Twitter is building a tool for keyword alerts, in case you need more Twitter notifications

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Users will be able to opt in to receive notifications for newtweets matching a search query if the feature is built into the service. The bell notification icon is next to the search box in the app, which was spotted by developer Dylan Roussel. You will get notifications when you tap the bell.

You shouldn't take this as a sign that it's coming, it's only showing up in the Alpha app for now. It is an interesting idea and another attempt from the social network to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for. You can get notifications for individual users, but you can't choose to follow specific people. According to 9to5Google, the closest thing to this is probably TweetDeck, which allows you to create a column for a search result and get notifications every time it changes. It is good to see all of the features migrate to the lone remaining Twitter client.

Twitter is working on a feature allowing you to subscribe to search results. Once subscribed, you'll receive push notifications for Tweets about your search query! pic.twitter.com/plTlt484oN

— Dylan Roussel (@evowizz) May 31, 2022

It sounds like a nightmare to sign up for push notifications. If you hit that bell, you'll get notifications on your phone. It is possible to use the search to get notifications from a single person, but only the ones they care about the most. Only the ones that get more than 50 likes and mention the NBA or the Celtics or the Warriors can be searched for, with some effort.

It is possible to create and save complex searches, but you will always have to run the search to find what you are looking for. Search subscribe could be a useful way to get the notifications you want, because it could be a huge mess. You could set one up for your name and just do what everyone else does. The less notifications the better.

There is no indication when this feature will be launched. With the ongoing shakeup in the company's product team, all bets are off with the company's plan. Pick your search carefully before you hit that bell.