How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages in 2026: Every Method

To schedule a WhatsApp message today, most people need a scheduling app, because WhatsApp's own scheduler is still in a limited beta. In Chatmaid Schedule on iPhone or Android, you pick a contact or group, write the message, choose a date and time, and confirm. It goes out from your own number even if your phone is off. If the beta has reached your account, press and hold Send and pick a time up to two weeks ahead. Free options: Apple Shortcuts on iPhone and SKEDit's free plan on Android. Both run on your phone, so it has to be on, and Shortcuts may need you to unlock it or confirm.

Where WhatsApp's own scheduler stands, as of October 2026. WhatsApp has started testing scheduled messages in a limited beta. Some Android beta testers have had it since October 12, 2026, according to WABetaInfo, and some iPhone testers on TestFlight since October 22 (WABetaInfo's iOS report). It is not in the stable app on Android or iPhone, not on WhatsApp Web (one unconfirmed report mentions it in a desktop beta), and WhatsApp has not given a release date. In the beta you can schedule up to two weeks ahead, attach one photo or video per message, and there are no recurring messages. What the methods below add: anyone outside the beta, sending from a computer, messages that repeat, a voice note or several attachments in one message, many recipients at once, and dates further out. For the full background, read Can you schedule messages on WhatsApp?

Which method should you use?

Two questions decide it: which device you are on, and whether that device has to be on when the message is due. Here is how the options compare as of October 2026.

The short version:

• You have an iPhone: WhatsApp's scheduler has only reached some iPhone TestFlight beta testers so far. For a text on a day your phone will be on, Shortcuts is free and does the job. If it must arrive with the phone off, or needs an attachment or several recipients, use Chatmaid Schedule.
• You are in WhatsApp's Android or iPhone beta, have the feature, and need a one-off text or photo within two weeks: the built-in scheduler is enough.
• The message should repeat every day, week or month: use Chatmaid Schedule. The beta sends each message once.
• Your phone might be off, dead or offline at send time: pick a tool that sends from a server, such as Chatmaid or the WhatsApp beta.
• You live in WhatsApp Web: Blueticks adds scheduling inside it; Chatmaid Web if you send to contact lists.
• You only want automatic replies while you are away: that is a WhatsApp Business feature, covered below. It does not send at a time you choose.

For a longer side-by-side of every app, including prices and plan limits, see our WhatsApp scheduling apps buyer's guide.

How to schedule WhatsApp messages on iPhone

WhatsApp's scheduled messages are not in the regular iPhone app yet. Since October 22, 2026, they have been rolling out gradually to some testers of WhatsApp beta for iOS on TestFlight (version 26.42.10.19), with the same limits as on Android, according to WABetaInfo. If you have it, type your message, press and hold Send, and pick the time. If you are not one of those testers, you have two options.

Option 1: Chatmaid Schedule (sends with the phone off)

Install Chatmaid Schedule from the App Store, link your WhatsApp once, then use the Schedule tab: choose recipients, write the message, pick the date and time, and confirm. The complete walkthrough is in the Chatmaid section further down. The message is sent from Chatmaid's cloud, so your iPhone can be switched off, out of battery or offline when it goes out. For iPhone-specific screens and tips, read how to schedule WhatsApp messages on iPhone.

Option 2: Apple Shortcuts (free, the phone does the work)

Shortcuts can send a WhatsApp message at a set time by running WhatsApp's own send-message action from a Time of Day automation. Apple's guide to event triggers lists Daily, Weekly and Monthly as the repeat options for that trigger. On iOS 26 and earlier:

1. In Shortcuts, tap Automation, then + and Create Personal Automation, and choose Time of Day.
2. Set the time and the repeat (Daily, Weekly or Monthly), tap Next, then Add Action.
3. Under Apps, pick WhatsApp and its Send Message action (Send Message via WhatsApp in some versions), then choose the recipient and type the message.
4. Tap the automation, turn off Ask Before Running, and tap Don't Ask.
5. For a one-off message, turn off Enable This Automation after it sends, or it will repeat. Apple's page on turning an automation on or off covers both settings.

On iOS 27 the steps moved; the iPhone guide linked above has both versions.

What to expect: the phone must be on and online, and in many setups it has to be unlocked or you confirm before it sends. It handles text to one chat per automation. If the phone is off or offline at that moment, nothing happens.

How to schedule WhatsApp messages on Android

Android has the most choices, including WhatsApp's own scheduler if the beta rollout has reached your account.

Option 1: WhatsApp's beta scheduler (if you have it)

You may see this if you use WhatsApp beta for Android and the feature has been switched on for you. Based on WABetaInfo's report, it works like this:

1. Open an individual chat or a group and type your message.
2. Press and hold the Send button.
3. Pick the date and time. The earliest is 10 minutes from now and the latest is two weeks ahead.

To schedule a photo or video, pick one item from your gallery in the chat, add a caption if you like, then press and hold Send. WhatsApp sends the message at that time even if your phone is offline, and the recipient cannot tell it was scheduled. In groups, only people who were members when you scheduled the message will receive it; anyone who joins later will not.

Scheduled messages are listed in the chat info screen (tap the chat or group name at the top). From there you can delete one before it goes out. The reports describe no edit option, so to change a message, delete it and schedule it again.

Option 2: Chatmaid Schedule

Install Chatmaid Schedule from Google Play and follow the same steps as on iPhone (full walkthrough below). Use it for anything the beta can't do (see the table above), or if the beta hasn't reached you. More Android detail is in how to schedule WhatsApp messages on Android.

Option 3: SKEDit and other phone-based apps

SKEDit sends from the apps on your own phone through Android's accessibility service. Its site says the phone has to be on and online at send time, and that it runs on Android 8.0 or later. As of October 2026, the free plan allows up to 5 scheduled messages waiting at a time, each with one recipient and one attachment. Repeating schedules are on the Pro plan, which costs $4.99/month.

Wasavi and Auto Text work in a similar way. They generally need the phone on and need Android's Accessibility permission, which lets an app operate the screen for you. These apps are fine for occasional personal messages. For anything you cannot afford to miss, a cloud scheduler is safer: if the battery dies or the phone is in airplane mode at send time, a phone-based app has nothing to send from.

How to schedule WhatsApp messages on WhatsApp Web and desktop

WhatsApp's beta scheduler is not on WhatsApp Web, and apart from one unconfirmed report of a desktop beta, it is not in the desktop apps either. If you work from a computer, you have three practical options:

1. Blueticks. A Chrome extension that adds scheduling inside WhatsApp Web. According to its pricing page, the lower plans need your computer on and WhatsApp Web open at send time, and only the top Pro plan adds cloud sending.
2. Chatmaid Web. A browser dashboard for small businesses that send to contact lists. You upload a list (CSV, Excel, or added by hand), write one message that fills in each recipient's details, and send it now or schedule it; campaigns send a big list in batches on the days and times you pick. It supports images, videos, PDFs and other documents, and Chatmaid paces bulk sends so they go out spaced over time. See Chatmaid Web.
3. Schedule on your phone, chat on your computer. Set up messages in Chatmaid Schedule on your phone and keep using WhatsApp Web for live conversations. Scheduled messages are sent from your own number, so they appear in your chats like anything else you sent.

The desktop workflow is covered step by step in how to schedule WhatsApp messages on WhatsApp Web and desktop.

What about WhatsApp Business away and greeting messages?

They are replies, not scheduled messages. WhatsApp's business app features page describes away messages as a way to respond automatically to messages received outside business hours, and greeting messages as a welcome sent automatically to new customers. Both only go out after someone writes to you, so neither lets you pick a person and a send time for a reminder or a follow-up. If you use a WhatsApp Business number, Chatmaid works with it just as it does with a personal one.

The same page describes business broadcasts, which send one message to many customers and can be scheduled. They are paid per delivered message, reviewed by Meta, available only in select countries, and need your phone online when they go out, so they are not built for "remind this client at 9:00 tomorrow." The full answer, with WhatsApp's help pages linked, is in Can you schedule messages on WhatsApp Business?

How to schedule a WhatsApp message with Chatmaid, step by step

This is the complete flow in Chatmaid Schedule. It is the same on iPhone and Android.

Step 1: Install the app and link your WhatsApp

1. Download Chatmaid Schedule from the App Store or Google Play and create an account with your name, email and the phone number your WhatsApp uses, including the country code. Then enter the 6-digit code Chatmaid emails you to verify your account. You can also create the account in a browser.
2. On the Home screen, the connection card shows whether your WhatsApp is connected. Tap Connect with code.
3. In WhatsApp, go to Settings, then Linked Devices, tap Link a Device, choose Link with phone number instead, and type the code Chatmaid shows.

The code refreshes automatically, so enter the one currently on screen, or tap Generate new code if it expired. Once linked, messages go out from your own number. If you have a computer, the connection card also shows a link you can open in a browser to scan a QR code with WhatsApp instead.

Step 2: Choose recipients: contacts, groups or unsaved numbers

Tap Schedule Message on the Home screen or open the Schedule tab. The first step, Select Contacts, has three tabs:

• Contacts: people saved on your phone. Allow contact access when asked. The app uses your contacts only to pick recipients and does not store them on its servers.
• Groups: your WhatsApp groups. Type part of the name to find one.
• Unsaved: tap Add Number, enter the number with its country code, add a name if you like, and tap Add to Message. You do not have to save the person to your phone first. More in how to message unsaved numbers.

You can select several recipients for one message. Each person receives it in their own chat with you, not in a group.

Step 3: Write the message, add attachments or record a voice note

Type your message. The composer has bold, italic and strikethrough buttons, which show up as normal WhatsApp formatting. You can start from a saved message template. Tap Attach to add photos, videos or documents (you can add more than one), or tap Voice to record a voice note in the app. If you need wording ideas, our WhatsApp reminder message templates are a good starting point.

Step 4: Pick the date and time, or make it recurring

Choose One-time and pick a date and time. For business messages, our guide to the best time to send WhatsApp messages can help you choose. Or choose Recurring and set the frequency:

• Daily: sends every day at the time you pick.
• Weekly: choose the day of the week.
• Monthly: choose the day of the month.

A recurring message can have an End Date, or you can leave it on No end date. For ideas on what to repeat, see how to schedule recurring WhatsApp messages.

Step 5: Confirm the schedule

The last screen shows your connection status, the selected contacts, a preview of the message and the scheduled time. Check them, then tap Confirm Schedule. From here, Chatmaid's cloud sends the message at that time, even if your phone is off, out of battery or offline. That is the main difference from Shortcuts and SKEDit, and it is explained in more depth in how to send WhatsApp messages when your phone is off.

Step 6: Edit, cancel or reuse it in Message History

Open the History tab. Messages are sorted into Scheduled, Recurring and Completed, and you can search by number, name or message text.

• To change a message that has not gone out, tap it and choose Edit Message. You can change the contacts, the message or the schedule, then tap Save Changes.
• To stop it, tap Cancel Message.
• To check a sent message, open it from Completed. You will see how many were sent and how many failed, and View Details lists recipients by status.
• To send it again, tap Schedule Again on a completed message to reuse it with a new time.

Is it safe to schedule WhatsApp messages?

Yes. With normal use, a ban is very unlikely. Restrictions happen when an account behaves like spam, which mostly means unsolicited bulk messages to people who do not have you saved. A birthday text, a weekly reminder to your team or a follow-up a client asked for is ordinary use.

A few habits keep it that way:

• Only message people who expect to hear from you.
• Be most careful with long lists of unsaved numbers.

Chatmaid links to your account as a device, the way WhatsApp Web does, and sends from your own number. It is not the WhatsApp Business API, and nothing is spoofed.

Why didn't my scheduled WhatsApp message send?

Start with the method you used, because each one fails in its own way.

Chatmaid says your WhatsApp is not connected

Chatmaid sends through a linked device. If that device was logged out, for example from Linked Devices in WhatsApp, messages cannot go out until you reconnect. On the Home screen, tap Connect with code and link again, then open Completed in History to see whether anything was missed while you were disconnected. Use Schedule Again for any message that missed its time.

The message shows Retrying or Failed

A scheduled message that ran into a problem shows Retrying, with the reason and the time of the next attempt. A completed message that did not reach someone shows Failed with the reason. If it can be retried, a Retry Now button appears on it. Check the connection card first, since a disconnected WhatsApp is the most common cause.

Linking fails with a warning

If the app says the code was entered on a phone with a different WhatsApp account, link from the phone whose WhatsApp uses the number you signed up with. If it says WhatsApp is blocking the link, a passkey on your WhatsApp account may be the reason. The app suggests removing the passkey in WhatsApp under Settings, Account, Passkeys and trying again, and contacting support if it keeps failing.

A contact or group is missing from the list

For contacts, make sure Chatmaid has permission to read them. The app shows a Grant Permission button when it does not. If the person is not saved, use the Unsaved tab and include the country code. For groups, search part of the group name in the Groups tab.

A schedule created without internet never went out

Chatmaid lets you create schedules offline. They are saved on your phone and sync automatically when you are back online, and they only reach the cloud once they sync. If the send time passed before your phone reconnected, the schedule shows Time passed: delete it and create it again with a future time. More in scheduling WhatsApp messages offline.

The WhatsApp beta option is not there

The built-in scheduler is rolling out gradually to some Android beta testers and, since October 22, to some iPhone testers on TestFlight. If you are not in the beta, or the rollout has not reached your account, pressing and holding Send will not offer it. It is not available on WhatsApp Web, and only one unconfirmed report mentions it in a desktop beta. For a quick way to check, see the section "Who has it, and how can you check?" in Can you schedule messages on WhatsApp?

A Shortcuts or SKEDit message did not send

Both depend on the phone at send time. Check that it was on, charged and connected, that it was unlocked if your setup needs you to confirm, that Ask Before Running is off for a Shortcuts automation, and on Android that the app still has the Accessibility permission. If misses keep happening, move those messages to a cloud scheduler.

Frequently asked questions

Can I edit or cancel a scheduled WhatsApp message?

In WhatsApp's beta you can delete a scheduled message from the chat info screen before it goes out. The reports describe no edit option, so delete it and schedule it again. In Chatmaid Schedule, open History, tap the message and choose Edit Message or Cancel Message. Shortcuts automations are edited or switched off in the Shortcuts app.

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

Not in the regular WhatsApp app yet. Only some testers of WhatsApp's TestFlight beta have the built-in scheduler so far. For everyone else, Apple Shortcuts is the only built-in route: it runs WhatsApp's Send Message action at a set time, but the phone must be on and may need you to unlock it or confirm. A scheduling app such as Chatmaid Schedule sends the message for you, even with the phone off.

Will a scheduled WhatsApp message send without internet or Wi-Fi?

It depends on the tool. Chatmaid sends from its cloud, so your phone can be offline at send time. Your phone only needs a connection so the schedule can reach the cloud: if you create one offline, the app syncs it when you reconnect and open it, and it must sync before the send time. WhatsApp's beta also sends while your phone is offline, according to WABetaInfo. Shortcuts and SKEDit run on the phone, so it must be on and online when the message is due.

Will the recipient know the message was scheduled?

No. In WhatsApp's beta, recipients cannot tell. With Chatmaid, the message is sent from your own WhatsApp number, so it arrives like any other message from you.

How far ahead can I schedule a WhatsApp message?

WhatsApp's beta allows from 10 minutes up to two weeks ahead. Chatmaid has no two-week limit, and recurring messages can repeat daily, weekly or monthly until an end date you choose, or with no end date.

Is there a free way to schedule WhatsApp messages?

WhatsApp's beta scheduler and Apple Shortcuts are free, with the limits above, and SKEDit and Blueticks have free plans. Chatmaid Schedule has a 7-day free trial with every feature and no credit card, then Premium is $2.79/month as of October 2026. See pricing for every plan.