Short version
Follow a team, country, series, or tournament. It personalizes the app and can send you alerts.
Add a specific game to Watching. It keeps that game in view while it's on. In the iPhone app, it can sit on your Lock Screen too.
Side by side
| Follow | Watching | |
|---|---|---|
| What it's for | Personalize the app long-term | Keep one game in view |
| What you attach it to | A team, country, series, or tournament | A single game |
| How many you can have | Unlimited | Several. Up to 3 on the iPhone Lock Screen at once |
| Where it shows up | Today, Following | Watching, and the Lock Screen on iPhone |
| Sends notifications? | Yes, if alerts are on | No. Watching doesn't send alerts |
| Disappears when? | When you unfollow | About a day after the game ends |
How to think about it
Follow is the season-long relationship. You follow the Lions because you care about the Lions all season.
Watching is for the moment. You add Sunday's Lions game to Watching because you want it in view while it's happening.
How to follow
Open the app and tap Following, in the tab bar on your phone or the sidebar on a computer. Tap Add follow, pick a moment, like the NFL, then pick the team, country, series, or tournament you want to follow.
Your first three follows get alerts as soon as you add them. A new NFL follow starts on Quiet. Tap any follow to change its level: Quiet, Companion, or Full Details. After three, a new follow starts with alerts off. Your phone also needs notifications turned on for the app. The app asks once.
How to add a game to Watching
Open any game page. Tap a game on Today, Schedule, or anywhere else. On the game page, tap Add to Watching. In the iPhone app, a live game's button reads Track on Lock Screen, which adds it to Watching and puts the live score on your Lock Screen.
To remove it, open the same game page and tap the button again. It reads "In Watching · tap to remove" on the web, or "On your lock screen · tap to remove" in the iPhone app.
Can I have both?
Yes. Follow your team with alerts all season, then add a game to Watching on the day you want to keep an eye on it. Your follows decide what shows up and when your phone buzzes. Watching holds what you're tracking right now.
Once that's set up, here's how to use No-Spoilers when you're watching on delay.