Twitter has been spotted working on a new feature that will allow users to subscribe to push notifications for specific search terms.
After subscribing to a search term, users will be alerted when new tweets with that word or phrase are posted.
Android developer Dylan Roussel spotted this feature in a pre-release version of the Twitter mobile app:
Twitter is working on a feature that will allow you to subscribe to search results. After subscribing, you will receive push notifications for tweets about your search queries! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/plTlt484oN
— Dylan Roselle 🇺🇦 (@evowizz) May 31, 2022
called ‘Search Subscriptions,’ This addition to Twitter is gearing up for future versions of the mobile app.
It looks like a function taken directly from TweetDeck. Considering the last remaining TweetDeck app will be shutting down next month, it’s great to see one of the app’s best features go live elsewhere.
Searching for subscriptions seems simple and easy to use. Roussel’s tweet shows the two-step process for setting up notifications.
Type a word or phrase into the search bar and click the bell icon on the right. Twitter will then display a message letting you know you are subscribed.
Roussel noted that he hasn’t received any notifications yet, so he doesn’t know what notifications will look like when the feature finally launches
It is also not known how often the alerts will be sent.
On the one hand, this can be a useful way to track things like brand mentions. You can subscribe to tweets that include your business name and get alerted even if people don’t @mention you.
On the other hand, depending on how the notifications are delivered, it can be a nasty nightmare if the term you subscribe to is tweeting dozens of times a minute.
Twitter notifies users Every tweet, or just optimal tweets?
Maybe Twitter will provide the option to customize notifications so you can set the frequency you want.
We’ll have to wait until the feature rolls out to know for sure. It is currently available in Twitter Alpha and is generally recommended for developers.
It will be more widely available in future updates, which may be the next update or several releases.
Featured image: Sandy Herta/Shutterstock
