑index and re‑register all of these extensions. Sometimes, this process can fail for a specific app.

The result is that iOS or watchOS no longer “sees” the widget that the Apple Sports app is offering, so it doesn’t appear in the widget gallery. This is often a bug in the initial xx.0 software release that gets fixed in a subsequent update, or it can be a simple data corruption issue that can be resolved by forcing the system to re‑register the app’s components.

How to Fix Missing Apple Sports Widgets

Before starting, ensure you are in a region where the Apple Sports app is officially supported, such as the United States, UK, or Canada.

1. Restart Both Your iPhone and Apple Watch

A simple restart is the easiest first step, as it forces both devices to reload all system processes and can often fix the communication breakdown that causes widgets to disappear.

1. On your iPhone: Press and hold the side button and either volume button until the power‑off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn it off. Wait 30 seconds, then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
2. On your Apple Watch: Press and hold the side button until the Power Off slider appears. Drag the slider. Wait 30 seconds, then press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears.

If the watch still fails to sync after a restart, see how to fix Apple Watch connection.

2. Check for Software Updates

The missing widget is very likely a bug in the initial version of iOS 26 or the Apple Sports app. Apple frequently releases small follow‑up updates (e.g., iOS 26.0.1) to fix such widespread issues.

1. Update your iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

   

2. Update your Apple Watch: On your iPhone, open the Watch app and go to General > Software Update.
3. Update the App: Open the App Store, tap your profile icon, and pull down to refresh the list of available updates. Update the Apple Sports app if an update is available.

3. Reinstall the Apple Sports App

This is one of the most effective solutions. Deleting and reinstalling the app forces a clean re‑registration of all its components, including its widgets and Live Activities extensions, with the new operating system.

1. On your iPhone Home Screen, press and hold the Apple Sports app icon.
2. Tap Remove App, then tap Delete App. This will also delete it from your Apple Watch.
3. Open the App Store, search for “Apple Sports,” and reinstall it.

4. Manually Add the Widget Again

After restarting or reinstalling, the widget will not reappear automatically. You need to add it back to your desired location.

• For your iPhone Home Screen or Lock Screen:

1. Press and hold an empty area on your screen until the icons jiggle.
2. Tap the plus (+) icon in the top‑left corner.
3. Search for or scroll to Sports and select the widget you want to add.

• For your Apple Watch Smart Stack:

1. From your watch face, turn the Digital Crown to scroll through your Smart Stack.
2. Press and hold the screen, then tap the plus (+) icon.
3. Find and tap the Sports widget to add it.

5. Enable Live Activities and Notifications

For live scores to appear on your Lock Screen, the correct permissions must be enabled. The iOS update may have disabled them.

1. Go to Settings > Apple Sports.
2. Tap Live Activities and make sure Allow Live Activities is toggled on.
3. While there, tap on Notifications and ensure Allow Notifications is also enabled.

If notifications still don’t appear, you may need to fix notification issues.

If none of these solutions work, contact Apple Support.