Seat Signal watches the course section you want and texts you the second a seat opens up. No app, no account, no password. Just a text message.
Text the number and it asks a couple of quick questions: which course you're waiting on, and which section. Confirm your pick and you're set. It takes about a minute, and you don't need to know any special commands or formats.
Then it goes quiet. When a seat opens in a section you're watching, you get a text telling you which course and section it was, so you can go register.
Example messages. The exact wording changes as the service gets better.
Alerts are one-shot. Once you've been texted about a section, that alert is finished, so you won't keep getting pinged about a course you already grabbed. You can watch more than one section at a time, and you can cancel any of them whenever you want.
Two words always work, from anywhere in the conversation, whatever else is going on.
| Text this | What happens |
|---|---|
HELP |
Shows you what you can do (set up an alert, see the ones you already have, cancel one) along with contact info, from wherever you are in the conversation. |
STOP |
Cancels every alert you have and stops all messages from Seat Signal. You'll get one confirmation text and then nothing else, ever. You can always start again later by texting the number. |
Nothing. Seat Signal is free. Your carrier's normal message and data rates apply, the same as any other text you send.
No. Your phone number is your account. There's no password to forget and no website to log into. Texting the number is what signs you up, and it's the only thing that does.
No. Alerts only ever go to the number that texted in. There's no form anywhere that lets one person enter another person's number, and numbers are never imported, purchased, or added from any other source. If you're getting messages, it's because that phone sent the first text.
It depends entirely on how many alerts you set up. Setting one up takes a handful of messages back and forth, and then it's quiet until a seat actually opens, which is one more text. If no seat opens, you hear nothing.
Reply STOP to any message and everything stops immediately. If you'd rather drop
just one alert and keep the rest, text the number and it'll walk you through it.
It's stored encrypted, and it's used for exactly two things: knowing who you are when you text in, and sending you your alerts. It's shared only with the licensed messaging provider that actually delivers the texts, because there's no way to send you a message otherwise.
It is never sold, rented, or given to anyone else. No mobile information is shared with third
parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. There is no marketing here at
all, and there never will be. Text STOP to stop messages, or email the address
below and your number and everything attached to it will be deleted.
No. Seat Signal is an independent tool built by a student. It reads the same public course listings you can see yourself and checks them so you don't have to.
Please don't rely on it as your only plan. Seat Signal is provided free and as-is, with no guarantee that an alert will arrive, arrive on time, or be correct. Course data comes from public listings and can be delayed or wrong. An alert tells you a seat appeared, it doesn't hold one for you, and someone else may take it first. Always confirm in your school's official registration system.
Seat Signal is a free, independent tool that watches a course section you choose and texts you when a seat opens in it. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Brown University or any other college or university. Texting the number is what signs you up, and it constitutes acceptance of these terms.
Seat Signal is provided free and as-is, with no guarantee that an alert will arrive, arrive on time, or be correct. Course data comes from public listings and can be delayed or wrong. An alert tells you a seat appeared, it doesn't hold one for you, and someone else may take it first. Don't rely on it as your only plan, always confirm in your school's official registration system.
Don't sign up a phone number that isn't yours or that you don't have the owner's permission to use. Don't use the service to harass, impersonate, or spam anyone. Don't attempt to disrupt, overload, scrape, or send automated or excessive traffic to the service beyond normal individual use. Don't use the service for any unlawful purpose. Numbers or usage patterns that violate this may be blocked or have their access terminated without notice.
This is a small, independently run project with no uptime guarantee or support SLA. Features, these terms, and the service itself may change or be discontinued at any time.
Questions about these terms: email contact@fariz.cc.
Your phone number is used for exactly two things: knowing who you are when you text in, and sending you your alerts. Your message history is used only to keep the conversation working correctly.
Only the licensed messaging provider that actually delivers the texts, because there's no way to send you a message otherwise. It is never sold, rented, or given to anyone else. No mobile information is shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. There is no marketing here at all, and there never will be.
Text STOP to stop all messages at any time. Email
contact@fariz.cc to request that your number and
everything attached to it be permanently deleted.
This policy may be updated as the service changes. The date at the bottom of this page reflects the last update.