In this article, I intend to explain how you can schedule messages for delivery at a later date and time on WhatsApp from your Android, iOS, or computer.
Hi, I’m Frankie, welcome to my blog. I’ve been testing and hacking (to find weak points and study a solution) the most popular messaging apps for several years.
In today’s guide I would like to share with you how to schedule a message on WhatsApp.
Do you know about a message that you need to send at a later point on WhatsApp but you are afraid when the time comes you will forget?
I understand that completely.
I forget just about everything! Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations…my goldfish memory lets me down a lot because I can’t remember things for seemingly more than five seconds.
Because of this I have needed a way to automate WhatsApp, i.e. sending timed messages to both friends and family so I can send them best wishes or congratulations in a timely fashion.
Not to mention how much a feature like this can help me in the workplace.
The unfortunate thing is, there is no native function to perform this task. However, due to my persistence and trying a ton and half different configurations, I have developed the way to schedule messages on WhatsApp.
Want to know how this happens?
Now I will start teasing you for a moment – envision some unpleasant child jumping around you in a circle singing “I won’t tell you! I won’t tell you!”
Alright, alright – I can already sense your nervousness.
Relax friend, I am going to relay now how you can schedule a message on WhatsApp.
You are lucky, because you happened across the right (and fortunately free) tutorial at the time you wanted it.
In the chapters coming, I can tell you how to do it with the WhatsApp Business app for Android and iOS, but also some third-party apps that can help you to accomplish this purpose as well.
Frankie’s Take:
So, let’s dig in for a few minutes of free time, smartphone in one hand and (hopefully) a beer in the other. Follow these directions step-by-step and you can succeed in finding a suitable solution to your scheduling woes. Now that I’ve said that, now all I have left to do is wish you good luck with the coming reading.
How to Schedule a Message on WhatsApp for Android
If you are planning on scheduling a message on WhatsApp for Android, pay close attention to the directions that I am going to lay out here.
(You might want to set that beer down now.)
As a matter of fact, in the following paragraphs, I can tell you how to do this using both WhatsApp Business app and a third-party application called SKEDit.
1. WhatsApp Business
So, let’s take a look at WhatsApp Business.
It is an official app for companies that use WhatsApp to stay in touch with their customers and employees.
It is not all that different than what you are used to.
It works very similarly to WhatsApp and really differs only in its ability to schedule welcome and absence messages, which you can sed out to anyone contacting the business during the set hours.
So, with that said, if you have an Android phone, download the app and install it.
- Go to the Google Play Store.
- Search ‘WhatsApp Business’ and press the Install button once you locate it.
- Once the download and installation complete, start it by pressing on the open button on the app main screen in the Google Play Store, or simply click on its icon on the home screen or app drawer of your device.
Once you have started up this application, you need to set it up similarly to how you set up your original WhatsApp account.
You need to fill out the requested profile sheet indicating your business name, company opening and closing hours and contact methods.
To schedule a message, click on the (…) icon in the upper right corner of the home screen of the app, click on Settings in the menu that pops up.
From here, click Task Settings > Welcome Message when that new screen appears.
Toggle the switch to ON under Send Welcome Message and press on the pencil icon to customize the text of this message that will get sent to your customers.
The message will be sent when they write to you for the first time, or after 14 days without activity.
Next, indicate the recipients of the message and confirm these changes by clicking the Save button located in the upper right.
Alternatively, tap the Away Message option to set a scheduled message to get sent automatically at a time you specify.
Move the toggle again to ON, under the Send Away Message heading. Use the pencil icon to designate the text of the message and then set a time and recipients of the message getting sent.
Confirm your selections and message by clicking the Save button in the upper right corner.
Frankie’s Take:
Of course, I know what you are thinking and the answer is NO. With this app, you cannot set a specific date and time and automatically send the message to a contact in your list. You can only set automatic messages when specific situations occur. However, you can do this with SKEDit, and in the next paragraph, I will show you how.
2. SKEDit
As I have mentioned before, you can schedule a message on WhatsApp for Android by downloading a free third-party program known as SKEDit from the Play Store.
However, there is a threshold that you should not overlook.
In order for the message to get send automatically through WhatsApp, it is necessary to keep the screen active and battery optimization must stay turned off.
There are two caveats about this approach:
- You could potentially damage you battery due to prolonged stress on the phone from having optimization disabled.
- You could leave your phone vulnerable to the installation of spy software with the screen always active, and these apps can intercept all conversations on WhatsApp, Messenger, and other applications.
That said, to use SKEDit, connect to the Play Store and download the app by clicking the Install button.
Once these automatic procedures have completed, you can launch the app from this same screen by selecting the Open button, or finding the icon on the home screen and tapping that instead.
You are then going to get asked to create an account to use SKEDit.
You can quickly create one by choosing to Sign in with Facebook, or choose a slightly longer path by selecting Create Account. You then need to enter your basic information, including email, password, and then the confirmation code you get via email.
Once you have finished registering, you can click on Sign In and login to your account, type in the email address and password, and select again to Sign In.
- Click the WhatsApp option on the SKEDit home screen.
- Pick up the Enable Accessibility option. Move the lever to Activate to correspond with the SKEDit option.
- Now, confirm this selection by choosing the OK button.
Once you have done this, in the message sending screen, you can fill in text fields dedicated specifically to scheduling the message.
It indicates a point to identify the recipient (To) and the text of the message (Message).
You can use the scheduling drop-down menu to set a specific date and time of the message, even having the option to indicate needed repetitions (Repeat).
You should make sure that the automatic lock screen is disabled by clicking on the Change Screen Lock button and select None under Current Screen Lock.
Disabling batter optimization is another requirement, and you can do this by choosing the Change Batter Optimization option.
You can then confirm the automatic programming and sending of the message by clicking on the checkmark icon in the top right.
Frankie’s Take:
If you have followed these step-by-step instructions that I have given you, WhatsApp will automatically launch on the time and day you specify and deliver a message to your selected recipient.
Schedule a Message on WhatsApp for iPhone
If you are interested in scheduling a message on WhatsApp for iPhone you can again look to WhatsApp Business for this option.
For third-party applications in the iOS world, I do not have great news.
As iOS is a closed operating system, message scheduling apps such as what I will tell you about in the upcoming paragraphs, only allow you to actually activate a reminder to send a message at a designated time.
Apart from this, you are mainly out of options unless you want to jailbreak your phone or just buy an Android.
1. WhatsApp Business
This is the official client application for businesses to utilize WhatsApp for speaking directly with their customers.
I can save you the trouble here.
The operation is all but identical to the already listed Android version above.
To schedule welcome and absence messages, you just need to get to the Settings menu (tab on bottom right), go to Activity Settings > Away Message, Welcome Message, or Quick Reply. Activate the appropriate toggle in the screen that opens and designate your message in the fields.
Easy enough, right?😁
2. Scheduled
If you are not happy with the WhatsApp Business solution, I would recommend the best remaining solution for scheduling a message on WhatsApp for iPhone is Scheduled.
This is a free application that allows you to write a draft of a message that you intend to send to a designated recipient. You can determine a time and specific day to get a reminder featuring this message to remind you what to do and what you wanted to say.
Of course, I know it is just a reminder – but it is better than no options at all.
Scheduled supports sending messages in other apps as well, including Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and Telegram.
You can also potentially choose the premium version of this app that allows you to send SMS messages automatically through the iMessage app.
With that being said, using it for the purpose of this tutorial, you can start in the App Store and press the Get button when you have located the application.
Unlock the automatic download and installation of the app using your Face ID, Touch ID, or password of your Apple ID.
When you have completed this step, launch the app by pressing the Open button or tapping its icon when it appears on the iPhone’s home screen.
Once you have the app open, tap on Continue > Activate Notifications > Allow to activate notifications and get a reminder from the application to send the specific message to your recipient in WhatsApp.
You are going to have to dodge some quick pop-ups here, but choosing Not Now two times can keep you using the app for free.
- Click Create Message and tap OK to allow the app to access your address book.
- Once you are done, you can select the pencil icon at the top right of the screen and select WhatsApp from your options.
- Fill in all of the text fields dedicated to sending your message, starting with information like the recipient (A:) and the text content itself (Your Message).
- Use the Schedule Date menu, allowing you to set a time and date and any repetitions you might need (Repeat).
- Press the Schedule Message button to activate this process.
Now that you have completed this task, you can receive a notification from Scheduled on the date and time that you have specified – reminding you to send your message.
To proceed, tap on the notification and press Send with the designated button. WhatsaApp will open at this point and the text of your pre-written message will get automatically pasted into the chat with the user that you want.
All you need to do is press the airplane icon to send the message.
Unfortunately, Scheduled may not work in some cases. That’s because apps like WhatsApp hardly allow external apps to connect to their servers and get them to do things for you (like sending a message at a certain time).
That’s why I’ve found that when a new update comes out on WhatsApp, the automatic message sending setting may not work for a few days. Usually the Scheduled team fixes the problem by updating the app in a short time.
Alternatively you can use a Scheduled feature called “Reminder” which is always working.
Basically you prepare the message and set a timer indicating the exact time to send it. Scheduled at the set time warns you that it’s time to send the message. You open the app and send it without wasting much time.
Scheduling a Message on WhatsApp for PC
At this moment that I am writing this tutorial and guide, there is no potential way to schedule a message on WhatsApp for PC.
There is only one possible solution, and that is to create complex and advanced scripts with programs like Autohotkey for Windows and Keyboard Maestro for macOS which can automate the execution of specific app operations.
If you want to try fiddling with these, good luck.
Concluson
Well, I’m sure I opened a whole new world to you! As you’ve noticed, there are several ways to schedule messages on WhatsApp.
Before we say goodbye, I’ll give you a quick recap of what’s been discussed in this guide.
In the first part I showed you how to schedule WhatsApp messages on Android. There are two ways: WhatsApp Business and SKEDit.
In the second part, I showed you how to schedule WhatsApp messages on your iPhone. The apps that help you do this are WhatsApp Business and Scheduled for iPhone.
Finally, I showed you how to schedule messages on WhatsApp Desktop using Autohotkey for Windows and Keyboard Maestro for iOS.
Remember, unfortunately, these apps are often blocked by WhatsApp. I’m constantly on the hunt for new apps, so if any of the apps mentioned in this guide doesn’t work overnight, drop by again: I’ll have found an alternative solution.
That’s really it for now.
If you have any questions, comments, or have WhatsApp tricks to share – leave a comment below and I can get back to you.
Cheers,
PS – Did you know that you can create Fake Chats – identical to the real ones in every aspect – and send them through WhatsApp? Check out how!
