How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages on iPhone (2026 Guide)

The regular WhatsApp app on iPhone has no option to schedule a message yet. As of October 2026, WhatsApp's own scheduler has reached only some iPhone beta testers on TestFlight, so most people need one of two workarounds. Apple Shortcuts is free and already on your iPhone: it can send a WhatsApp message at a set time, but only if your phone is on and online at that moment, and often only after you confirm. A scheduling app such as Chatmaid Schedule sends from your own WhatsApp number through the cloud, so the message goes out even if your iPhone is off, and it can repeat daily, weekly or monthly.

If you just want to pick one, the comparison table under "Which method should you use?" sums it up.

Does WhatsApp have scheduled messages on iPhone?

Only for some beta testers. As of October 2026, WhatsApp is testing its own scheduled messages in limited betas: on Android since 12 October (WABetaInfo) and, since 22 October, for some iPhone testers on TestFlight, in WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.42.10.19 (WABetaInfo). It is not in the regular App Store version, and there is no release date. In the beta you can schedule a text, a link, or one photo or video per message, from 10 minutes to two weeks ahead, in a chat or a group, and you cannot make it repeat. If the feature has reached you, type the message, press and hold Send, and pick the date and time.

On the regular App Store version, which is what almost everyone has, the methods below are what work today. A scheduling app also covers what the beta leaves out: repeating messages, dates more than two weeks away, several attachments in one message, and one message to several people at once. For the status on every platform, see is WhatsApp's scheduler available yet?

How to schedule a WhatsApp message on iPhone with Chatmaid Schedule

Chatmaid Schedule is an iPhone and Android app that sends WhatsApp messages from your own number. It connects to WhatsApp the same way WhatsApp Web does, as a linked device. It is not the WhatsApp Business API, and nothing is spoofed: the message comes from you.

Step 1: Link your WhatsApp (once)

1. Download Chatmaid Schedule from the App Store. Create an account with your name, email, a password, and the phone number your WhatsApp uses, including the country code. Then enter the 6-digit code Chatmaid emails you to verify your address.
2. On the Home tab, find the phone connection card and tap Connect with code. The app shows a short code. Tap the copy button next to it.
3. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings, then Linked Devices, then Link a Device.
4. Tap Link with phone number instead and enter the code.

The code changes every so often (a countdown shows when), so enter the one on screen. If linking fails, tap Generate new code and try again. When the link works, the Home tab shows your WhatsApp as connected. Use the WhatsApp number you signed up with: if the code is entered on a phone with a different WhatsApp account, the app tells you which number it saw.

Step 2: Schedule your message

Open the Schedule tab. The Schedule Message button on the Home tab takes you to the same place. The app walks you through four steps, with Next at the bottom of each.

1. Select Contacts. Pick people from the Contacts tab, a group from the Groups tab, or type a number with its country code in the Unsaved tab (more in how to message unsaved contacts). You can select several recipients for one message. The first time, iOS asks for access to your contacts; the app uses them only to pick recipients and does not upload your address book. Only the recipients you choose are saved with the message.
2. Message. Type your message. You can use bold, italic and strikethrough, start from a saved template, tap Attach to add a photo, video, document or audio file, or tap Voice to record a voice note.
3. Date & Time. Pick the date and time. Leave it on One-time for a single send, 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 none.
4. Confirm Schedule. Check the recipients, the message preview, the scheduled time and the connection status, then tap Confirm Schedule.

The message now waits in Chatmaid's cloud and is sent from your number at the time you picked, even if your iPhone is switched off, out of battery or offline. More on how that works in how to send WhatsApp messages when your phone is off.

Step 3: Edit, cancel or check a message

Open the History tab. Upcoming one-time messages are under Scheduled, repeating ones under Recurring, and sent ones under Completed. Tap a message to see its details:

• Edit Message changes the text, recipients or time before it goes out.
• Cancel Message stops it.
• Schedule Again, on a completed message, reuses it for a new send.

If a send runs into a problem, the card in History says so. A message that will be tried again shows Retrying with the next retry time. One that could not be sent shows Failed with the reason, and some failures offer a Retry Now button. Inside a message, each recipient is marked Sent, Failed or Pending.

How to schedule a WhatsApp message with Apple Shortcuts

Shortcuts can send a WhatsApp message at a set time by running WhatsApp's own send-message action from a Time of Day automation. It costs nothing, but your iPhone does the sending, so the phone has to be on and connected when the time comes.

Where automations live depends on your iOS version. Apple's guide to adding automations in Shortcuts has a version picker if your screens look different from the steps below. Depending on your versions of iOS and WhatsApp, the WhatsApp action is called Send Message or Send Message via WhatsApp.

On iOS 26 and earlier

1. Open the Shortcuts app and tap Automation. Tap + in the upper-right corner, or New Automation if you have none yet. On older versions of iOS, tap Create Personal Automation if you see it.
2. Choose Time of Day.
3. Set the time and how it repeats (Daily, Weekly or Monthly). Choose Run Immediately so it does not wait for you to confirm, then tap Next.
4. Choose a new blank automation and tap Add Action. Open the Apps list, pick WhatsApp, and choose its send-message action.
5. Choose the recipient and type the message, then tap Done.
6. On older iOS versions without Run Immediately, tap the automation on the Automation screen, turn off Ask Before Running, tap Don't Ask, then Done.

On iOS 27

1. In the Shortcuts app, create a new shortcut and add WhatsApp's send-message action with the recipient and the message.
2. Tap Edit, then Automation, and choose Time of Day. Set the time and how it repeats.
3. To let it run without asking you, tap Edit, then the Info button, then Privacy, and turn on Allow Running When Locked.

Whichever version you have, test it first. Set it a few minutes ahead with a message to yourself or a friend, lock your phone, and see what happens.

The catches

• Your iPhone has to be on and online. If it is off, out of battery or without a connection at that time, nothing is sent.
• It may still need you. In many setups, the phone has to be unlocked, or you have to confirm, before the message actually goes. Apple also notes that some actions need their own setting to run automatically.
• It is built to repeat. Apple lists Daily, Weekly and Monthly as the Time of Day trigger's options. For a single message, turn the automation off or delete it after it has sent (on iOS 27, remove the trigger), or it will send again.
• It is set up for text. The WhatsApp action takes a recipient and a typed message, so it suits plain text rather than voice notes or files.

For a single birthday text on a day your phone will be on, Shortcuts is fine. For anything that has to arrive on time, use a method that does not depend on your phone.

Can WhatsApp Business away messages schedule a message?

No. In the WhatsApp Business app, away messages and greeting messages are automatic replies. They are sent only when someone messages you first, so you cannot use them to send a message you wrote to a person you choose at a time you choose. They are useful for telling customers your hours, not for reminders or follow-ups. The difference is covered in WhatsApp scheduling vs WhatsApp Business.

Which method should you use?

In short: use Shortcuts for an occasional text when your phone will be on and you can confirm it. If WhatsApp's beta has reached you, it handles a one-off message up to two weeks ahead. Use Chatmaid Schedule when the message has to go out on time, goes to more than one person, repeats, or includes a voice note or file. The trial includes every feature and needs no credit card; current prices are on the pricing page.

If you also use an Android phone, the Android guide covers the options there, including the beta.

Tips so your scheduled messages arrive

• Check the connection before you schedule. The Confirm Schedule step shows whether your WhatsApp is connected; until it is, the button reads Connect phone first. If you remove Chatmaid from Linked Devices in WhatsApp, reconnect it from the Home tab before your next send.
• Look at History after an important send. Completed messages show what was sent, and a failed send shows the reason.
• Use recurring sends for routines. Weekly team check-ins or monthly rent reminders only need to be set once. See how to schedule recurring WhatsApp messages.
• Only message people who expect to hear from you. Restrictions on WhatsApp accounts are very unlikely with normal use. They happen when an account behaves like spam, such as sending unsolicited bulk messages to people who do not have you saved.

Frequently asked questions

Can I schedule a WhatsApp message on iPhone without an extra app?

Yes, with Apple Shortcuts, which is built into iOS. It works for simple text messages, but your iPhone has to be on and online at the scheduled time, and in many setups it has to be unlocked or you have to confirm. As of October 2026, WhatsApp's own scheduler only works for some iPhone beta testers on TestFlight; the regular App Store app does not have it.

When will WhatsApp's scheduled messages come to iPhone?

It has started, for testers only. Since 22 October 2026, the feature has been rolling out to some people on WhatsApp's TestFlight beta for iPhone (version 26.42.10.19), and WABetaInfo says more testers will get it over the coming weeks. There is no date for the regular App Store version. Until then, use Shortcuts or a scheduling app such as Chatmaid Schedule.

Does my iPhone need to be on for the message to send?

With Shortcuts, yes. With Chatmaid Schedule, no: messages are sent from Chatmaid's cloud at the scheduled time, even if your iPhone is off, out of battery or offline.

Can I use iPhone's Send Later to schedule a WhatsApp message?

No. Send Later in Apple's Messages app (iOS 18 and later) only schedules iMessages. For WhatsApp, use Shortcuts, WhatsApp's own scheduler if the TestFlight beta has reached you, or a scheduling app.

Will the recipient know the message was scheduled?

No. Chatmaid Schedule sends from your own WhatsApp number through a linked device, the same way WhatsApp Web sends, so it arrives like any other message from you. With Shortcuts, your iPhone sends it through WhatsApp directly.

Is it safe to schedule WhatsApp messages with a third-party app?

Chatmaid connects as a WhatsApp linked device, the same method WhatsApp Web uses, and sends from your own number. It is not the WhatsApp Business API, and nothing is spoofed: messages come from your own number. Account restrictions are very unlikely with normal use; they happen when an account behaves like spam, so only schedule messages to people who expect to hear from you.