Twitter Might Be Testing Push Notification Ads

Buzzfeed's John Herrman reports that he received a push notification on his iPhone today of a tweet from Dropbox promoting its new logo and branding strategy.

Though Herrman said he follows Dropbox, he was not mentioned in the tweet, leading him to believe he received an advertisement sent directly to his phone.

Several other Twitter users reported similar experiences, with one saying he'd been receiving the push notifications from the professional wrestler Triple H throughout the week.

@fwd @BuzzFeed It didnt start today, It's been rolling out throughout the week. Been getting them as early as Tuesday.

- Chris Uño (@CRS_One) September 13, 2013

@jwherrman @BuzzFeed Not from Dropbox, From the Main App. Certain tweets from @TripleH have been getting push notified to me

- Chris Uño (@CRS_One) September 13, 2013

The news could have big implications for Twitter, which last night announced that it had filed for an initial public offering. The social media network's success as a public company will hinge in large part on its ability to be successful with real-time advertising products, not unlike the promoted tweets the Twitter appears to have been sending certain users.

However, sending such push notifications could be against Apple's developer rules, which prohibit the use of push notifications to send "advertising, promotions, or direct marketing of any kind."

We reached out to Twitter for this story, and we'll update if and when the company responds.