How to Schedule a WhatsApp Message

Does WhatsApp have a schedule message option?

Not for most users yet. In the regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps that most people have today, there is no "send later" button for chats. You type a message and it goes the moment you tap send.

That is starting to change. In October 2026, WhatsApp began testing message scheduling with a small group of Android beta testers. According to reports on the beta, you press and hold the send button, pick a date and time, and WhatsApp sends the message at that time even if your phone is offline. Reports say it works in individual and group chats, with text, links and one photo or video, from about 10 minutes up to two weeks ahead, and pending messages can be seen and deleted from the chat info screen. Beta features can change or be dropped, and there is no confirmed date for iPhone or for everyone.

• Check your own app: update WhatsApp from the Play Store or App Store, open any chat, type a message and press and hold the send button. If a schedule option appears, you have it.

• If nothing happens, you do not have it yet. Use one of the methods below.

• Planning a meeting or party rather than a message? WhatsApp's Events feature (attach icon, then Event, in groups and in many individual chats) lets you set a date and time, collect RSVPs and sends a reminder to people who said they are going.

Schedule a WhatsApp message on iPhone with Shortcuts

Apple's free Shortcuts app can open WhatsApp at a set time with your message ready. It is the closest thing to scheduling on an iPhone today, but treat it as a reminder that does most of the work, not a guaranteed automatic send.

1. 1

   Open Shortcuts

   Open the Shortcuts app (it comes with the iPhone) and go to the Automation tab. Tap New Automation or the plus button.

2. 2

   Choose Time of Day

   Pick Time of Day, set the time, and choose whether it repeats (Daily, Weekly, Monthly) or runs once. For a one-time message, pick a repeat you will turn off afterwards.

3. 3

   Add the WhatsApp action

   Add an action, search for WhatsApp and choose Send Message (or Send Message via WhatsApp). Type the message and pick the contact. The contact must be saved in your phone.

4. 4

   Decide on confirmation

   Choose Run Immediately if you want it to try without asking, or Ask Before Running if you prefer a notification you tap to send. Many people find WhatsApp still opens and waits for them to tap send.

5. 5

   Test it

   Set a time two minutes from now and send a test to yourself or a family member before you rely on it for anything important.

Limits of the iPhone method

• It may not send by itself. Depending on your iOS and WhatsApp versions, the automation often opens the chat with the message filled in and you must tap send.

• Your phone must be on, connected to the internet, and in some cases unlocked at that time.

• It works for one contact (or one group) per automation, not a list.

• Apple's Messages app has its own Send Later, but that is for iMessage and SMS, not WhatsApp.

Schedule a WhatsApp message on Android

Android has no built-in scheduler for WhatsApp either. People use third-party apps from the Play Store, usually listed as "auto message scheduler", "WhatsApp scheduler" or general automation apps (tools that run tasks at a set time). They work by opening WhatsApp at the chosen time and tapping send for you.

To do that, these apps ask for powerful permissions, especially Accessibility access, which lets an app read your screen and press buttons on your behalf. Some also ask you to turn off battery optimisation and screen lock so they can run in the background.

• Privacy: an app with Accessibility access can see everything on your screen, including your chats and OTPs. Only use well-reviewed apps from developers you trust, and remove the permission when you stop using it.

• Reliability: phone makers' battery savers often kill these apps, so messages can be late or never sent. Test before relying on it.

• Security: switching off your screen lock so an app can send messages leaves your phone open to anyone who picks it up.

• Account risk: WhatsApp does not support unofficial apps that automate the app. Sending a few birthday wishes is low risk; using these apps for mass promotional messages is how numbers get banned.

• Never install modified WhatsApp versions ("mod" or "plus" apps) for scheduling. WhatsApp bans accounts that use them.

Scheduled replies with WhatsApp Business (away messages)

The free WhatsApp Business app does not schedule outgoing messages, but it can reply automatically on a schedule. An away message can be set to go out only outside your business hours or during a custom time range, such as a holiday, so customers who message you then get an instant reply.

Set it up under Settings, Business tools, Away message: turn it on, write the message, choose Schedule (Always send, Custom schedule, or Outside of business hours) and choose recipients. This is an automatic reply, not a message you start, so it only goes to people who write to you. Our WhatsApp auto reply guide has step-by-step instructions and ready-made texts.

Scheduling for businesses: WhatsApp Business API platforms

Businesses that need to send scheduled messages to customers at scale, such as appointment reminders, payment reminders or offers on a fixed date, use the WhatsApp Business Platform (the API) through a provider. These platforms let you upload contacts, pick a pre-approved message template and set a send time.

The trade-offs: you need a separate number registered on the platform, message templates must be approved by Meta before you use them, Meta charges per message for marketing and utility messages, and providers add their own monthly fee. It is the right tool for a company sending thousands of transactional messages, and usually too much for a small shop or a family event.

Which method should you use?

• A one-off birthday or anniversary wish at midnight: check for the built-in schedule option first; otherwise set a phone alarm or iPhone Shortcut and send it yourself.

• A regular message to one person (a daily reminder to a parent): iPhone Shortcuts or a trusted Android automation app.

• Customers messaging you after hours or on holidays: WhatsApp Business away message.

• Reminders to hundreds of customers at a fixed time: a WhatsApp Business API provider.

• Sending one message to a list of people now, each with their name: a one-to-one bulk send (below).

Sending to a whole list (and what Rapid Sender does not do)

Rapid Sender does not schedule messages. It sends when you press send. What it does is the other half of the job people often need: sending one message privately to every person on a list, with each person's name filled in.

1. 6

   Prepare your list

   Keep names and numbers in an Excel or CSV sheet (up to 5,000 rows per upload), or paste the numbers. Numbers do not need to be saved in your phone.

2. 7

   Link your WhatsApp

   Open Rapid Sender in your browser. On your phone go to WhatsApp, Linked devices, Link a device and scan the QR code, or use the pairing code.

3. 8

   Write the message once

   Type the message with {{name}} or any column from your sheet, and attach a photo, video or PDF if you need to. The live preview shows how each person will see it.

4. 9

   Test, then send at the right time

   Send a test to yourself, then send to everyone when you are ready, for example at 9 am on the festival morning. A random pause of a few seconds between messages lowers the risk of being flagged, and the live report shows who received it.

Frequently asked questions