WhatsApp users may soon be able to send messages at a chosen time without needing to be online when they’re delivered.
The messaging platform is testing a scheduling feature with a limited number of Android beta users, according to WABetaInfo. The tool reportedly allows users to prepare text messages, links, photos, and videos for delivery between 10 minutes and two weeks later.
The feature could make it easier to plan reminders, birthday greetings, and work-related messages in advance. However, WhatsApp has not announced when it will become available to everyone.
How does the new change work
According to WABetaInfo, the feature is currently available for users running WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.40.7. No reports suggest iOS users can access the feature right now.
Users can schedule a message by pressing and holding the send button after composing it, then selecting a delivery date and time from the menu that appears. The feature is available for both individual and group chats.
Scheduled messages will appear in a dedicated section of each individual or group chat information screen. From there, users can review or delete them before delivery.
According to WABetaInfo, scheduled messages can be delivered even when the sender’s phone is offline. However, the technical details of how WhatsApp stores and delivers these messages have not been fully explained.
WABetaInfo also notes that recipients will not be notified that a message was scheduled. The feature also has notable limitations.
Users can attach only one piece of media to each scheduled message, meaning that if you’d like to send bulk videos or images to someone, you’d either have to schedule them individually or simply send the message without scheduling.
Group chats have an additional limitation. Only members who belonged to the group when the message was scheduled will receive it at the time of delivery.
The feature has no confirmed public rollout date, and support for WhatsApp channels remains unknown.
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Part of recent changes rolling out on WhatsApp
The test comes as WhatsApp continues expanding its communication features across mobile and desktop devices. Scheduled messaging would add another productivity tool, particularly for users who rely on the platform to coordinate work and personal conversations.
The platform has already begun rolling out usernames, which would let users connect without immediately sharing their phone numbers, adding another layer of privacy to how people discover and contact one another.
WhatsApp Web has also received significant upgrades, including audio and video calling directly from the browser and call transfers between devices. These changes make the web version more capable as a standalone communication tool, particularly for people who use WhatsApp on their computers for work.
Other recent updates include stronger account security, new group-chat features, and support for registering accounts directly on iPad.
Taken together, these changes show WhatsApp expanding its features across privacy, communications, and productivity rather than limiting its updates to visual adjustments.
Who is going to benefit the most from this change?
People who rely on WhatsApp for work, family and friends’ communication, and everyday coordination stand to benefit the most from scheduled messaging.
Users can prepare birthday greetings, appointment reminders, meeting updates, and other messages in advance, reducing the chances of forgetting to send them at the right time. Because messages can be scheduled even when the sender’s phone is offline, the feature also offers more flexibility for people who cannot always be available to send messages manually.
Businesses and professionals who use WhatsApp to communicate with customers or colleagues could also find it useful.
For example, a business owner could prepare a customer follow-up in advance. Employees could also schedule updates to arrive during colleagues’ working hours, helping teams communicate across different schedules and time zones.
The bigger advantage is flexibility: users could prepare messages when convenient and have them delivered at a more appropriate time, even if their phones are offline.
Whether that convenience reaches WhatsApp’s wider user base will depend on when Meta expands the feature beyond beta testing. No public release date has been confirmed.
Other news: Apple has introduced new Creator Studio features, including Cinematic video editing in Final Cut Pro, improved image selection tools in Pixelmator Pro, and AI-powered writing capabilities in Freeform.