Twitter (now X) notifications keep you updated on mentions, replies, DMs, likes, and new followers. Whether you want to turn them on, customize them, or fix them when they stop working, this guide covers everything step by step.
How to Turn On Twitter Notifications on iPhone
- Open the X (Twitter) app on your iPhone
- Tap your profile photo in the top left corner
- Go to Settings and Support → Settings and Privacy
- Tap Notifications
- Tap Push Notifications
- Toggle on the notification types you want, Mentions, Likes, Retweets, New Followers, Direct Messages, and more
If the toggle is grayed out, Twitter does not have permission from your iPhone. Fix it this way: go to iPhone Settings → X → Notifications → Allow Notifications and toggle it on. If you recently made your Twitter account private, double-check that your notification settings were not reset during that process.
How to Turn On Twitter Notifications on Android
- Open the X (Twitter) app
- Tap your profile icon in the top left
- Go to Settings and Privacy → Notifications
- Tap Push Notifications
- Enable the notification categories you want
If notifications are still not coming through, go to your Android Settings → Apps → X → Notifications and make sure notifications are allowed at the system level.
How to Turn On Twitter Notifications on Desktop (Web)
- Go to twitter.com or x.com and log in
- Click the More option in the left sidebar
- Click Settings and Privacy
- Go to Notifications → Push Notifications
- Enable desktop notifications when prompted by your browser
Your browser may ask for permission to show notifications. Click Allow when prompted. If you missed that prompt, go to your browser settings and manually allow notifications from twitter.com. Once desktop notifications are set up, you can also use Twitter Analytics from the same desktop session to track how your content is performing alongside your engagement alerts.
How to Turn On Post Notifications for a Specific Person
This feature lets you get notified every time a specific account posts, useful for following creators, news accounts, or brands you care about.
On iPhone and Android:
- Go to the profile of the account you want to follow closely
- Tap the bell icon next to the Follow button
- Select your preferred notification level, All Posts, Live, or Off
If you do not see the bell icon, make sure you are already following the account. The bell only appears after you follow someone.
On Desktop:
- Visit the account’s profile
- Click the bell icon next to the Follow button
- Choose your notification preference
How to Manage Twitter Notification Settings (All Types)
Inside Settings → Notifications, you can control exactly which actions trigger a notification. Here is what each setting does and when to use it.
Mentions, notifies you when someone tags your username in a tweet. Keep this on to stay on top of conversations about you.
Replies, notifies you when someone replies to your tweets. Useful if you post frequently and want to respond quickly.
Likes, notifies you each time someone likes your tweet. Can become noisy if your tweets get a lot of engagement; turn off if you find it distracting.
Retweets and Quotes, notifies you when your tweet is reshared or quoted. Helpful for tracking reach alongside your Twitter Analytics dashboard where you can monitor impressions and engagement rate.
New Followers, notifies you each time someone follows your account.
Direct Messages, one of the most important to keep on. Turn on DM notifications so you never miss a message. Keep in mind that Twitter has a Twitter DM limit on how many messages you can send per day, so staying on top of incoming DMs is especially important.
Login Alerts, Twitter sends a new login alert any time your account is accessed from an unrecognized device. Always keep this on for security.
Email Notifications, separate from push notifications. Manage these under Settings → Notifications → Email Notifications. Turn these off if your inbox is getting cluttered with Twitter emails.
Twitter Notifications Not Working, How to Fix
This is one of the most common issues X users face. Work through these fixes in order.
Fix 1: Check system-level permission
The most common cause is that the phone’s operating system is blocking Twitter notifications. On iPhone, go to Settings → X → Notifications and make sure Allow Notifications is toggled on. On Android, go to Settings → Apps → X → Notifications and enable them.
Fix 2: Check Twitter’s own settings
Even if your phone allows notifications, Twitter’s in-app settings may have them turned off. Go to Settings → Notifications → Push Notifications inside the app and confirm all desired types are enabled.
Fix 3: Disable battery saver or low power mode
Battery saver modes on Android and Low Power Mode on iPhone restrict background activity, which blocks notifications. Turn these off or add Twitter to the exceptions list.
Fix 4: Check Do Not Disturb
If your phone is in Do Not Disturb mode, notifications from Twitter will be silenced. Go to your phone settings and either disable DND or add X as an allowed app.
Fix 5: Update the app
An outdated version of the Twitter app can cause notification bugs. Go to the App Store or Google Play Store and update to the latest version.
Fix 6: Clear the app cache (Android)
On Android, go to Settings → Apps → X → Storage → Clear Cache. This often resolves notification delivery issues without deleting your data.
Fix 7: Reset the Twitter algorithm
Sometimes notification issues are linked to algorithm-level problems with your account. Resetting your Twitter algorithm can refresh how the platform processes your account activity, which sometimes restores normal notification behavior.
Fix 8: Log out and log back in
Sign out of your Twitter account completely, then sign back in. This refreshes your notification token and often fixes intermittent notification issues.
Fix 9: Uninstall and reinstall the app
If none of the above works, delete the app entirely and reinstall it fresh from the App Store or Play Store. Sign back in and reconfigure your notification settings.
Twitter DM Notifications Not Working
Direct message notifications failing is a specific issue that often has its own cause. Check these in order: make sure DMs are enabled under Settings → Notifications → Push Notifications → Direct Messages, confirm that the person messaging you is not filtered into Message Requests (which do not trigger push notifications by default), and check that your Message Requests filter settings are not hiding incoming DMs from accounts you do not follow. Also note that if you have reached your Twitter DM limit for the day, new messages may not be delivered at all until the limit resets.
How to Turn Off Twitter Notifications
If you are receiving too many notifications, you can turn them off selectively or completely.
Turn off all notifications: Go to Settings → Notifications → Push Notifications and toggle off all categories.
Turn off specific types: Keep the overall setting on but disable individual types like Likes or Retweets that you find excessive.
Turn off notifications from your phone: Go to iPhone Settings → X → Notifications and toggle off Allow Notifications, or on Android go to Settings → Apps → X → Notifications and disable them at the system level.
Mute a specific account: If a particular account is triggering too many notifications, go to their profile and mute them on Twitter. You will still follow them but stop seeing notification alerts from their activity.
How to Stop Getting Twitter Notifications from Other Accounts
Sometimes you get notifications from accounts you follow because they liked or replied to a tweet you interacted with. To reduce this: go to Settings → Notifications and under Filters, enable Quality Filter and review your Advanced Filters options. These settings reduce notification noise from accounts with lower engagement history.
You can also go to Settings → Notifications → Filters → Muted Notifications and add specific keywords or accounts to a mute list. For a more permanent solution, muting someone on Twitter prevents all their activity from triggering alerts without unfollowing them.
Twitter Says I Have a Notification but I Don’t
This is a known X app bug where the notification badge shows a count that does not match any visible notification inside the app. The quickest fix is to open every notification tab inside the app, All, Mentions, Verified, and Others, and tap through them to clear the count. If the badge persists, log out and back in. If that fails, clearing the app cache on Android or reinstalling the app usually resolves it.
Twitter Desktop Notifications
To receive Twitter notifications on your desktop browser, make sure you have granted the browser permission. In Chrome, go to Settings → Privacy and Security → Site Settings → Notifications and confirm that twitter.com or x.com is listed as allowed. In Firefox, go to Settings → Privacy and Security → Notifications → Settings and check the same. Twitter’s desktop notifications work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. If you manage a Twitter business account, enabling desktop notifications is especially useful so you never miss a mention or DM from a customer during working hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common causes are the system-level notification permission being off on your phone, Twitter’s in-app push notification settings being disabled, battery saver mode blocking background activity, or an outdated app version. Work through the fix list above in order.
Follow the account first, then tap the bell icon on their profile and select All Posts. You will then receive a notification every time they tweet.
No. Twitter does not notify users when someone takes a screenshot of their tweets, profile, or DMs.
Go to Settings → Notifications → Push Notifications on the web version and allow notifications when your browser prompts you. Make sure twitter.com is allowed in your browser’s notification settings.
This is usually a sync issue between the app and Twitter’s servers. Logging out and back in or reinstalling the app typically resolves it.
Alex Bennett is an entrepreneur whose practical tips have helped thousands improve their careers and grow with confidence.