# Segments

Include or exclude notification recipients by segment per event.

Source: https://statusdashboard.com/docs/events/segments

> This is a plan-gated feature. If it isn't available in your account, visit the [Billing](/docs/org-mgmt/billing) page or contact support to review your options.

Segment targeting lets you include or exclude specific audience segments when an event notifies subscribers. Use it when you want routine updates to reach some groups but not others, without changing dashboard-wide subscription settings.

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## Controls
Audience segments are used to filter which subscribers receive email, SMS, and WhatsApp notifications for particular events. For example, you may create a routine event for a minor issue and you want to ensure that the executive team is not notified - you would leverage the audience segments feature to suppress notifications to the executive team segment for that event.

| Control                      | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Segment targeting toggle** | When off, all matching subscribers are notified (default). When on, the selected segments and mode apply.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| **Include**                  | Only notify subscribers who appear in the **tag registry** for any selected segment **and** who are subscribed to affected components. Email notifications match on **email** registry assignments; SMS notifications match on **SMS** registry assignments; WhatsApp notifications match on **WhatsApp** registry assignments. |
| **Exclude**                  | Suppress notification for subscribers in the selected segments who would otherwise be notified. Each channel (email, SMS, WhatsApp) is filtered independently using its registry contacts.                                                                                                                                      |
| **Segment checkboxes**       | Select one or more org segments. You may select every segment defined in your organization.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |

## How matching works
* A **segment** matches contacts tagged with **any** of its tags (OR logic).
* When multiple segments are selected on an event, contacts in **any** selected segment are considered (union).
* Registry contacts are resolved **at send time** — tag and registry changes take effect on the next notification without editing the event.
* **Email**, **SMS**, and **WhatsApp** notifications each apply the same include/exclude mode using their respective registry channel: email tag assignments filter email recipients; SMS tag assignments filter SMS recipients; WhatsApp tag assignments filter WhatsApp recipients. Segment targeting runs only for notification channels enabled on the event.
* The **active** subscriber count on the Segments page is **email-only** (verified email subscribers with components). SMS- and WhatsApp-tagged contacts are not included in that badge — see [Segments & tags — Counters](/docs/notifications/segments#counters).

## Deleted or missing segments
If a segment referenced on an event is later deleted:

* **While editing:** Stale segment IDs are hidden from the checkbox list. A notice explains they will be removed when you save. On save, deleted segment IDs are dropped automatically. If include mode has no segments left, segment targeting is turned off so notifications still reach subscribers.
* **At send time:** Deleted segment IDs are ignored silently — they do not block notifications for other selected segments. If the organization **segments** feature is not enabled, stored segment targeting is ignored and all matching subscribers are notified.