WhatsApp is finally introducing one of its most requested features: the ability to schedule messages for a specific date and time. The feature is now rolling out to select Android beta testers.
WhatsApp users have been asking for message scheduling for years. Whether it's sending birthday wishes at midnight, communicating across different time zones, or preparing work-related messages outside business hours, the ability to schedule messages has long been missing from Meta's popular messaging app.
Competitors such as Telegram have offered similar functionality since 2019. Now, WhatsApp is finally catching up.
According to WABetaInfo, the feature is rolling out through WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.40.7, following its initial discovery in an earlier development build.
How WhatsApp's scheduled messages work
The new feature allows users to compose a message and choose exactly when it should be delivered.
To schedule a message, users simply need to type their text, tap and hold the send button, and select their preferred delivery date and time from a menu that appears at the bottom of the screen.
WhatsApp will then automatically send the message at the selected time, even if the user's device is offline or the app is closed.
Users can also access a dedicated section within the chat information screen to view, manage, or delete scheduled messages before they are sent.
The feature supports more than just text. Users can also schedule links, photos, and videos, with all scheduled content remaining protected by WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption.
However, there is currently one limitation when scheduling media: photos and videos can only be scheduled individually rather than as multiple attachments in a single message.
Messages can be scheduled up to two weeks in advance
WhatsApp allows users to schedule messages anywhere from 10 minutes to two weeks in advance.
This gives users enough flexibility to prepare reminders, birthday messages, and other important communications without having to remember to send them manually.
The feature also works in group conversations, although there is an interesting restriction. Scheduled group messages are delivered only to people who were members of the group when the message was originally scheduled. Anyone joining afterward will not receive that scheduled message.
Recipients will not be notified that a message was scheduled in advance. Similarly, deleting a scheduled message before delivery will not generate a notification for the recipient.
When will scheduled messages be available to everyone?
For now, WhatsApp's message scheduling feature is available only to select Android beta testers running a compatible version of the app.
The rollout is expected to expand to more beta users over the coming weeks, although not everyone installing the latest beta update will immediately receive access.
Meta has not announced an official release date for the general public.
Nevertheless, the feature's arrival in an active Android beta rollout suggests that WhatsApp is moving closer to bringing message scheduling to a much wider audience.
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