About replies and mentions

You can join conversations on Twitter by replying to others and by mentioning them in your own Tweets.

Reply overview

• A reply is a response to another person’s Tweet. You can reply by clicking or tapping the reply icon  from a Tweet.
• When you reply to someone else, your Tweet will show the message Replying to... when viewed in your profile page timeline. When someone replies to one of your Tweets you will see Replying to you above the Tweet and you will receive a notification in your Notifications tab.
• When two people are replying to one another, only relevant people, such as those who follow the person who replied and the person in the conversation, will see the reply in their timeline.
• If you click or tap on a reply in your timeline, it will expand to display the Tweet that was replied to.
• Replies from people with protected Tweets will only be visible to their followers.
• If someone sends you a reply and you are not following them, the reply will not appear in your Home timeline. Instead, the reply will appear in your Notifications tab.

How to post a reply:

1. Find the Tweet you want to reply to.
2. Click the reply icon 
3. A compose box will pop up, type in your message and click or tap Reply to post it.

Mention overview

• A mention is a Tweet that contains another person’s @username anywhere in the body of the Tweet.
• We collect these messages, as well as all of your replies, in your Notifications tab.
• If you include multiple @usernames in your Tweet, all of those people will see your Tweet in their Notifications tab.
• Visiting another account’s profile page on Twitter will not display Tweets that mention them. However, you can search Twitter for Tweets mentioning their @username. Read more about using search here.

How to post a mention:

1. Type your message in the Tweet compose box. 
2. Type the “@” symbol before the username(s) when addressing a particular account(s). 
3. Example: "I’m Tweeting on @Twitter!"
4. Click or tap Tweet to post.
   Note: If your Tweet is a reply, the icon to post will say Reply. When posted, the @username in your Tweet will become a link to the account’s profile page.

Things to note

• Visiting another account’s profile page on Twitter will not display Tweets that mention them. However, you can search Twitter for Tweets mentioning their @username. Read more about using search here.
• Replies from people with protected Tweets will only be visible to their approved followers.
• If someone sends you a reply and you are not following them, the reply will not appear in your Home timeline. Instead, the reply will appear in your Notifications tab.

Push notifications for conversations

If you’d like to receive push notifications for conversations, make sure your settings are on.

From the Twitter for iOS app:

1. In the top menu, tap your profile icon.
2. Tap Settings and privacy.
3. Tap Notifications, then tap Push notifications.
4. Tap Mentions and replies.
5. Drag the slider to turn on the setting.

From the Twitter for Android app:

1. In the top menu, you will either see a navigation menu icon  or your profile icon. Tap whichever icon you have.
2. Tap Settings and privacy.
3. Tap Notifications, then tap Push notifications.
4. Tap Mentions and replies.
5. Check the box to turn on the setting.