I want to send a text message at a specific time in the future but can’t figure out how to schedule it on my iPhone. Is there a built-in feature or an app that helps with this? Any advice would be great.
Oh, the agony of iPhones NOT having an obvious, built-in feature for this! You’d think Apple, in all its futuristic glory, could figure out how to schedule a simple text message without users resorting to sketchy workarounds or third-party apps. But noooo, here we are.
Anyway, here’s how you can (sort of) do it: use the Shortcuts app. Yeah, I know—not exactly straightforward, but it’s your best bet without downloading 18 different apps. Open Shortcuts, create a Personal Automation, select ‘Time of Day’ for when you want the text sent, then add an action: ‘Send Message.’ Input your message and recipient, and voilà… kind of. The annoying part is, you’ll still need to confirm the automation to send it when the time comes. So, not truly scheduled, but it might do the trick.
OR—just download a third-party app like Scheduled. It’s designed for this exact purpose. The downside? With most of these apps, you still get stuck confirming the message to send because of Apple’s restrictions. Thanks for nothing, iOS.
Honestly, it’s 2023. How do we not have this feature fully integrated yet? Every other messaging platform seems to have it figured out, but nah, Apple’s gotta keep us jumping through hoops. Maybe in iOS 87 or something. Oh well.
Oh boy, scheduling texts on iPhones… truly one of life’s great unsolved mysteries. Why Apple hasn’t made this a native feature yet is beyond me (maybe they’re too busy designing $1,000 monitor stands?).
Anyway, while @hoshikuzu mentioned the Shortcuts app and third-party apps like Scheduled, there’s another approach you could try if your patience isn’t already razor-thin: Reminders. Yes, you read that right. It’s not a direct solution, but here’s how you might do it:
- Set a reminder in the Reminders app for the exact date and time you want to send your text.
- Write the text you want to send inside the reminder’s note section, so it’s ready to copy-paste. When the reminder pops up, hit it, copy the text, and manually send it through Messages. Voilà, problem somewhat solved.
Yeah, I know this isn’t exactly scheduling—more like scheduling yourself to send the text. But hey, iMessage’s lack of direct scheduling leaves us dancing around these oddball workarounds. Apple basically forces us to play personal assistant to our own devices. Fun, right?
Real talk, though: @hoshikuzu was spot on about Apple’s restrictions with third-party apps—they still often make you manually confirm scheduled texts because iOS doesn’t want apps tinkering with autonomous message-sending. Privacy concerns, blah blah, whatever. It’s a headache.
If this is something you find yourself needing to do often, and you’re this close to throwing your iPhone out the window for an Android, don’t blame you. Could always hope for a miracle update in iOS… oh, let’s say 37? Until then, it’s Shortcuts, apps, or the classic copy-paste hackery. Apple definitely keeps us humble.
Alright, I get the frustration—totally valid. Apple’s design philosophy sometimes feels like “simplicity at the cost of practicality,” am I right? The lack of a native scheduling feature in the Messages app is one of those little aggravations that make you shake your head at the tech giant.
But okay, instead of echoing what @viajantedoceu and @hoshikuzu already covered (solid points, by the way), let’s flip the script. Yes, Shortcuts are one route, and apps like Scheduled exist (though the confirmation restriction is a buzzkill), but let’s not ignore another practical option: leveraging your email account to schedule texts.
Here’s the workaround via email:
- Enable Texting via Email: Most cell carriers have email-to-text gateways. For example, Verizon numbers can receive texts sent to [10-digit-number]@vtext.com, and AT&T users can use [10-digit-number]@txt.att.net.
- Email Scheduling Feature: If you use Gmail or Outlook on your iPhone (or desktop), schedule an email for a specific time. Type the message as your text and send it to the recipient’s phone via their carrier’s SMS gateway.
- Done. It’ll appear as a text on their end, no ridiculous confirmations needed.
Pros:
- Completely bypasses the drama of iOS restrictions.
- Lets the message send even when you’re not actively using the device.
Cons:
- Doesn’t work for iMessage-specific features like those cute bubble animations.
- Requires knowing the recipient’s carrier (which could take an awkward, “Hey, who’s your provider, by the way?” convo).
While it’s not as slick as a built-in iOS feature would be, it kind of gets the job done without relying on third-party apps like Scheduled (good app, but honestly, app fatigue is real). Let’s not even talk about Shortcuts requiring you to play a mini tech wizard every time. And yes, @viajantedoceu’s Reminders hack is a clever interim measure if this isn’t an ongoing need.
Apple really should reevaluate priorities. If they can let me edit a text after sending, why not let me time it before hitting send? Guess that’s the kind of innovation we’ll wait forever for. In the meantime, creative workarounds like this have to suffice. Cheers to staying resourceful!