Have a pile of texts to respond to but you don't want to ping people in the middle of the night or fire off a work-related message on the weekend? The iPhone doesn't have a native scheduling function in the Messages app, but Apple offers a workaround courtesy of its Shortcuts app.
While not as straightforward as one might hope, leveraging Shortcuts is a viable option for those seeking to schedule messages in advance. Whether it's a birthday wish, a professional message, or a friendly reminder, knowing how to schedule a message can save you time and ensure your messages reach their recipients at the perfect moment. Let's walk through the process of creating the Shortcut and how to use it to elevate your communication game on iOS.
Create a Shortcut to Schedule a Text Message
Before you can schedule a text message, you’ll first have to set up a shortcut in Apple’s Shortcuts app. If it's not already on your phone, install it from the App Store.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Open the Shortcuts app and tap the Automation tab at the bottom of the screen and choose Time of Day. Select the time that you want your message to be sent. Tap Monthly in the Repeat section and select the day that you want your message to be sent. Tap Next in the top-right corner and hit Send Message.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)In the Message field, type your message. In the Recipients field, select the contact who should receive the message. Tap Done in the top-right corner. Once your automation is set up, the message goes out at the selected time and requires no action on your part.
How to Send New Scheduled Text Messages
To use this automation for other scheduled texts, clear out the text in the "Message" and "Recipient" fields. The Shortcut will then be available for future texts; just type the message, add a recipient, and adjust the date and time.
Alternatively, you can create all kinds of automations for different types of texts that will regularly send on their own instead of just re-using one automation.
Take note that if, for some reason, you were to alter the clock settings on your iPhone to change the date or time from the automatic setting, this could impact when your messages go out to the recipient, causing them to go out early, late, or not at all.
Other Processes You Can Automate
If you want to get more out of this automation, it can be used for other purposes. The Shortcuts app, for example, also allows you to schedule messages in third-party apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp.
You can change this automation to "Send Email" too, but the iPhone Mail app also allows you to do this without creating an automation. Or change it to "Send Payment" using Apple Cash, if you wanted to send someone a regular payment, like rent or daycare.
There's no indication Apple will make this a formal part of its Messages app anytime soon. Until then, this workaround is the easiest way to schedule a text with the company's own software. There are also third-party messaging apps with this capability built in, including Reminderbase, Moxy Messenger, and Fext.