Push vs. SMS
SeatDrop offers two ways to receive alerts. Push notifications are recommended for most users.
SMS is being retired. SeatDrop is phasing out SMS alerts over the next ~24 hours. New SMS alerts can no longer be created — creating an alert now requires push (installed app, or an existing SD-XXXX code on desktop). If you have an active SMS alert from before this change, switch it to push from My Alerts — tap the ⋯ menu on the alert and choose Switch to Push. This works only in the app installed to your home screen, so if you haven't installed SeatDrop yet, install it and allow notifications first — the menu item won't appear in a regular browser tab. See My Alerts for details.
Comparison
| Push notifications | SMS (retired) | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Instant | Near-instant |
| Cost | Free | Free (limited quota) |
| Max active alerts | 100 | 2 |
| Max seats per alert | 500 | 50 |
| Requires install | Yes | No |
| Works on desktop | No — mobile app only (set up on your phone, or enter your SD-XXXX code on desktop) | Yes |
When to use push
Push is the best choice for most people. It's faster, free, and gives you much higher limits. You need to install SeatDrop on your phone and allow notifications for it to work.
When to use SMS
SMS alerts are retired — you can no longer create a new SMS alert; the channel option has been removed from alert creation entirely. If you still have an active SMS alert from before the retirement, convert it to push rather than waiting — see Switching an SMS alert to push below.
Keep in mind that SMS had lower limits (2 alerts, 50 seats) compared to push (100 alerts, 500 seats). Ticket drop alerts have always been push-only.
Switching an SMS alert to push
On the mobile app (installed to your home screen), open My Alerts, tap the ⋯ menu on an SMS alert you monitor, and choose Switch to Push. This flips that one alert to push in place — your seats and progress carry over, nothing is recreated. It's not available on desktop, and it only works for alerts you manage yourself (alerts a friend shared with you aren't convertible from your side).