WhatsApp is preparing to add a long-requested message scheduling feature. The app will let users compose messages in advance and send them at a chosen time, similar to how iMessage handles scheduled texts.
References to the feature popped up in the latest WhatsApp beta release on TestFlight.
Message scheduling feels overdue
Apple added a much-needed text scheduling feature to the Messages app in iOS 18 in 2024. While a minor addition, it is especially useful for birthday wishes, reminders and messages across time zones.
Almost 1.5 years later, WhatsApp looks ready to bring similar functionality to its platform. WABetaInfo found the “Scheduled Messages” option in the group info page on the latest WhatsApp for iOS beta.
There aren’t many details yet about how the feature will work in practice. However, it will likely follow a familiar approach similar to iMessage or Telegram. You long-press the send button, choose a date and time and the app delivers the message at the set time.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
Before the scheduled time, you should be able to modify the text’s content or cancel sending it altogether.
While the screenshot shows the message scheduling option for groups, the report speculates it will also work for individual conversations.
Closing a major gap in WhatsApp
In the Messages app, you can schedule a text up to 14 days in the future. WhatsApp may also implement a similar limitation on its platform.
WhatsApp serves over a billion users who send billions of messages every day. Given its scale, the absence of a built-in message scheduling feature feels like a big gap.
Since the feature has only just appeared in the WhatsApp beta, it may take some time before it reaches the stable, public release.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
