Los Angeles — Micro-blogging site Twitter on Wednesday unleashed a new feature for users in the U.S., who can now follow Twitter accounts called “Fast Follow” SMS feature options that allows both registered and non-registered users to receive 140 character long SMS tweets on their mobile phones without having to sign up for a Twitter account.
The Fast Follow feature, which is currently accessible only by users in the US, empowers users to keep a track of Twitter feeds and updates through their mobile phones. To follow someone, interested users have to enter “follow UserNameHere” and send it to 40404. To Sign up, text “Signup”.
Twitter said the feature will simplify it for people to get quick updates from people or companies they hear about on-the-go.
“We have always been big fans of trusty SMS messaging. In fact, sending a text was originally the only way users could tweet. This is why Tweets are 140 characters — they need to fit into a text message,” says Twitter’s Leland Rechis. “We value SMS because it is simple, instant and universal.”
“Try it out the next time you see a Twitter @username at a restaurant or store, on a billboard or on TV, or if you hear one mentioned on the radio,” Twitter’s Rechis wrote in a blog post.
Moreover, users can also now receive SMS alerts from Twitter accounts they wish to. From a computer, you can hover over a user’s name or avatar, and click on the little phone icon that appears in the “hovercard”. You will then get a text every time that user tweets — probably not a good idea unless you have an unlimited text plan. You can also set alerts from your phone by sending “on [username]” or “off [username]” to 40404. You can send “on” or “off” to start and stop text messages altogether.
So far, Fast Following without creating an account is currently available only in the US, but we are working with carriers to bring it to other countries, mentioned Twitter’s Rechis, in an official blogpost.
Finally, if you entered “get [username]” the user’s most recent tweet will be sent to you phone. There are more commands here.