Finally! WhatsApp scheduled messages are on the way
A long-requested feature could soon let you send messages at exactly the right time. On iOS, at least
If you’ve ever forgotten to send a birthday message at midnight, or wanted to get your “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” tidings out the way before the Baileys takes its toll, relief may be incoming.
According to WABetaInfo (via MacRumors), WhatsApp is working on a native scheduled messages feature, for iOS, at least.
The feature is currently under development and not yet live in the latest iOS beta, but early previews suggest you’ll soon be able to type a message, choose a specific date and time, and have it sent automatically. There’s no word on the feature coming to Android, but we remain hopeful.
While WhatsApp already allows scheduled marketing messages through its Business Broadcast tools (paid features aimed at companies), this new implementation is expected to bring scheduled messaging to regular users for free.
How does WhatsApp scheduled messaging work?
A scheduled message will stay queued inside WhatsApp until the selected time arrives. Once that moment hits, the message is delivered automatically, without you needing to reopen the app.
Users will reportedly be able to manage scheduled messages from a dedicated section within the chat info screen, where the number of queued messages will be visible.
You’ll also be able to delete a scheduled message before it’s sent – and doing so won’t notify the recipient, since the message never actually gets delivered. The feature is expected to work in both individual chats and group conversations.
It’s exciting stuff (for some, at least), but scheduled messages are hardly groundbreaking. Telegram has offered them for years, and Apple introduced a Send Later option in Messages with iOS 18.
On WhatsApp, though, the only way to schedule a message right now is by using Apple’s Shortcuts app to build an automation. It works – technically – but it’s hardly seamless. A built-in option should make things much simpler, and will be a welcome addition for those who rely on WhatsApp daily.
WhatsApp scheduled messages release date
The feature is still marked as under development and isn’t yet available for beta testing. Once ready, it will roll out to select beta users before a wider release.
There’s no confirmed launch date yet, but given how frequently requested scheduled messages have been, this one feels long overdue.
Esat Dedezade
Contributor 
