Mobile SMS service

Fast following on SMS

Want to get updates from @Twitter but don’t want to create a Twitter account? No problem! Use fast follow to receive Twitter updates without having to sign up or add your phone to a Twitter account.

Note: Message and data rates may apply.

To get started:

• Send Follow [username] to your Twitter shortcode and you will start receiving Tweets from that user on your device.
• Example: sending follow Twitter to 40404 on a US-based AT&T phone would mean I'd start getting SMS updates whenever @Twitter posts a Tweet.

Some notes on fast following:

• Fast Follow users have a limit to how many updates they can receive daily. If you have hit your limit, you will receive the message “You've reached your daily limit for Tweet notifications”. If you would like to receive more updates just reply with your full name and follow the instructions to create a full Twitter account.
• Since you won't have a profile or username until you sign up for an actual Twitter account, your follow is not included in the user’s followers list.
• If you have a full Twitter account and a fast follow user follows you, your follower count on your profile page will not change.

Have a fast follow account but want to upgrade to a full Twitter account?

• Visit twitter.com and follow the sign up flow on the homepage.
• Or, text your full name to your mobile provider's shortcode.

More instructions can be found here. Remember, even if you don't have a profile, your use is subjected to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Fast follow mobile commands

Below you’ll see all of the SMS commands you can use as a fast follower. All other SMS commands, including those for registered users, can be found here.

• Follow [username] - allows you to receive updates from that user.
• OFF or STOP or LEAVE - turns off receiving updates from the users you are following.
• ON - will turn on device updates and you will start receiving tweets again.
• WHOIS [username] - retrieves the profile information of the user.
• STATS - returns the number of people that you are following.
• GET [username] - retrieves the latest update that user has posted.

To remove your phone and fast follower list from Twitter:

• Sending STOP twice in succession to your shortcode will delete your follower list and remove your phone number from Twitter. You will no longer receive updates from us.
• You can send Follow [username] anytime and start receiving updates again!

Need help? Contact Support.

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Twitter SMS commands

You can perform certain actions, like following a user or marking a friend's update as a favorite, by using the designated Twitter commands below.

When using these commands, do not append an @ symbol along with the command text. If you send these commands with an @ symbol, your commands will be read as a username and will not be executed as expected.

Example: If you want to turn on device notifications, send only "ON" and not "@ON."

Turning mobile Twitter updates OFF and ON:

• ON: turns ALL your authorized Twitter updates and notifications on.
• OFF: turns ALL phone notifications off.    
• ON [username]: turns on notifications for a specific person on your phone. Example: ON alissa
• OFF [username]: turns off notifications for a specific person on your phone. Example: OFF blaine
• FOLLOW [username]: allows you to start following a specific user, as well as receive SMS notifications. Example: FOLLOW jerry, or F jerry, for short.
• UNFOLLOW [username]: allows you to stop following a specific user.
• LEAVE [username]: this command allows you to stop receiving SMS notifications for a specific user without having to unfollow them. When you log into twitter.com from the web you will still see this user's updates in your timeline. Example: LEAVE benfu, or L benfu, for short.
• STOP, QUIT, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, or ARRET: will deactivate your account if you are an SMS-only user. If you completed the sign-up flow on the web, sending any of these commands to your Twitter short code will simply remove your phone number from your Twitter account.

Fun stuff – friends, favorites, and stats:

Use the commands below to send direct messages, mark Tweets as favorites, and more.

• @[username] + message - shows your Tweet as a reply directed at another person, and causes your Tweet to save in their mentions tab. Example: @meangrape I love that song too!

• D [username] + message - sends that person a Direct Message that goes to their device, and saves in their web archive.
  • You can also use M [username] + message to send a private message!
  • Examples: d krissy want to pick a Jamba Juice for me while you're there? or m krissy wanna pick up a Jamba Juice for me while you're there? performs the same action.

Note about DM fails: Your service provider may split SMS messages greater than 160 characters into multiple messages. In this case, the second message will post as a normal Tweet because it doesn't begin with d+username, as the first message did. Please be careful to ensure that your messages are under 160 characters.

• RETWEET [username] - sends that user's latest Tweet to your followers (also known as a Retweet). Example: RETWEET Charles or  RT Charles
• SET LOCATION [place name] - updates the location field in your profile. Example: set location San Francisco
• SET BIO - edits your Bio information on your Twitter profile. Example: set bio I'm a writer in NYC!
• SET PROFILE [image] - allows you to upload a profile photo to your account, so it's viewable on the web. Just text the command along with the desired image from your phone's photo library. Note: this is only available for users whose mobile carriers support MMS.
• SET LANGUAGE [language name] - selects the language you'd like to receive notifications in. Example: set language German
• SET NAME [name here] - sets the name field on your Twitter profile. Example: set name Jane Doe
• SET URL [url here] - sets the URL field on your profile. Example: set url http://www.janedoe.com
• WHOIS [username] - retrieves the profile information for any public user on Twitter. Example: whois jack or w jack, for short.
• GET [username] - retrieves the latest Twitter update posted by that person. You can also use g [username] to get a user's latest Tweet. Examples: get goldman or g goldman.
• FAV [username] - marks that user's last Tweet as one of your favorites (reply to any update with FAV, FAVE, FAVORITE, FAVOURITE, or * to mark it as a favorite if you're receiving it in real time). Examples: fav crystal, fave crystal, favorite crystal, or *crystal
• STATS [username] - this command returns the given user's number of followers, how many people they're following, and their bio information.
• SUGGEST, SUG, S, or WTF - this command returns a list of Twitter users we think you might find interesting and would like to follow.
• HELP, INFO or AIDE - texting help, info, or aide to Twitter will bring up helpful tips.
• SUGGEST - this command returns a listing of Twitter users' accounts we think you might enjoy following.
• SET DISCOVER ON - by using this command, you opt-in to receive SMS notifications for top Tweets related to your interests. Please know that this feature is automatically enabled for all Twitter via SMS users. Note: this feature is only available in certain locations.
• SET DISCOVER OFF - turns off delivery of top tweets to your device.

A few notes on SMS commands:

• Using ON/OFF [username] from your phone only stops notifications coming to your mobile phone; you'll still collect a person's updates on the web since you're still following them.
  • Use UNFOLLOW [username] to unfollow a user via SMS.
  • Use BLOCK [username] or BLK [username] to block a user via SMS. 
  • You can also use UNBLOCK [username] or UNBLK [username]
  • Use REPORT [username] or REP [username] to report a user as spam.
• The following commands perform the same actions: FOLLOW = ON. And LEAVE = OFF.
• Following someone from a phone for the first time will also cause you to follow them on the web.
• You don't have to use ON/OFF [username] from your phone, you can also set individual notifications from a person's profile page on the web, or check your following page and manage all phone notification settings there.

Need help?

Visit our SMS Troubleshooting article for more information and tips.

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