Twitter SMS commands

You can perform certain actions, like following a user or liking a friend's Tweet, 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.
• 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 remove your phone number from the Twitter account most recently linked to your number.

Fun stuff – friends, likes, and stats:

Use the commands below to send Direct Messages, like Tweets, 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.

• RETWEET [username] - sends that user's latest Tweet to your followers (also known as a Retweet). Example: RETWEET Charles or  RT Charles
• SET LANGUAGE [language name] - selects the language you'd like to receive notifications in. Example: set language German
• WHOIS [username] - retrieves the profile information for any public user on Twitter. Example: whois jack or w jack, for short.
• LIKE [username] - likes that user's last Tweet (reply to any update with LIKE or * to mark it as a like if you're receiving it in real time). Examples: like 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.
• HELP - texting help, info, or aide to Twitter will bring up helpful tips.
• 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.