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Twitter expands emergency alerts with push notifications sent to mobile app

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When a crisis arises, from typhoons to terrorist attacks, people use social media to stay connected, and Twitter is one of the most important methods of finding out what’s going on and what to do. The company recognizes how vital it is to provide a flow of information during crisis, which is why Twitter introduced an “Alerts” service back in September, and has been steadily expanding it ever since. And now, according to a blog post, Twitter further bulked up its mobile emergency alert system. 

Twitter added the new emergency features to its mobile app. “Now, on your iOS or Android app, you can go to a participating organization’s profile and easily subscribe to their Alerts as push notifications by tapping on the bell icon. We also added in-app notifications for iOS: when you’re browsing on Twitter you’ll now receive a notification at the bottom of your screen when an alert is sent by an organization whose Alerts you subscribe to,” the blog post explains. 

Australia and Brazil also joined the list of countries using Alerts, alongside the U.S., Japan, South Korea, the U.K., and Ireland. Citizens can sign up for a variety of alerts depending on the country. In Korea, for example, people can receive messages from the city of Seoul if an emergency arises: 

And in the U.S., people have over 50 organizations to choose from, including FEMA and the Red Cross.

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Kate Knibbs
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kate Knibbs is a writer from Chicago. She is very happy that her borderline-unhealthy Internet habits are rewarded with a…
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