Smartphone Users Increasingly Reject News Alerts

A new global survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism reveals growing fatigue among smartphone users toward news alerts, the notifications that deliver breaking news and world events. According to the report, 79% of respondents receive no news alerts in a typical week, with 43% of those having actively disabled them, citing an overload of notifications or their lack of relevance.

“Publishers walk a tightrope with news alerts,” said lead researcher Nic Newman. “Most limit daily alerts and follow strict criteria on their type and timing.” Despite these efforts, many users feel overwhelmed by notifications from news publishers, aggregators, sports apps, calendars, messaging groups, and social media.

\The study shows news alerts have become more common over the past decade. In the U.S., weekly news alert recipients rose from 6% in 2014 to 23% in 2025, and in the UK, from 3% to 18%. However, users often criticize apps like Google News and Apple News for sending repetitive alerts on the same topic. In the U.S., 16% of respondents received at least one alert from CNN in the past week, followed by Google News (13%) and Fox News (11%).

Newman noted that alerts can keep users informed and broaden perspectives beyond breaking news but lose value when they rely on sensationalized headlines or feel irrelevant. The findings highlight a challenge for publishers: balancing timely updates with user tolerance in an increasingly crowded digital space.