How to set up news alerts on iPhone in four apps

How to set up news alerts on iPhone depends on what you want to be pinged about. Apple News sends alerts from channels you follow, Google News from topics you follow, and AyeWatch only when a specific development you described actually happens. Whichever you pick, first make sure the iPhone itself lets that app notify you.

Step zero: let the app notify you

Open the Settings app, tap Notifications, scroll to the app and check that Allow Notifications is on. Without this, nothing inside the app will make your phone buzz. The same screen is where you go later if one app gets too chatty.

Apple News: alerts from channels you follow

Open the News app and tap Following.
Swipe to the bottom and tap Notifications & Email, under Manage.
Switch on the channels you want to hear from, plus any Apple News notifications such as Top Stories or Spotlight.

Apple's guide says only some channels send notifications, so a publication you follow may stay quiet. The same screen lets you sign up for Apple News newsletters by email. Apple News is not offered in every country or region.

Google News: alerts on followed topics

In the Google News app, tap Search at the top left, look up a topic, a place or a news source, and tap Follow.
Tap your profile picture, then News settings, then Notifications.
Turn on Get notifications, then use Number of notifications to choose between Low and High.
Switch individual notification types on or off to taste.

You need to be signed in to a Google account for this. Followed topics also fill the app's Following tab, and News settings has an option for a daily briefing email.

The Google app: one tap for big topics

For some subjects, such as a sports team, a TV show or a celebrity, the Google app shows a Get Notified button beside the topic name on the results page. Tap it and the app sends updates on that topic. It is quick, but the button only appears where Google offers it.

AyeWatch: alerts on one specific story

The first three options follow a subject. AyeWatch watches for an event.

Install the AyeWatch app or sign up on the web; your monitors sync between the two.
Describe what you want in plain English, with conditions, for example a vote on the new bus routes at your city council, without opinion pieces. You can also paste the URL of a page, like a newsroom or a notices list, or pick a public account on X, Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok.
Choose Auto, or a schedule your plan allows.
Keep push on. It comes with every plan; email, Slack and Discord are added on paid plans.

Each alert arrives as a short summary with links to its sources, and the AI reads new items by meaning rather than exact keywords. There is a free preview with no card, and paid plans start at $9 a month.

Which alert fires when

App	What triggers the notification	Good for
Apple News	A followed channel sends one, or Apple's own notifications	Publications you trust
Google News	Your followed topics, at the volume you set	Broad beats
Google app	A topic where you tapped Get Notified	Teams, shows, public figures
AyeWatch	A new item, page change or post that matches your rule	The one story you cannot miss

Keep alerts from taking over

Start with a few topics and add more only when you miss something. Set Google News to Low if headlines pile up. In AyeWatch you can mute, pause or tighten any monitor. And if what you mostly want is to read the day's news, Apple News or Google News alone will do the job.