How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages on Android (Beta + Apps)

As of October 2026 you can schedule a WhatsApp message on Android in three ways: WhatsApp's own scheduler, if your WhatsApp is in the limited beta that has it; an on-phone app such as SKEDit; or a cloud scheduler such as Chatmaid Schedule, which sends from your own number at the set time even if your phone is off. Steps for each are below.

Is WhatsApp's own scheduler on Android yet? Only in beta. It is rolling out to some Android beta testers (since 12 October, version 2.26.40.7, reported by WABetaInfo) and, since 22 October, to some iPhone testers on TestFlight (WABetaInfo). It is not in the regular app on either platform, and there is no release date. In the beta you can schedule up to two weeks ahead, attach one photo or video per message, and messages cannot repeat. Chatmaid covers what the beta leaves out: daily, weekly and monthly repeats, dates further ahead, several attachments, documents or a voice note in one message, and sending to several people at once. More on the native feature in is WhatsApp's scheduler available yet?

How can you tell if you have WhatsApp's scheduled messages?

WhatsApp's own scheduler is reaching some people in WhatsApp's beta for Android. You can ask to join testing from WhatsApp's page on Google Play (the program is often full), but you can't switch the feature on yourself: it appears only when the gradual rollout reaches your account, so being in the beta does not guarantee you have it. Don't install WhatsApp files from other websites to get it early. To check:

1. Open your chat with yourself, so a test only reaches you.
2. Type a short message.
3. Tap and hold the send button instead of tapping it.

If options open asking when to send the message, you have the feature. If nothing opens, or the message just sends, repeat the test in a chat where a stray message wouldn't matter before concluding you don't have it. If it still doesn't appear, you have to wait for WhatsApp to roll it out further.

Using the beta scheduler if you have it

According to WABetaInfo's report, it works like this:

• Text and links: type the message, tap and hold send, and pick a time from 10 minutes to two weeks from now.
• A photo or video: pick one item from the gallery, then tap and hold send. You can schedule one item per message.
• Groups: it works in groups as well as individual chats, but only people who were members when you scheduled the message will receive it.
• Offline: the message is sent even if your phone is offline at that time.
• Managing: scheduled messages are listed in the chat's info screen, where you can delete them before they go out. The recipient cannot tell a message was scheduled.

For a one-off message to one person next week, that may be all you need.

How do you schedule a WhatsApp message on Android with Chatmaid?

Chatmaid Schedule is an app on Google Play (there is an iPhone version too). It connects to your WhatsApp as a linked device, the same way WhatsApp Web does, and sends from Chatmaid's cloud at the time you pick. It is not the WhatsApp Business API, and the message comes from your own number. Setup takes a few minutes the first time. After that, each message is four short steps.

First time: install and connect

1. Install the app. Get Chatmaid Schedule from Google Play and sign up with your name, email and the phone number your WhatsApp uses, including the country code. Enter the 6-digit code Chatmaid emails you. The 7-day free trial includes every feature and does not ask for a credit card.
2. Get a connection code. On the Home tab, tap Connect with code. Chatmaid shows a code with a copy button and a countdown. It refreshes automatically until you use it.
3. Link it in WhatsApp. Open WhatsApp, tap the three-dot menu, then Linked devices and Link a device. Choose Link with phone number instead and type or paste the code from Chatmaid. Both apps are on the same phone, so you do not need a computer or a QR code.
4. Check the status. Back in Chatmaid, the Home tab now says your WhatsApp is connected.

Two things help the first time. Enter the code soon after it appears: if WhatsApp does not accept it, go back to Chatmaid, tap Generate new code and try again with the fresh one. And if four devices are already listed under Linked devices in WhatsApp, unlink one first; Chatmaid uses one of the four slots.

Every message: four steps

1. Pick the recipients. Open the Schedule tab and choose from the Contacts, Groups or Unsaved tabs. Tap several people to send the same message to all of them; each person gets it in their own chat with you, not in a group. For a number you have not saved, use Unsaved and type it with its country code (more on unsaved numbers). Android asks once for permission to read your contacts.
2. Write the message. Type your text, with bold, italic or strikethrough if you want it. Tap Attach to add photos, videos or documents, or Voice to record a voice note.
3. Pick the date and time. Leave it on One-time, or switch to Recurring and choose daily, weekly (pick the day of the week) or monthly (pick the day of the month). A recurring message can have an end date or keep going.
4. Confirm. The summary shows the recipients, a preview of the message, the send time and whether your WhatsApp is linked to Chatmaid (shown as Phone connected). Tap Confirm Schedule.

The message now waits in the History tab, under Scheduled (or Recurring, if it repeats). Tap it to view or edit it before it sends: you can change the recipients, the text, the attachments and the time, or tap Cancel Message to stop it. Once it has gone out, it moves to Completed.

If a send runs into a problem, Chatmaid tries again on its own, and the card shows Retrying with the time of the next attempt. If it still cannot go out, it appears in Completed marked Failed, with the reason, so you know to follow up. Some failures also offer a Retry Now button.

At the scheduled time, Chatmaid sends the message from your number. Your phone can be off, out of battery or offline when that happens (how sending with your phone off works). The recipient gets a normal message from you, in your usual chat.

What about Android apps like SKEDit?

Apps such as SKEDit, Wasavi and Auto Text schedule WhatsApp messages by working on your phone itself. They generally need two things from you:

• Your phone on and connected at send time. The app runs on the phone, so if it is off, out of battery or offline, the message does not go out at the planned time.
• Android's Accessibility permission. This permission lets an app read what is on your screen and tap for you, which is how these apps open WhatsApp and press send. Decide whether you are comfortable granting that to a scheduling app.

SKEDit is the best known. According to skedit.io, its free plan allows 5 scheduled messages waiting at a time, with one recipient and one attachment per message. Repeating messages need the Pro plan, which costs $4.99 a month, and it needs Android 8.0 or later.

These apps can be fine for occasional personal reminders. If the message matters, or you send the same thing every week, a cloud scheduler does not depend on your phone being on. Chatmaid needs no Accessibility permission, because it sends as a linked device instead of controlling your screen. For a wider look at the options, see our comparison of WhatsApp scheduling apps.

Which method should you use on Android?

Wasavi and Auto Text work in a similar way to SKEDit; check their own pages for current limits and prices.

A simple way to decide:

• You see the beta feature and need one message within two weeks: use it.
• You need a message to repeat, such as a weekly team update or a monthly rent reminder: use Chatmaid. Our guide to recurring WhatsApp messages covers the setup in detail.
• You need a voice note, a document, several recipients, or a date more than two weeks away: use Chatmaid.
• Someone in your family or team uses an iPhone: the same app works there, as shown in our iPhone guide.

How do you make sure scheduled messages go out?

A few habits keep scheduled sends reliable:

• Keep Chatmaid linked. If you remove it from Linked devices in WhatsApp, it cannot send until you connect again with a new code.
• Open WhatsApp on your phone at least every two weeks. WhatsApp logs out linked devices when your phone is unused for over 14 days (About linked devices), and Chatmaid connects as a linked device. Your phone can be off at the moment a message sends, but not for more than two weeks in a row.
• Look at Completed after important sends. A message marked Failed did not go out, and the card says why. If it was time-sensitive, tap Schedule Again to resend it with a new time, or send it yourself.
• Edit instead of starting over. If plans change, open the message under Scheduled and change the text, time or recipients before it sends.
• Only message people who expect to hear from you. A ban is very unlikely with normal use. WhatsApp restricts accounts that behave like spam, such as sending unsolicited bulk messages to people who do not have your number saved.

Frequently asked questions

Does WhatsApp have scheduled messages on Android now?

Only in a limited beta, as of October 2026. Some testers in the WhatsApp beta for Android can tap and hold send to schedule up to two weeks ahead, and since 22 October some iPhone testers on TestFlight have it too. It is not in the regular app, and WhatsApp has not given a release date.

Will a scheduled message send if my phone is off or has no internet?

With Chatmaid, yes. The message is sent from Chatmaid's cloud at the set time, even if your phone is off, out of battery or offline. Your phone only needs internet when you create the schedule; one made offline is saved on the phone, syncs when you reconnect, and must sync before its send time. WhatsApp's beta scheduler also sends when your phone is offline. On-phone apps like SKEDit generally need the phone on and connected.

Will the recipient know the message was scheduled?

No. Chatmaid sends from your own WhatsApp number as a linked device, so the message arrives in your usual chat like any other message from you. WhatsApp's beta scheduler does not show recipients that a message was scheduled either.

Can I schedule a WhatsApp message to a group on Android?

Yes. In Chatmaid, pick the group from the Groups tab. WhatsApp's beta scheduler also works in groups, but only people who were members when you scheduled the message receive it.

Does this work on Samsung phones?

Yes. Samsung Galaxy phones run Android, so Chatmaid and WhatsApp's beta work the same way there. Samsung's Modes and Routines can open WhatsApp at a set time, but we could not confirm it sends a message without you tapping send, so we don't recommend it for scheduling.

Is there a free way to schedule WhatsApp messages on Android?

WhatsApp's beta scheduler is free if you have it, within its two-week, one-photo limits. SKEDit has a free plan with tight limits, and it needs your phone on. Chatmaid Schedule has a 7-day free trial with every feature and no credit card, then $2.79 a month (pricing).