Direct Message FAQs
For an overview of Direct Messages, including how to send and manage your Direct Messages, read our About Direct Messages article.
My account is protected. What happens when I enable the "Receive Direct Messages from anyone" option?
Why am I not seeing group conversations?
How can I stop someone from sending me Direct Messages?
Why am I not seeing a reply box?
Why am I having trouble sending Direct Messages?
My account is sending messages without my knowledge. What is going on?
Why am I receiving messages from myself?
How is someone I don’t follow able to send me a Direct Message?
How do I accept or delete incoming messages from someone I don’t follow?
Why do some Direct Messages look different?
What happens when I am asked to share a location?
What happens when I am asked to mark media in Direct Messages as “shared”?
My account is protected. What happens when I enable the "Receive Direct Messages from anyone" option?
Regardless of your Tweet privacy settings (i.e. whether your Tweets are protected or not protected), your account will be able to receive Direct Messages from anyone if you enable the option to Receive Direct Messages from anyone.
Why am I not seeing group messages?
You can start and participate in group conversations when using twitter.com, the Twitter for iOS or Android apps, and TweetDeck. To learn more about group conversation settings, see our About Direct Messages article.
How can I stop someone from sending me Direct Messages?
To stop receiving Direct Messages from someone:
- Locate the conversation from the account, and click or tap to open it.
- Click or tap the information icon
- Select Report.
- Confirm your choice.
Note: The account will not be able to send you a message until you send them a message first.
Alternatively, to stop receiving messages, you can block the account. Blocked accounts cannot send you messages, unless you unblock them.
Why am I not seeing a reply box?
You will not see a reply box if you are not able to send a Direct Message to the other participant. This might happen if the other participant has unfollowed you, blocked you, or has reported the conversation with you.
Why am I having trouble sending Direct Messages?
There is an account limit of 1,000 Direct Messages sent per day. Once you reach this limit, you can’t send any more Direct Messages for the day.
If you are sending Direct Messages to accounts that do not follow you, you may need to verify your phone number.
If you are sending duplicate Direct Messages to multiple accounts (including sending the same link to multiple accounts), this may be reported as spam activity and can result in you not being able to send a Direct Message for a short time. You may need to wait at least 30 minutes without any attempt at sending a Direct Message before you’ll be able to do so again.
My account is sending messages without my knowledge. What is going on?
If your account is sending a Direct Message without your knowledge, it may be compromised. Follow the steps outlined in this article to help secure it.
Why am I receiving messages from myself?
Please take the following actions:
- While signed in, visit your Apps tab in settings. Revoke access for any third party application that you don't recognize.
- If you're still experiencing this problem after you've revoked unwanted applications, or if you weren't expecting this behavior when you approved this connection, please contact us.
How is someone I don’t follow able to send me a Direct Message?
When you enable the Receive Direct Messages from anyone setting, anyone can message you, even if you do not follow them.
If you previously had a conversation with a person through Direct Message, that person is able to message you regardless of if you follow them or not.
Disabling the Receive Direct Messages from anyone setting does not stop accounts from messaging you whom you have previously had conversations with and do not follow.
To stop receiving Direct Messages from someone:
- Locate the conversation from the account, and click or tap to open it.
- Click or tap the information icon
- Select Report.
- Confirm your choice.
Note: The account will not be able to send you a message until you send them a message first.
Alternatively, to stop receiving messages, you can block the account. Blocked accounts cannot send you messages, unless you unblock them.
How do I accept or delete incoming messages from someone I don’t follow?
Learn how to accept or delete incoming messages from someone you don’t follow in our About Direct Messages article.
Why do some Direct Messages look different?
Businesses and developers have the option to show you a welcome message when you enter a new Direct Message conversation, which may include quick reply prompts with specific instructions to help streamline your communication. The welcome message you see may be tailored for you, including based on how you entered the conversation. For example, if you click or tap on a link or button in a Tweet to go to Direct Messages, you may see a customized welcome message to continue the topic or conversation.
You might also see messages from businesses or developers that appear different than most Direct Messages. This can include, but is not limited to, messages with a list of predefined options for you to choose from.
What happens when I am asked to share a location?
Businesses and developers also have the option to send you a message with a special prompt asking you to share a location. Location sharing lets businesses provide better and more tailored services to you through Direct Messages.
When prompted, you can choose whether to share your current location or another location by searching or navigating the map, as appropriate for the conversation. When you share a location, the precise location you select (latitude and longitude) will be associated with your response. If you haven’t already allowed Twitter to access your location, you will be prompted to do so through your device’s settings in order to let the Twitter app know your location on the map. More information about using location services on mobile devices can be found here.
What happens when I am asked to mark media in Direct Messages as “shared”?
Third-party apps may ask you for your consent to configure media sent in Direct Messages as shareable. If media is configured as shareable, it can be sent by the third-party app as part of multiple Direct Message conversations between you and other people and will be viewable by anyone with the media’s URL.