Twitch Notification Settings Guide: Always, Go Live Only, Personalized & Smart Delivery Explained

Twitch rolled out a complete overhaul of its notification system on December 11, 2025, replacing the old binary on/off toggle with four distinct tiers that give viewers granular control over every channel they follow. The update also rebranded “Smart Notifications” to “Smart Delivery” and introduced per-channel customization for the first time.

For streamers, this matters more than it sounds. Notifications are the bridge between a follow and an actual viewer showing up to your stream. Under the old system, a follower either got every notification or none at all. Now, Twitch’s algorithm decides which followers are engaged enough to receive pings — unless a viewer explicitly opts into “Always.” That shift changes how you should think about calls-to-action, community engagement, and follower retention. Twitch announced these changes in December 2025 and the rollout is fully live.

What Changed — The New Notification Tiers

Before December 2025, Twitch notification settings were simple. You followed a channel and either turned notifications on or left them off. “On” meant you received every go-live alert, raid notification, and stream update. “Off” meant silence. There was no middle ground.

The new system replaces that binary switch with four options that viewers can set independently for every channel they follow:

The biggest change is what happens to existing followers. Everyone who previously had notifications set to “On” was automatically migrated to “Personalized” — not “Always.” This is a critical distinction. Under “Personalized,” Twitch’s algorithm evaluates whether a viewer is active enough to warrant a notification. If a follower hasn’t watched your stream in a while, Twitch may stop sending them go-live alerts entirely.

Per-Channel Notification Controls Explained

The most significant part of the update is per-channel granularity. Viewers can now set different notification preferences for every single channel they follow. A viewer might set their favorite streamer to “Always,” a variety streamer they casually watch to “Go Live Only,” and a channel they followed years ago but rarely visit to “Off.”

This means your follower count and your notification reach are now two very different numbers. A channel with 50,000 followers might only send go-live notifications to a fraction of them if most are stuck on “Personalized” and haven’t engaged recently.

The “Always” tier is the golden setting for streamers. When a viewer sets your channel to “Always,” they receive every notification you generate regardless of their engagement history. Twitch cannot algorithmically suppress these alerts. This is the closest thing to a guaranteed viewer ping.

“Personalized” is the default for most followers and it works against dormant accounts. If someone followed you two years ago and hasn’t watched since, Twitch’s algorithm will likely stop sending them your notifications under “Personalized.” The system optimizes for relevance, which means channels with inconsistent streaming schedules or declining viewership may see fewer notifications reaching their follower base over time.

Smart Delivery — What Streamers Need to Know

Alongside the four-tier notification system, Twitch rebranded its “Smart Notifications” feature to “Smart Delivery.” The functionality is the same — Smart Delivery routes a single notification to whichever platform a viewer is most active on (mobile app, desktop browser, or email) rather than blasting the same alert across every device.

The idea is reducing notification fatigue. Instead of a viewer’s phone buzzing, their browser tab pinging, and an email arriving all at once, Smart Delivery picks the single most effective channel and sends the notification there. Twitch determines the “best” platform based on where the viewer has most recently engaged with Twitch content.

For streamers, this means the platform your go-live alert appears on varies by viewer. Some will see it as a mobile push notification. Others will get it as a browser notification on desktop. A few might only receive an email. You cannot control which delivery method Twitch selects for each viewer.

This has practical implications for your stream CTAs. Instead of saying “turn on notifications,” you should tell your audience to enable notifications on whichever device they use most for Twitch. A mobile-first viewer should make sure push notifications are enabled in their phone’s Twitch app settings. A desktop viewer should allow browser notifications. Smart Delivery only works if the viewer has the right permissions enabled on their preferred platform.

How to Use Notification Controls as a Growth Tool

Twitch positioned this update as giving viewers “more control,” but streamers should view it as an engagement lever. The new system rewards channels with active, engaged communities and penalizes those with large but dormant follower bases. That creates a clear strategic opportunity.

Ask Superfans to Set “Always”

Your most loyal viewers — regulars in chat, subscribers, moderators — should be asked directly to set your channel to “Always.” This is the new equivalent of “hit the bell icon on YouTube.” A simple verbal CTA during your stream or a panel on your channel page explaining the four tiers can drive adoption. The more viewers you have on “Always,” the more immune your notification reach is to Twitch’s algorithm.

Let Personalized Handle Casual Viewers

For viewers who tune in occasionally, “Personalized” is fine. Fighting against Twitch’s algorithm for every casual follower is not worth the effort. Focus your energy on converting engaged viewers to “Always” rather than trying to reactivate dormant followers who are unlikely to return.

Build CTAs into Your Stream

Add an overlay or chat command (!notifications) that explains the difference between Always and Personalized. Run the CTA during natural break points — waiting for a queue, loading screens, or post-match downtime. Keep it brief: “If you want to know every time I go live, click the bell on my channel and switch to Always. Personalized means Twitch might not tell you.”

Pair with Monetization Tools

Notification strategy compounds when combined with other growth levers. Running a custom discount promo (CDP) is less effective if half your followers never see the go-live notification. Getting viewers on “Always” before launching a promo event means more eyes on your discounted gift subs from the moment you start streaming. For tracking how those gift subs translate to actual revenue, a Twitch Sub Calculator helps you project earnings across different scenarios.

How to Update Your Notification Settings on Twitch

For viewers who want to customize their notification experience, here is how to adjust the new settings.

Global Notification Settings

1. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner of Twitch
2. Go to Settings → Notifications
3. Notifications are now grouped by topic (go-live, raids, stream updates)
4. Adjust your delivery preferences for each notification type
5. Toggle Smart Delivery on or off under delivery method options

Per-Channel Settings

1. Visit the channel page of any streamer you follow
2. Click the bell icon next to the Follow button
3. Select from Always, Go Live Only, Personalized, or Off
4. Your selection saves immediately and applies only to that channel

Delivery Method Customization

Under Settings → Notifications, you can also control how notifications reach you:

• Mobile push — requires the Twitch app with notifications enabled in your phone’s settings
• Browser/desktop — requires allowing Twitch notifications in your browser permissions
• Email — configurable per notification type

Smart Delivery will route to your most-active method automatically, but you can override this by disabling specific delivery channels.

The notification update is one of those changes that looks minor on the surface but fundamentally shifts the dynamics of follower engagement on Twitch. The old on/off system treated every follower equally. The new system rewards active communities and punishes neglect.

Streamers who build the “Always” CTA into their regular routine will maintain stronger notification reach over time. Those who ignore it risk watching their effective follower base shrink as Twitch’s Personalized algorithm quietly stops notifying disengaged viewers. Notifications are not just a setting — they are a growth strategy. Treat them that way.