How to schedule a text message on iPhone

The Messages app is fairly handy relating to sending messages to each Apple and non-Apple customers. You can edit messages to switch those you’ve already despatched or recall a not too long ago despatched message using Undo Send. Another essential facet of Messages is having the ability to ship them at a scheduled time while you gained’t be using your iPhone or are away doing one thing more essential. 

In this put up, we’ll clarify how one can schedule a textual content message in your iPhone so that you don’t miss out on sharing one thing essential while you’re busy with one thing else. 

Can you schedule a textual content message on the iOS Messages app?

No. The Messages app in your iPhone doesn’t allow you to schedule messages for later natively. Unlike the Google Messages app on Android, there’s no built-in choice to create a message and ship it later in the event you use the Messages app on iOS. Instead, you’ll have to depend on workarounds and options, a few of which may be executed natively in your iPhone whereas others require you to put in third-party apps. 

How to schedule a textual content message on iPhone

Since the iOS Messages app lacks the power to ship scheduled texts, you have to to make use of the Shortcuts app to ship such messages, in the event you desire using iMessage for textual content communication with different Apple customers. There are two methods to strategy this motion – by creating customized Automation contained in the Shortcuts app or by including a shortcut that you could immediately use to ship messages.

Both these strategies ship your scheduled texts by way of iMessage to different Apple customers. If the scheduled message is shipped to somebody with out an iPhone or another Apple device, the message is shipped by way of SMS or MMS. 

Method #1: Create an Automation with Shortcuts

If you want to schedule messages in a method that you simply need to ship the identical message repeatedly at common intervals, then you should use the Shortcuts app to create an Automation. To get began, open the Shortcuts app in your iPhone. 

Inside Shortcuts, faucet on the Automation tab on the backside. 

On this display, faucet on the + icon on the high proper nook to create an Automation. You can proceed to the subsequent step in the event you don’t see this icon in your display which might be since you’re but to create and add an Automation to the Shortcuts app. 

Now, choose Create Personal Automation on the subsequent display. 

In the New Automation display, choose Time of Day. 

On the subsequent display, you’ll have to select a selected time to ship your message and configure how typically you need to ship this message once more. Here, you possibly can select Sunrise, Sunset, or Time of Day. If you select the final possibility, you’ll have to set the time at which you need to ship the message. 

You can change this time by tapping on the time field after which shifting the hour and minute dials to your most well-liked time. 

Next, you possibly can configure when to repeat the message by deciding on Daily, Weekly, or Monthly beneath the “Repeat” part.

Depending on the repeat possibility you select, you’ll be capable of set the times of the week or a selected date each month at which the message you create is shipped. 

Once you’ve configured the time to schedule a message, faucet on Next on the high proper nook. 

In the Actions display that seems, faucet on Add Action. 

You’ll now see a brand new popup menu that lists all of the actions accessible on the Shortcuts app. Inside this popup, faucet on the search bar on the high and kind “Send” to seek for related actions. 

When the search outcomes seem, choose Send Message beneath “Sharing”. 

The Send Message motion will now seem contained in the Actions display. On this motion field, faucet on Message. 

When the keyboard pops up, sort the message you need to schedule after which faucet on Done above the keyboard. 

Next, faucet on Recipients inside the identical motion field. 

On the subsequent display, enter the identify or cellphone variety of the particular person you want to ship the message to contained in the “To” field. If you need to ship this message to a number of contacts directly, faucet on the + icon on the right-hand aspect of the “To” field. If not, faucet on Done to proceed. 

Once you’ve scripted your message and chosen your most well-liked contacts to ship it to, faucet on Next on the high proper nook. 

The Shortcuts app will now present you a preview of the Automation you created. Since scheduled messages are supposed to be despatched even while you’re not actively using your cellphone, you could want to show off the Ask Before Running toggle on this display. 

In the immediate that seems, faucet on Don’t Ask to verify. 

You can now activate the Notify When Run toggle to ensure you know when the scheduled message is shipped out of your iPhone. 

To verify the Automation, faucet on Done on the high proper nook. 

The Automation you created for sending scheduled messages will now seem contained in the Automations tab on the Shortcuts app. 

When the scheduled time arrives, the Shortcuts app will run the Automation and ship the preconfigured message to the chosen contact. You will obtain an alert in your lock display and Notification Center that claims your Automation is being run. 

The message you scheduled will now be despatched from the Messages app in your iPhone. 

Method #2: Using Send Delayed Text Message shortcut

The above methodology is useful while you need to ship a message repeatedly to the identical particular person at common intervals. If you need to schedule completely different messages for various individuals, you should use the Send Delayed Text Message shortcut. This user-created shortcut may also help you schedule messages instantly out of your Home Screen to anybody you need with the identical Shortcuts app that you simply used within the methodology above. 

To get began, click on on this hyperlink to open the Send Delayed Text Message shortcut web page inside Safari or another internet browser. When the web page hundreds up, faucet on Get Shortcut. 

This will load the shortcut contained in the Shortcuts app in your iPhone. To add it to your device, faucet on Add Shortcut on the backside. 

The new shortcut will now seem contained in the Shortcuts tab on the app. Whenever you want to schedule a message, you have to to entry this display to make use of the Send Delayed Text shortcut.

If you don’t need to open the Shortcuts app repeatedly for sending scheduled messages, you possibly can add it to your house display as a widget. 

To make sending scheduled messages simpler, you possibly can add the shortcut’s widget to your house display. To do this, long-tap on an empty portion on your house display. When the icons begin jiggling, faucet on the + button on the high left nook. 

In the Widgets record that seems, choose Shortcuts. 

If you solely want to have a shortcut for sending scheduled messages, choose the smallest widget on this display (the one on the leftmost aspect) after which faucet on Add Widget on the backside. 

The shortcuts widget will now be added to your house display. To choose the Send Delayed Text shortcut for this widget, faucet on the widget. 

In the overflow field that seems, faucet on Shortcut. 

On the subsequent display, choose Send Delayed Text from the record of shortcuts. 

The chosen shortcut will now seem on your house display. To verify modifications, faucet on Done on the high proper nook. 

When you need to schedule a message, faucet on the Send Delayed Text widget on your house display or entry it by opening the Shortcuts app in your iPhone. 

You will now see the Contacts display from the place you have to to pick a contact you need to ship a message to. When selecting the contact, it’s essential to ensure you choose a contact whose cellphone quantity is accessible. You can not ship scheduled messages to contacts with e-mail addresses. You can use the search bar on the high to sort the identify of the particular person you need to ship a message to. 

From the search outcomes, faucet on the particular person to whom you need to schedule a message. 

After you’re executed deciding on the contact, the shortcut will ask you to sort the textual content you need to ship.

In the “What would you like to say?” field, enter the textual content you want to schedule to ship after which faucet on Done. 

You will now see one other overflow field on the display asking you to decide on a date and time at which you need to schedule a message. Choose a date on which you need to ship the scheduled message. After deciding on a date, faucet on the time field to configure your most well-liked time to schedule. 

When the time field expands, slide the hour and minute dials to your required time and faucet elsewhere to set this chosen time. After you’ve set the popular date and time to schedule the message, faucet on Done. 

The shortcut will now run in your iPhone. If you opened the Shortcut app to run this shortcut, it is advisable to ensure the app continues to run within the background and isn’t eliminated out of your Recent Apps display. If you’re working the shortcut using a house display widget, it ought to run with none points, except you run another shortcut. 

If you’re using the shortcut for the very first time, you will note this immediate on the display. If you propose to schedule messages typically, you possibly can select Always Allow. If you select Allow Once, the Shortcuts app will ask you on your permission each time the message must be despatched which wouldn’t be helpful while you’re not actively using your iPhone. So, we advise deciding on Always Allow when sending scheduled messages with this shortcut. 

The message you created will now be despatched to the recipient.

You can repeat the above steps to ship more scheduled messages and while you select Always Allow, you gained’t be requested for affirmation once more for future messages. 

Limitations of using the Shortcuts app

Since the Messages app doesn’t have a built-in operate to schedule messages for later, the Shortcuts app gives a helpful method of getting it executed. However, it’s not probably the most handy of choices and there are some limitations to using both of the strategies offered above. 

For instance, methodology #1 from the information above will solely be useful while you want to repeatedly schedule the identical message to the identical particular person at common intervals of your alternative. You can use this methodology to schedule recurring messages every day, on sure days of the week, or on a specific day each month.

This methodology wouldn’t be of a lot assist in the event you solely intend to schedule a message that must be despatched solely as soon as. If you need to schedule a number of messages, creating an Automation for them over and over isn’t probably the most handy resolution. 

That’s the place methodology #2 is available in. Using this methodology, you possibly can schedule messages proper from your house display (using the Shortcuts widget) and create completely different messages to ship to completely different individuals at completely different occasions. Messages you schedule are a one-time occasion and gained’t be repeatedly despatched to the recipient later sooner or later.

The Send Delayed Text shortcut works even when your iPhone is locked though the message could also be barely delayed when it’s locked. The solely draw back to this methodology is that you simply can not schedule a brand new message except the beforehand scheduled message is shipped since iOS can not run two situations of the identical shortcut in your device. 

What else are you able to do as a substitute of scheduling messages?

Since the Messages app on iOS doesn’t have a built-in choice to schedule messages, using the Shortcuts app is the one method you possibly can automate the expertise by way of the Messages app. If you don’t discover both of those strategies handy, you possibly can take a look at the next options that supply comparable functionalities relying on the way you want to use them.  

Use the Reminders app to inform your self when to ship a message

If you assume you’re higher off making a message that you simply want to ship later your self, then one strategy to get the job executed is by setting reminders in your iPhone. You can create a reminder by tapping on + New Reminder inside the Reminders app on iOS.

When the New Reminder display opens, choose Details and activate the Date and Time toggles to configure them to your particular time. 

When the time comes, the app will ship you an alert to remind you that it’s time to ship somebody a message. You can obtain the identical consequence rather more simply by activating Siri in your iPhone. Press and maintain the Side button till Siri seems on the display and say one thing like “Remind me to text John at 8 AM tomorrow about staff meeting”. 

Create occasions contained in the Calendar to schedule messages

Just like reminders, you should use the Calendar app on iOS to schedule occasions to inform your self when to ship a message. To create such an occasion, open the Calendar app in your iPhone and faucet on the + icon on the high proper nook. 

When the New Event display seems, add an alert to remind your self a couple of message because the title. You can then configure the occasion interval for a selected time interval when the message must be despatched. You can even select to alert your self some minutes or hours earlier than the set time so that you simply don’t neglect about it. 

On the identical display, you possibly can sort the precise message you need to ship contained in the “Notes” part with the intention to copy-paste it into the Messages app when the time arrives. 

When the time arrives, the Calendar app will notify you to ship the scheduled message. 

Use an app that provides scheduled messages

There are lots of third-party apps on the App Store that present the power to ship scheduled messages. They can be utilized to ship a one-time message to somebody at your chosen time or may be configured to ship messages at particular intervals. If you don’t discover the above strategies and options helpful, you possibly can take a look at the next apps that supply help for scheduled messages:

All of those apps have other ways to observe to schedule messages in your iPhone however the performance might be restricted with in-app purchases or subscriptions.  

Schedule messages on Apple Mail as a substitute

Unlike the Messages app, Apple’s Mail app affords the power to compose emails and put together them to be despatched at a later time. The performance is accessible as a Scheduled Send possibility that was launched with iOS 16.

You can use the characteristic to ship a scheduled e-mail – at 09:00 PM on the identical day or on the similar time the subsequent day. Additionally, you possibly can schedule the message to be despatched at your required date and time, if the prevailing choices aren’t preferable.

If you want to be taught more in regards to the characteristic and see how you should use it, take a look at the put up linked under. 

► How to Schedule an Email on Apple Mail on iOS 16

That’s all it is advisable to find out about scheduling messages on iOS 16.