The invention relates to a method for providing alerts in a mobile device, and more particularly a method for providing a shortcut for displaying and hiding alerts by providing an event list that is shown automatically or accessible by a shortcut button. The invention also relates to a corresponding mobile device. Thus, the invention provides a method for providing alerts in a mobile device having a display and a keypad. The method comprises the steps of: detecting an event; adding an event presentation (5) associated with the event on an event list (4); and showing the event list or a symbol (8) on the display. The event list is shown automatically for critical alerts and is accessible with one key stroke for less critical alerts. The user can choose to hide the list, also with a single key stroke, or act on an event.