- What you can turn on instead
- Everything X can notify you about
- How to get notified when a specific account posts
- How to turn push notification types on or off
- A quick setup for urgent updates
- How to stop post notifications from an account
- Why this matters more than it sounds
- The verdict
- Frequently asked questions
Twitter Alerts no longer exist: X's Help Center says X Alerts stopped being available on 2 September 2019. Today the closest options are X's crisis and emergency alerts notification type and post notifications from the accounts you follow.
The old help article is still online, but it now holds a single line confirming the feature ended in 2019. If you've landed here because an old guide told you to sign up for Twitter Alerts, that route has gone. The good news is that the job it did, getting urgent posts from specific accounts in front of you quickly, can still be done with X's notification settings.
What you can turn on instead
X's notifications page lists the types of mobile notifications you can choose to receive. Two of them cover most of what people wanted from Twitter Alerts.
| Notification type | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Crisis and emergency alerts | Its own notification type you can switch on in push settings |
| Post notifications from accounts you follow | Get told when a chosen account posts or goes live |
| News and Highlights | General updates X thinks you'll want |
| Mentions, replies, reposts, likes | Activity on your own posts |
| Direct Messages and new followers | Activity on your account |
Everything X can notify you about
X's notifications page lists these types of mobile notification. You choose which ones you get:
- Mentions of your account, including photos you're tagged in
- Replies
- Reposts of your posts
- Likes
- New followers
- Direct Messages
- Your contacts who join X
- Recommendations
- Highlights
- News
- Moments
- Spaces
- Crisis and emergency alerts
- First look at new features
How to get notified when a specific account posts
This is the nearest thing to the old Alerts sign-up. Pick the accounts that matter, such as your local council, a transport operator or a weather service, and turn on their post notifications.
- Go to the account's profile.
- Tap the notification icon.
- Choose All posts, or Only posts with live video.
- Tap your selection to save it.
To check which accounts you've switched on, X says to go to your profile icon, Settings and privacy, Notifications, Preferences, Push notifications, then posts.
How to turn push notification types on or off
- In the top menu, tap your profile icon.
- Select Settings and privacy.
- Tap Notifications, then Preferences.
- Tap Push notifications and choose the types you want, including crisis and emergency alerts.
Notifications only reach you if your phone allows them for the X app, so if nothing arrives after this, check your phone's own notification settings for X too.
The second choice, Only posts with live video, is handy for accounts that broadcast live when something's happening, because you're told when they go live without a ping for every post.
A quick setup for urgent updates
- Follow the official accounts you'd want to hear from in an emergency.
- On each profile, tap the notification icon and choose All posts.
- In Push notifications, keep crisis and emergency alerts switched on.
- Once a month, open Push notifications, then posts, and check the list is still the accounts you want.
- For any account that's too noisy, tap its highlighted notification icon and choose None.
How to stop post notifications from an account
If an account you switched on posts too often, go back to its profile, tap the highlighted notification icon and select None. That stops its post notifications without unfollowing it.
Why this matters more than it sounds
You may still see Twitter Alerts mentioned on older web pages that pointed people to it for urgent updates. Following the account and switching on its post notifications is what gets you closest today. If you run a business account that posts urgent updates, closures for example, it's worth telling your followers to turn on post notifications for you, since X no longer offers a separate alert sign-up.
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Another account detail people look up is the location shown on a profile, explained in X account location settings.
The verdict
Don't go looking for a Twitter Alerts sign-up page: it closed in 2019. Turn on post notifications for the handful of accounts you'd want to hear from in an emergency, keep crisis and emergency alerts switched on in your push settings, and make sure your phone lets X notify you. If notifications arrive late on an iPhone, my fix for delayed Twitter notifications on iPhone should help, and if you'd rather get updates by text, read about using X by SMS first.
Related guides live in the Twitter (X) Help: 21 Guides to Features, Verification, Video Fixes and Tools.
Frequently asked questions
Does Twitter still have Twitter Alerts?
No. X's Help Center says X Alerts are no longer available as of 2 September 2019.
What replaced Twitter Alerts?
X lists crisis and emergency alerts as a notification type, and you can turn on post notifications for accounts you follow.
How do I get alerts when someone posts on X?
Go to their profile, tap the notification icon and choose All posts or Only posts with live video.
How do I turn on emergency alerts on X?
Tap your profile icon, Settings and privacy, Notifications, Preferences, Push notifications, then choose the types you want, including crisis and emergency alerts.
How do I stop post notifications from an account on X?
Go to the account's profile, tap the highlighted notification icon and select None. You'll still follow the account.
