Want to be the first to know breaking news? 

We want to again remind our readers: There’s an app for that.

Users who download The Valdosta Daily Times mobile app will be asked if they want to enable notifications.

Only users who have opted in will receive the notifications on their mobile devices.

Breaking news items on the newspaper’s digital site will send a push notification to mobile devices instantly.

The notification will first appear as a headline on the mobile desktop, with an option to “swipe to read.”

If you swipe to read the article, the article page will open directly within the app.

The new feature is part of our ongoing mission to be the leading source of information for and about our region.

If bad weather was approaching, would you be among the first to know?

If the police were looking for a violent criminal in your neighborhood, would you be aware of it?

The Valdosta Daily Times is committed to being the leading news source for South Georgia and to providing the news to our communities in every way possible.

In addition to the native app, we are continuing to grow our text-alert network.

At no cost, anyone in the community can opt to receive a daily weather forecast and top headlines on their cell phone or tablet each morning.

We encourage our readers, and even non-subscribers, to sign up for “Your News. Your Way.” through our free text-alert system.

This native app and text-alert systems allow you to receive breaking news text messages directly to your mobile device.

On the app you will receive all the breaking news.

By signing up for free text alerts, you have the option to choose which categories you are interested in receiving, including:

• daily weather reports

• top headlines

• breaking news

• weather alerts

• missing children alerts

• sports updates and more

If there are categories of news or information that you do not want to receive on your mobile device, simply do not select that option when you sign up.

However, if at anytime you want to add or remove categories, it is as easy as clicking a box on the website.

To start receiving Your News. Your Way, through our next alert system you can:

(1) select “Subscribe” in the navigation bar on the website valdostadailytimes.com then select “Text Alert”;

(2) select the Text Alerts button also located on the valdostadailytimes.com homepage; or

(3) paste the line: http://bit.ly/1j03sZ3 in your browser.

Again, we remind you, a user does not have to be a newspaper subscriber to participate in the free service being provided to our region.

Many readers already receive our new email newsletter delivered straight to the inboxes of our readers each day.

It has quickly become one of our most popular features and if you have not yet signed up for the newsletters, now would be a great time.

If you are having difficulty signing up, come by the office and we will walk you through the process.

Text alerts to your mobile device, the new native app, email newspapers, daily website updates, Facebook and Twitter posts, and of course, the traditional printed edition of the newspaper give you the news every possible way and are each a part of our efforts to be the leading source of news and information for and about Valdosta, Lowndes County and South Georgia.

Our readers have told us they want the news every way they can get it and we are working hard to provide it.

We are committed to Celebrating Community, Reporting Facts and Demanding Accountability.

We are Your News. Your Voice. Your Times.