How to Schedule a Message in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia

Realizing you forgot to send a text message you were supposed to send is extremely distressing. Although Apple users have always had the option to set up shortcuts that automatically send texts through Messages, this hasn’t always been ideal. After all, who really wants to take that much time to create a shortcut from scratch? You’ll also need to head to the Shortcuts app every time you want to schedule a message.

Google Messages on Android rolled out a built-in scheduling feature in 2021, but iOS still lacked the feature. Well, that was until Apple WWDC 2024. With iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, you can now schedule messages in advance on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

How to program texts in messages

Before you begin, make sure you have downloaded iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS Sequoia. Although released later this fall, the iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 Sequoia developer betas are now available. Here’s what you need to do if you want to schedule messages to be sent automatically on your Apple devices.

How to schedule messages in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

How to schedule messages in macOS Sequoia

Likewise, follow the steps below to schedule your messages in advance on your Mac.

1. Launch messages on your Mac and open a conversation or start a new one.
2. Click it More icon.
3. Select Send later in the list of options.
4. Select the day and time you want your message to be sent automatically.
5. Finally, hit Back on your Mac keyboard to send the message.

   

Do you often talk to non-iPhone users? You’ll be happy to know that Messages on iOS 18 will support RCS messaging.