BBC Sport apps get real-time goal alert notifications
Say goodbye to frantically checking your phone every few minutes come game time, as BBC adds real-time goal notification alerts to its mobile apps
The BBC has updated its iOS and Android Sports apps to include push notifications for football goal alerts, finally putting an end to the frantic last-minute checks for goals in the run up to the end of the season.
The apps, which should have already received an update from their respective app stores depending on whether you own an Android or iOS device, now prompt football fans to select their club in order to recieve real-time goal notifications, which show up as toast notifications on Android or as screen-filling pop ups on iOS. 150 domestic teams are available to select, from the Premier League down to the Conference, as well as the Scottish Championship down to Scottish League Two.
According to the BBC, 71 per cent of its weekend traffic comes from mobile users refreshing their apps to check on sporting events, so this new feature should ease the strain on the company’s servers. As well as goals, users can also choose kick-off, half-time score and final result notifications.
Currently push notifications only include domestic football matches, although the BBC has said it plans to add more alerts in the future for notable incidents including penalties and red cards. That means there’s no way to add international teams, but hopefully the BBC will add this ability in time for the World Cup in June.
If you aren’t much of a football fan, the bad news is that the BBC has yet to add any other sports to the app, meaning other sports fans will be stuck refreshing the app manually for the time being. It still includes written reports from all major sporting events, as well as live radio broadcasts from 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra.
If the app on your smartphone has yet to unlock the alerts feature, make sure to check the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store for an update.