Learn To Schedule a Text Message on an iPhone in 2 Minutes

Christopher Daniel

Last updated July 14, 2023

If you’ve landed here, you are probably wondering, “Can you schedule a text message on an iPhone?” The short answer is yes!

You can schedule a text message on an iPhone with the Shortcuts app that comes preloaded on most new Apple devices. If you have an older iPhone, you can simply download it from the App Store. This guide will show you step-by-step how to use it. Read on to learn more.

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Can You Schedule iMessage?

As of iOS 16, you can not send a scheduled text on iPhone using the built-in messaging app, even though you can mark a text as unread.

iPhones do not include a feature that lets you schedule an iMessage for a future date and time.

However, there are some other options for scheduling an iMessage. For an iPhone schedule text functionality, you can download the “Shortcuts” app on your iPhone from the Apple Store, which is free.

You can also schedule an iMessage using a third-party app designed for scheduling an iMessage that lets you send a message to anyone you want on a specific time and date.

You may even consider putting iMessage on your Windows device to help with scheduling. But that’s a little harder.

Let’s look at how to send automatic texts on iPhone in the two easiest ways.

How To Schedule a Text on iPhone

You can install a free app on your iPhone called “Shortcuts.” This app automatically lets you send scheduled text messages from an iPhone to anyone you want.

iPhones running iOS 13 or above come preinstalled with the app. However, if your iPhone runs an older version of iOS, you can download the Shortcuts app from the Apple App Store manually.

Here is how to schedule a text on your iPhone:

On your iPhone, open the “Shortcuts” app.
Select the “Automation” option that is at the bottom of the screen.
For creating automation, click on the “Create Personal Automation” option.
Choose the “Time of Day” and select the time when you want to send a text message.
Now, tap the time and date you want to send the delayed text from an iPhone.
Click on the “Next” option.
On the next page, choose the “Add Action” option.
Check the contact on the “Send Message” option and click on the “Next” option.
When in the “Message” field, type whatever message you want to send and click “Next.”
Check the message, date, and time again to ensure the details of your message are correct. Here, you can enable and disable the “Ask Before Running” option.
Click on “Done.”

This method creates automation that will schedule a message on an iPhone to the same recipient every month at the same time and date. Slide your finger from right to left on the automation and click the “Delete” option to remove it.

Note: You can go back and delete the automation after it has been completed if this is not what you intended.

How To Schedule a Text Message on an iPhone With a Scheduling Application

Many third-party applications allow you to send scheduled texts. One of these apps is Scheduled. This app enables you to schedule text messages from an iPhone to be sent whenever you want in the future. This app includes iMessage, Messenger, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, and other online platforms.

This app offers free and paid subscription options that allow you to send a delayed text from an iPhone. In addition to selecting the date and time you wish to send the text, you must allow the app to access your contact list.

Users of the free plan must manually tap the send button to send a scheduled text to contacts after receiving a reminder from the app. The Premium plan, which costs $4.99 per month, automatically sends texts on the selected date and time.

The App Store has several text scheduling applications in addition to Scheduled, including:

Reminderbase
Kyew
AutoSender
Carrier Messaging

That allows scheduling text on iPhone. The major disadvantage of all the apps is that they charge to send texts automatically, even though they all provide similar scheduling choices.

Additionally, many of these apps use an anonymous cloud phone number rather than the user’s, so recipients won’t have that number in their contacts. Although these apps’ user interfaces may make it easier to schedule texts on an iPhone, they have several obvious disadvantages compared to the Shortcuts app.

Related Reading: How To Recall an Email in Gmail

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Schedule a Text on iPhone? / Can I Schedule a Text?

You can schedule a text on an iPhone by using the Shortcuts app. It is one of the simplest ways of scheduling a text on your iPhone that will be sent on the date and time of your choice.

Another app you can use is the Scheduled application. This app is free but also has a premium plan that costs $4.99 per month. In the free plan, you must select the “Send” option when the scheduled text is about to be sent. However, the Premium plan will send the text automatically without prior approval.

How Do You Send a Delayed Text on iPhone?

To send a delayed text on an iPhone using the Shortcuts app, follow these steps:

Open Shortcuts and select the “Automation” option.
Click the “Create Personal Automation” option.
Select the “Time of Day” and the “Month.”
Click on the “Next” option.
Choose the “Add Action” option, and check the contact on the “Send Message” option.
Type the message you want to send and click “Next.”
Finally, click “Done.”
You can also enable and disable the “Ask Before Running” option.

What Does the Crescent Moon Icon in My iPhone’s Text Messages Mean?

On your iPhone, certain text chats are more frequent than others. This is especially apparent in communications sent in groups to numerous recipients. The crescent moon signifies that the “Do Not Disturb” mode for that chat has been activated, which has silenced the alerts for that chat.

Now, “Do Not Disturb” has been replaced with “Focus,” which has more capabilities for customizing calls and notifications.

Focus is an iPhone feature that mutes alerts and is represented by the half-moon icon. The “Control Center” or “Settings” app lets you turn the “Do Not Disturb” option on and off.

Can You Schedule a Text Message on Android?

On phones running Android 7 or later, you can schedule texts to send later. To schedule a text message on Android:

Select the contact to whom you wish to send a text message and hold down the “Send” button on the right until the option to “Schedule the text” appears.
Choose the time and date for when you want your message to be sent, and then click “OK.”
Your message will be sent when your device reconnects to WiFi or data if it is not connected at the scheduled date and time.

Wrapping Up How to Send Scheduled Texts

The best and cheapest way to schedule a text message on an iPhone is to use the Shortcut app. While you can also use a scheduler, those apps are often only useful as a month-to-month paid service. The shortcut app also has plenty of other powerful uses on your iPhone, so make sure you use them too.

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Christopher Daniel

Chris is a spreadsheet expert and content writer for Productivity Spot and Spreadsheet Point. He has a double Bachelor's Degree in Teaching and has been working in the education industry for over 11 years. His experience makes him adept at breaking down complex topics so that everyone is able to understand.