WhatsApp Scheduled Messages: Available Yet? (October 2026)

Not in the regular WhatsApp app yet. As of October 22, 2026, WhatsApp's own scheduled messages feature is reaching only some beta testers: on Android since October 12 (WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.40.7, per WABetaInfo) and on iPhone since October 22 (WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.42.10.19 on TestFlight, per WABetaInfo). There is no public release date. Where it is switched on, you can schedule a text, a link, or one photo or video from 10 minutes to two weeks ahead, in a private chat or a group. Everyone else still needs a scheduling app.

Status checked on October 22, 2026. We update this page as WhatsApp's feature rolls out to more people.

Is WhatsApp's scheduled messages feature available now?

Only to some beta testers. Here is where it stands as of October 2026:

• Android beta: rolling out to some testers since October 12, 2026, starting with WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.40.7. WABetaInfo says it will reach more people over the coming weeks.
• iPhone beta: rolling out to some TestFlight testers since October 22, 2026, in WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.42.10.19 (WABetaInfo). It works like the Android version, and more testers should get it over the coming weeks.
• Regular WhatsApp app: not available on either platform. The stable versions on Google Play and the App Store don't have it.
• Desktop and WhatsApp Web: nothing official. One outlet reports it in the desktop app for beta users, covered below.
• Release date: none. TechRepublic reported on October 14 that no public launch date has been announced, and WABetaInfo's iPhone report on October 22 says the same.

The feature was in the works for most of the year before testers could use it. Earlier in 2026, WABetaInfo spotted it in beta code marked as under development and not yet available to testers. So if you read months ago that WhatsApp scheduling was "coming," that was early code. The first working version reached Android testers on October 12 and iPhone testers on October 22.

How do WhatsApp's scheduled messages work?

Based on WABetaInfo's reports for Android and iPhone, scheduling is built into the send button rather than a separate menu. For a text message or a link:

1. Open the chat or group you want to message.
2. Type your message or paste the link.
3. Tap and hold the send button instead of tapping it.
4. In the panel that opens, choose when the message should go out. The earliest option is 10 minutes from now and the latest is two weeks ahead.
5. Confirm the time. Until it's sent, the message is listed in the chat info screen (see below).

For a photo or video, open the gallery picker in the chat, select one item, and tap and hold send. You can also add a caption or draw on the photo in the editor first, then pick the time.

Once a message is scheduled, WhatsApp lists it in a new section of the chat info screen, the screen you reach by tapping the chat or group name at the top. From there you can see your scheduled messages and delete any of them before they are delivered. The reports don't mention a way to edit a scheduled message, so if your plans change, delete it and schedule a new one.

A few details matter once you start using it:

• Your phone can be offline. WABetaInfo reports that the message is delivered even if your device is offline or the app is closed at send time.
• Group membership is fixed at scheduling time. Only people who were in the group when you scheduled the message receive it. Anyone who joins afterward does not.
• Recipients can't tell. The message arrives like any other one, and if you delete a scheduled message before it goes out, nobody is notified.
• Recipients don't need the beta. People receive your scheduled messages even if the feature hasn't reached their own phone.
• Encryption still applies. The feature works with WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption.

What are the limits of WhatsApp's scheduled messages?

The beta is built for simple, one-off messages. These are the limits as reported in October 2026:

The reports list texts, links, photos and videos as supported. They don't mention documents or voice notes, so don't count on those yet.

None of this is a problem for a one-time reminder you want to send on Friday morning. It becomes a problem when you want a message to repeat, to go out next month, to reach a list of people, or to be sent from a phone that doesn't have the beta.

Is it on iPhone, WhatsApp Web or desktop?

iPhone. Only for some beta testers. WABetaInfo first spotted scheduled messages in WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.7.10.72 on TestFlight in February 2026, marked as under development. On October 22, 2026, it began rolling out to some TestFlight testers in WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.42.10.19, with the same 10-minute to two-week window and one photo or video per message. The App Store version doesn't have it, and there is no release date. If you're on iPhone, our iPhone scheduling guide covers what works today.

Desktop app. WABetaInfo's reports cover the Android and iPhone apps. The Star reported on October 15 that in its own tests on Android beta 2.26.41.9, the option also appeared in the WhatsApp desktop app: a clock icon next to the send button, shown once you type a message, which opens the same scheduling menu. WhatsApp hasn't confirmed this. If you don't see a clock icon next to send on your computer, you don't have it.

WhatsApp Web. None of the reports we read mention WhatsApp Web in the browser. For options that work from a computer today, see how to schedule WhatsApp messages on WhatsApp Web and desktop.

Who has it, and how can you check?

Right now the feature reaches some people in WhatsApp's beta for Android (Google Play, from version 2.26.40.7) and some iPhone beta testers on TestFlight (from version 26.42.10.19). Being on the beta isn't enough on its own. The rollout is gradual, so two testers on the same version can see different things. People on the regular app don't have it yet.

The quickest check takes a few seconds. Use a chat where it wouldn't matter if the message went out by mistake:

1. Open the chat on your phone.
2. Type a few words.
3. Tap and hold the send button.

If a panel for picking a date and time appears, you have it. If nothing new appears, you don't have it yet, and you can delete the draft. Testers who have it will also find their scheduled messages in the chat info screen.

Wait for the update to arrive through Google Play or TestFlight. How the betas work is covered in the FAQ at the end of this page.

What about the WhatsApp Business app?

Not as a send-later button for one chat. WABetaInfo's reports on the new scheduler cover WhatsApp beta for Android and iPhone and say nothing specific about the WhatsApp Business app.

What the Business app can schedule, in some countries, is business broadcasts (Tools > Business broadcasts): promotional messages to a list of customers that you can send now or schedule for a date and time, according to WhatsApp's Help Center. You pay for each message that's delivered, and Meta may review what you send. Your phone must be connected to the internet when a broadcast is due, and there is no repeat option, only a way to duplicate an earlier broadcast. Ordinary chat messages to one person can't be scheduled in the Business app.

Away and greeting messages are automatic replies: they go out when someone writes to you, for example outside your business hours. They never start a conversation at a time you choose, so an away message won't remind a client about Tuesday's appointment. Full breakdown: Can you schedule messages on WhatsApp Business?

How do the other ways to schedule a WhatsApp message compare?

We make Chatmaid Schedule, so weigh that. The other rows come from each vendor's own site or from the reports linked on this page, as of October 2026.

A few notes on the other options:

• Apple Shortcuts can run a personal automation at a set time of day, repeating daily, weekly or monthly. The automation opens WhatsApp with your text ready, for example through a wa.me link, and in many setups you still have to unlock the phone and confirm the send. It's free, but it isn't hands-off.
• SKEDit sends from your own Android phone through Android's accessibility service. Its own site says the phone has to be on and online at send time, lists repeat schedules on its paid plans, and says there is no iPhone app. Other Android apps such as Wasavi and Auto Text work in a similar way and generally need the phone on with Accessibility permission.
• Blueticks is a Chrome extension that schedules from WhatsApp Web. On its Basic and Standard plans, the computer and WhatsApp Web have to stay open. Its Pro plan ($45 per user per month, billed yearly) sends from Blueticks' cloud even with the computer off, according to its site.

For a longer look at third-party tools, see our comparison of WhatsApp scheduling apps.

What should you use today?

It depends on what the message has to do.

On iPhone

WhatsApp's scheduler is only reaching some TestFlight testers and stops at two weeks, so most iPhone users have two real options. Shortcuts is free and fine for a reminder you'll be awake to confirm. If the message has to go out on its own, at night or while you're busy, use Chatmaid Schedule. It's on the App Store and sends from Chatmaid's cloud at the time you set.

On Android without the beta

Joining WhatsApp's beta doesn't guarantee you get the feature, and the beta has the limits above even when you do. Chatmaid Schedule is on Google Play and sends from the cloud. Phone-based apps such as SKEDit also work, as long as your phone stays on and online. Our Android scheduling guide walks through the setup.

For recurring messages

Neither WhatsApp's beta nor WhatsApp Business repeats a message. Chatmaid Schedule lets you set a message to repeat daily, weekly or monthly: a Monday check-in with your team, a monthly rent reminder, a daily medication nudge to a parent. You set it up once. See how to schedule recurring WhatsApp messages for more examples.

Birthdays work differently. Schedule a one-time message for this year's date and set a new one next year. The birthday messages guide shows how to handle several contacts at once.

For more than two weeks ahead

WhatsApp's beta stops at two weeks. Chatmaid Schedule's date picker has no two-week ceiling, so you can set an anniversary message, a deadline reminder or a renewal notice months in advance.

When your phone will be off or offline

If you're one of the testers, WhatsApp's beta sends without your phone being online. Otherwise, Chatmaid Schedule sends from the cloud at the scheduled time, even if your phone is off, out of battery or offline. Shortcuts, SKEDit and similar apps run on your phone, so a dead battery or airplane mode means the message stays unsent. More in how to send WhatsApp messages when your phone is off.

For several people or a business

The beta schedules one chat at a time. Chatmaid Schedule lets you pick several contacts, groups or unsaved numbers for one scheduled message. If you run a small business from a computer, Chatmaid Web adds contact lists, personalized messages and campaigns that space out bulk sends. It has a 7-day free trial with 30 messages a day, then costs $12.99/month for up to 5,000 messages a day.

Whatever tool you use, only message people who expect to hear from you. WhatsApp restricts accounts that behave like spam, such as sending unsolicited bulk messages to people who don't have you saved.

How does Chatmaid Schedule work?

Chatmaid Schedule links to your WhatsApp as a linked device, like WhatsApp Web, and sends from your own number; it is not the WhatsApp Business API, and nothing is spoofed. You pick recipients (contacts, groups or unsaved numbers), write the message, choose a date and time or a daily, weekly or monthly repeat, and confirm. The full walkthrough is in how to schedule a WhatsApp message.

Every feature is included in the 7-day free trial, and you don't need a credit card. After that, Premium is $2.79/month. See pricing for all plans.

Frequently asked questions

Is WhatsApp's scheduled messages feature available to everyone?

No. As of October 2026 it is rolling out gradually to some testers on WhatsApp beta for Android (since October 12) and on WhatsApp's TestFlight beta for iPhone (since October 22). It isn't in the regular app, and WhatsApp hasn't announced a date for a wider release.

When will scheduled messages come to WhatsApp on iPhone?

It has started, for testers only. Since October 22, 2026, it has been rolling out to some people on WhatsApp's TestFlight beta for iPhone, version 26.42.10.19. There's no date for the App Store version. Until it reaches the regular app, most iPhone users need a scheduling app such as Chatmaid Schedule.

How do I get WhatsApp's scheduled messages?

You can't switch it on yourself. It's rolling out gradually to WhatsApp's beta testers. On Android, you request to join testing from WhatsApp's Google Play listing, as The Star explains. On iPhone, the beta runs through Apple's TestFlight. Even in the beta, the option only appears once the rollout reaches your account. Don't install WhatsApp files from other websites to get it early.

Do scheduled WhatsApp messages send without internet or Wi-Fi?

It depends on the tool. WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp's beta delivers the message even when your device is offline at send time. Chatmaid Schedule sends from its cloud, so your phone can be offline too. Shortcuts and phone-based apps such as SKEDit need the phone on and online when the message is due.

Can you edit a scheduled message on WhatsApp?

In WhatsApp's beta, the reports describe viewing and deleting scheduled messages from the chat info screen, not editing them. To change one, delete it and schedule it again. In Chatmaid Schedule, you can open a scheduled message in Message History and edit it before it sends.

Will the recipient know the message was scheduled?

No. Reports say recipients can't tell a message from WhatsApp's beta was scheduled. Chatmaid Schedule messages come from your own WhatsApp number and arrive like any other message you send.