One of the most-requested productivity features for iMessage probably won’t be added in an iOS update anytime soon.
A Reddit user recently posted an email exchange he had with Apple VP of software Craig Federighi asking for a scheduled iMessage feature for iPhone and iPad. Federighi revealed that Apple has actually considered and is still considering the feature. However, there are a couple of issues with how scheduled iMessages are received that has caused Apple to hold back on the idea for now.
Read Craig’s explanation of why it hasn’t been added yet:
Photo: Jmaster_888/Reddit
The idea for the scheduled iMessage feature would allow people to draft a text message and sent it later. If you’re a night owl and remembered something important to text someone but know they’re sleeping you could set the message to send in the morning. Scheduled messages are a popular feature on most email services. Considering how popular iMessage has become as a messaging platform it could make sense to add it.
Apple could also try adding a “silent send” option so that the recipient isn’t alerted to the new message but sees an alert badge on the app.
Aside from the UI concerns on how to manage the unsent messages, the feature could also be abused for spamming purposes. Also, if someone doesn’t want to get your late-night text notifications they can always put their iPhone in do-not-disturb mode. It’s still a great idea though if Apple could implement it in the right way.
