23 May 2022

A Guide To Schedule WhatsApp Messages On iPhone and Android

Did you know that you can schedule WhatsApp messages on iPhone and Android phones? Find out how in this step-by-step guide!

Benard Kiplangat

Content Writer

Reading time: 5 minutes

When it comes to WhatsApp marketing, scheduling messages can save you a great deal of time and allow you to send more timely messages.

Imagine sending a happy hour offer at 12 PM in the afternoon. Or announcing a Black Friday promotion at the last minute.

This sounds like a recipe for disaster. 😨

However, scheduling messages on the main WhatsApp app is impossible (for now). Official WhatsApp accounts do not currently provide ways to schedule directly on the app, but not all hope is lost!

We’ll discuss some ways in which you can schedule WhatsApp messages using third-party apps. Let’s dive right in!

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Schedule WhatsApp messages through WhatsApp Business

When using the WhatsApp Business app, you will be able to set up 3 kinds of semi-automated messaging to support your business communication — Greeting Messages, Away Messages, and Quick reply templates.

1. Greeting Message: Set up generic welcome messages to auto-respond to new incoming chats or to conversations that have no activity after 14 days.

2. Away Message: Set a schedule, such as your working hours, to inform your leads or customers that you are currently unavailable but have received their message, and will respond to them as soon as possible.

3. Quick replies: Customize several message templates to be easily inserted into your chat box by using the assigned keyword after ‘/’.

Although these automated messages aren’t exactly promotional or sales-related messages, they still serve as a scheduler for small-scale scheduling. Here’s how you can do it:

Tap on ‘Settings’ on the bottom right, followed by ‘Business Tools’
Under the ‘Messaging Tools’ category, you can find ‘Greeting Message’, ‘Away Message’, and ‘Quick replies’. Select any one of them to set up each message type.
Select recipients you’d like to send these messages to, and that’s it!

How to schedule WhatsApp messages on iPhone

Sending pre-written messages on WhatsApp on your iPhone at a specific time requires that you download and install the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.

It is an automation app from Apple and will become our best bet for scheduling messages on iPhone. It is a native app by Apple, so it is more secure and safe.

Apple’s Shortcuts app:

It is free to download from the Apple app store
The space required to download the app is 142 MB
It is compatible with iOS 12.0+
You can schedule messages for up to 1 week

Using the Shortcuts app on Apple, you can easily schedule WhatsApp messages for up to 1-week

Let’s find out how you can schedule WhatsApp messages on iPhone in a few simple steps:

Install the Shortcuts app on your iPhone
Open the Shortcuts app and click on ‘Automation’ at the bottom
Click on ‘Create Personal Automation’
Tap ‘Time of day’ to start scheduling your automation. Configure the time to send the message as well as whether the message should be repeated.
Then, click ‘Next’ and select ‘Add action’. Type ‘text’ in the search bar and select the ‘text’ option.
Here, insert your message content.
Select the + icon and a window will pop up. In the search bar, type ‘WhatsApp’.
Choose ‘Send Message Through WhatsApp’ and select your recipients. Select ‘Next’ > ‘Done’.
When it’s time for the message(s) to be sent, you will be notified by the Shortcuts app. Click into the app and click ‘Send’ to send the scheduled message.

And that’s it! The Shortcuts app will automatically send your message at the exact time that you set it. Remember, you can also edit your scheduled message or time anytime before the scheduled time.

It’s important to note that you need to disable the “Ask before running” to automate this process fully. Failure to which the shortcut won’t run without your permission. And your message will not be delivered at the desired time.

How to schedule WhatsApp messages on Android

To schedule messages on Android, you will have to download a third-party app called SKEDit.

Though there are many third-party apps, this is the best option for a WhatsApp scheduler as it allows you to schedule SMS, emails, and call reminders besides WhatsApp messages.

SKEDit app:

Is free to download from the Google Play store
The space required to download the app is 17 MB
It is compatible with 5.0+
There is no limit, so can schedule as many messages as you wish

Here’s how you can schedule WhatsApp messages on Android using SKEDit:

Install the SKEDit app from the Play Store
Open the app and sign up with your details
Once you’ve signed in, click ‘WhatsApp’ from the app menu
Then, grant accessibility permissions for the app to send your messages smoothly. (On your phone settings, go to ‘Enable Accessibility’ then SKEDit, toggle on the button on the right, and ‘Grant Allow’.)
Return to SKEDit and enter the recipient’s name, enter the message content, and schedule a date and time. You can also repeat the message frequency.

And that’s it! If you need to review your message before hitting SKEDit sends it, click the “Ask me before sending” option. This option will notify you before a message sends, which ensures that you send the right message to the right people.

Because SKEDit is not an inbuilt feature of WhatsApp, to schedule your messages automatically, you have to enable some other settings on your phone.

If you disable the “Ask me before sending” option, you must disable the phone screen lock and phone battery optimization, as these features may limit the app’s capabilities. Because you will be accessing a messaging app automatically, it raises a privacy concern on your phone if the screen is logged when you do it.

Schedule messages with NovoChat

Scheduling WhatsApp messages on both iPhone and Android has never been straightforward. However, thanks to apps like SKEDit and Shortcuts, you’ll be able to work around this limitation and schedule messages to your customers.

Also, because both methods aren’t completely automated, it isn’t scalable and ideal for businesses that focus heavily on WhatsApp for business purposes.

That said, we recommend using a chat marketing solution like NovoChat that allows you to schedule WhatsApp campaigns freely. With its broadcast and automation features, this gives you more flexibility in how you can schedule your WhatsApp messages.

To see what NovoChat can do for you, get started with us for free today!