Meta Tests WhatsApp’s New Scheduled Message Feature: Here’s How It Works

WhatsApp, the hugely popular messaging app owned by Meta, may finally be rolling out a highly requested chat feature that solves a common problem for many users: forgetting to send important messages at the right time. According to reports, WhatsApp is testing a native scheduled message feature that will let users compose messages ahead of time and have them sent automatically later.

This potential upgrade aims to make messaging smoother and more reliable, especially for greetings, reminders, and time-sensitive texts. Whether you often forget birthday wishes or important updates, this feature could help you plan ahead so you never miss sending a message again.

How the Scheduled Messages Feature Will Work

The scheduling feature was spotted in a recent iOS beta update (version 26.7.10.72) by tech watchers at WABetaInfo. It appears as a new Scheduled Messages option within the chat info menu, where users will be able to set a specific date and time for messages to be sent automatically.

Once a message is scheduled, users should be able to view, manage, or delete it before it is sent, all without alerting the recipient. Scheduled messages are expected to appear in a dedicated section within the chat’s info screen so you can keep track of what’s ahead.

Why This Feature Matters for WhatsApp Users

Until now, WhatsApp users have had to rely on external workarounds or third-party shortcuts to time message delivery. This new scheduling tool would finally bring a built-in solution that works without apps like Apple Shortcuts or manual reminders.

Many other messaging platforms already offer native scheduled messaging, such as Apple’s iMessage and Google Messages, so adding this capability would help WhatsApp stay competitive and more convenient to use.

Availability and Expectations

At this stage, the scheduled messages feature is still under development and not yet available to all users. Once testing is complete, it will likely roll out first to select beta testers before becoming available more widely. There’s no official release date yet, but the reports suggest it could arrive soon as part of a broader feature update.