How to Schedule a Text on iPhone
Learn how to schedule a text message on iPhone with the Send Later feature. Covers editing, rescheduling, deleting, and a Shortcuts workaround for SMS.
We have all typed out a birthday message at 2 AM and then stared at the send button, knowing full well that nobody wants their phone buzzing at that hour. Or drafted a reminder to a friend and thought, "This would land better if it arrived Monday morning."
Apple finally added message scheduling in iOS 18 with a feature called Send Later. You pick the date and time, and iMessage handles the rest. Your message goes out exactly when you want, even if your phone is sitting in a drawer.
There is one big catch. Send Later only works with iMessage (blue bubbles). If you are texting someone on Android, you will need a workaround. We cover both methods below.
An iPhone running iOS 18 or later An iMessage conversation (blue bubbles)
Open the conversation in Messages
Open the Messages app and tap the conversation where you want to send a scheduled text. You can also start a new conversation by tapping the compose button in the top right corner and choosing a contact. The person you are messaging must be using iMessage (blue bubbles). Send Later does not work with SMS or RCS conversations (green bubbles). If you are not sure, look at the text field. If it says "iMessage" you are good. If it says "Text Message" the option will not appear.
Tap the + button and select Send Later
Tap the + button to the left of the text field. A menu of options appears. Look for Send Later and tap it. If you do not see Send Later right away, tap More at the bottom of the menu. It might be tucked under the extra options, especially if you have a lot of iMessage apps installed. Once you tap Send Later, a blue bubble appears above the text field showing a default time (usually "Tomorrow 9:00 AM"). That is the scheduling bar, and you will set your actual time in the next step.
Good to know: You can drag Send Later to the top of your + menu so it is always the first option. Long-press it in the menu and drag it to your preferred position.
Pick the date and time
Tap the blue time bubble above the text field. A date and time picker opens where you can scroll through dates, hours, and minutes. Choose the exact date and time you want the message to arrive. You can schedule up to 14 days ahead, but no further. Once you have the right time set, tap anywhere outside the picker to confirm it. The blue scheduling bubble updates to show your chosen date and time.
Type your message and send
Type your message in the text field like you normally would. When you are happy with it, tap the Send button (the blue arrow). The message does not go out right away. Instead, it appears in the conversation with a dashed outline around the bubble. That dashed line means it is scheduled and waiting. Only you can see it in this state. The recipient will not see anything until the scheduled time arrives. Your message will be delivered at the exact time you picked, even if your iPhone is offline or turned off at that moment. That works because Apple holds the message encrypted on its own servers until the send time, then deletes it from there. On your end you can see the handover happen. The dashed line disappears and the bubble turns solid the moment it actually goes out.
Edit or reschedule a message before it sends
Changed your mind about the time or the wording? You can fix both. A scheduled message does not always sit where you left it. Apple notes that scheduled messages may appear below your already-sent ones, so scroll right to the end of the conversation and look for the dashed outline. Tap the Edit button that appears just above the message, beside the date. You get two options: Edit Time lets you pick a new date and time. Tap it, adjust the picker, and tap outside the schedule to commit it. Send Message sends the text immediately instead of waiting for the scheduled time. Changing the words, or cancelling altogether, works differently. Neither one lives in that Edit menu. Long-press the message bubble itself and a second menu appears with both options on it. Tap Edit there to rewrite the message, then tap the checkmark to save. You can do that as many times as you like before it sends, and the recipient never sees the edit history. Tap Delete instead and the message is cancelled and never delivered.
Heads up: You need an internet connection to edit, reschedule, or delete a scheduled message. If you are offline when you try, the changes will not go through.
Set up Shortcuts for SMS or recurring messages
Send Later only works with iMessage. If you need to schedule a text to an Android user (green bubble) or want recurring scheduled messages, the Shortcuts app is your backup option. Open Shortcuts and tap the Automation tab at the bottom. Tap New Automation, then choose Time of Day. Set the time you want the message to go out and choose whether it should repeat daily, weekly, or monthly. Tap Next. For the action, search for Send Message. Type your message text and choose the recipient. Tap Next, make sure Run Immediately is selected (otherwise your phone will ask for confirmation each time), and tap Done. The downside is that Shortcuts only handles recurring automations. There is no built-in way to do a one-time scheduled SMS. For that, you would need a third-party app from the App Store.
Scheduling a text is one of those small features that quietly changes how you use your phone. Birthday messages land at exactly the right moment. Work reminders go out during business hours even when you think of them at midnight. You stop being the person who texts at weird hours. The only real limitation is the iMessage requirement. If you regularly text people on Android, the Shortcuts workaround handles recurring messages, but one-off scheduled SMS still needs a third-party app. For more ways to get the most out of your iPhone, check out our Apple Device Tips series. And if you are curious about the full details straight from Apple, their official guide on scheduling messages covers the basics.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
Not with the built-in Send Later feature. It only works with iMessage, which means both you and the recipient need to be using Apple devices. If the conversation shows green bubbles instead of blue, Send Later will not appear in the menu. Your best alternative is to use the Shortcuts app to create a time-based automation that sends an SMS at a specific time, though that only works for recurring messages.
Yes. Once you schedule a message, Apple handles the delivery on their servers. Your message will be sent at the scheduled time even if your iPhone is powered off, in airplane mode, or has no internet connection at that moment.
No. The recipient receives the message like any other normal iMessage. There is no label, timestamp note, or any indication that it was scheduled. The dashed outline you see on your end disappears once the message actually sends.
Apple limits scheduling to 14 days. The most likely reason is to keep server-side storage manageable and reduce security risks from messages sitting undelivered for long periods. If you need to send something further out, set a reminder on your phone for that date and schedule the message when you are within the 14-day window.
Yes, as long as every person in the group chat is using iMessage. If even one participant is on Android or using SMS, the conversation falls back to MMS or RCS and Send Later will not be available for that group.
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