Quick answer: Yes, you can schedule a text message on your iPhone using the built-in “Send Later” feature in iOS 18 and newer. To schedule a text message on your iPhone, go to the Messages app, open or start a conversation, tap the plus (+) button, select Send Later, choose your desired date and time, type your message, and tap Send. For older iPhones or SMS messages to Android phones, you can use the Shortcuts app or third-party apps like Scheduled to set up reminders or automations. You can also schedule texts on your iPad or Mac if they’re running the latest OS.
we’ve all had that moment where we wish we could send a text later without actually remembering to send it. Maybe it’s a birthday wish at midnight, a reminder to your partner about the vet appointment, or even a “good luck!” text before your best friend’s big interview tomorrow morning.
But here’s the kicker — for years, scheduling a text message on iPhone felt like a hack more than a real feature. Android users had it built in for a while, and us iPhone folks? Well, we had to get a little creative.
The good news? If you’re on iOS 18 (or have an iPhone 15 or later), things just got way easier.
But don’t worry — if you’re still rocking an iPhone X or even a trusty iPhone 7 running iOS 17 or older, I’ve got your back too.
Let’s break it all down.
Method 1: The New “Send Later” Feature on iOS 18 (iPhone 15 and Newer)
This is the one we’ve all been waiting for.
If your iPhone is updated to iOS 18 (available on iPhone XR and newer), Apple finally added a native text scheduling feature inside the Messages app. No more workarounds. No more third-party apps. Just a clean, simple way to schedule your iMessage.
Here’s how to use it:
- Open the Messages app.
- Start a new conversation or open an existing one.
- Tap the plus (+) button before to the text input box.
- Choose Send Later.
- Select the date and time you want the message to be sent.
- Type your message and hit send.
That’s it. The message will stay scheduled — and fire off at just the right moment.
⚠️ Note: This only works with iMessages (blue bubbles), not regular SMS texts (green bubbles). And you can only schedule up to 14 days in advance.
My experience with my cousin? I used this feature last week to schedule a birthday message to my cousin at exactly 12:01 AM. I was already in bed by then, but she totally thought I stayed up for her. Win-win.
Can you Change or Cancel a Scheduled Message? Yep, You Can.
This is where Apple nailed it — they didn’t just let us schedule messages. They also let us change our minds.
✅ Change the Time to Send a Message
You can tweak the delivery time any time before the message sends.
- Open the Messages app.
- Go to the conversation that contains the scheduled message.
- Scroll to the bottom if you don’t see it (scheduled messages often sit below sent ones).
- Tap Edit next to the date.
- Choose Edit Time, pick a new time, and tap away from the menu to save.
Or, if you decide you don’t want to wait anymore? Just tap Send Message, and it goes out immediately.
✏️ Edit the Message Itself
Maybe you want to change the wording. Or fix that pesky typo. You’ve got time.
- Open the conversation in Messages.
- Scroll down to the scheduled message.
- Touch and hold the message bubble.
- Tap Edit.
- Make your changes.
- Tap Send Edit to confirm — or Cancel Edit if you change your mind.
❌ Delete a Scheduled Message Entirely
Changed your mind? No problem.
- Open the conversation with the scheduled message.
- Scroll to find it.
- Touch and hold the message bubble.
- Tap Delete — and just like that, it’s gone. It won’t be sent.
Method 2: Using the Shortcuts App (iOS 13 – iOS 17)
If your iPhone isn’t running iOS 18 — say you’re on an iPhone 12, iPhone 11, or even an iPhone 6S — don’t worry. You can still schedule texts with Apple’s Shortcuts app. It’s not quite as slick, but it gets the job done.
Here’s how to do it:
- Open the Shortcuts app.
- Tap the Automation tab.
- Tap Create New Automation.
- Choose Time of Day, then set when you want your message to be sent.
- Pick how often this happens: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
- Select Run After Confirmation, tap Next
- Search for and select Send Message.
- Type your message and select a recipient, then hit Done.
Boom — your automation is ready.
This method is especially handy if you’re sending recurring reminders, like a weekly “Trash day tomorrow” text to your roommate.
🚨 Heads up: The Shortcuts app isn’t great for one-off messages. You’ll want to go back in and delete the automation afterward, or you’ll accidentally send it every time that trigger hits.
Also read: How to Turn Off Find My on Your Apple Devices
Method 3: Third-Party Apps (Great for iOS 14 and Older Devices)
If you’re not on iOS 18 and don’t feel like fiddling with Shortcuts, there’s a whole world of third-party apps designed for scheduling text messages. Some even let you schedule texts via WhatsApp or Messenger too.
Try these apps:
🔹 Scheduled – Send text later
- Clean interface
- Supports iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, and more
- You can schedule messages and receive a reminder to send them
🔹 Kyew
- Simple app for writing and scheduling messages
- Sends you a notification when it’s time to send
- You still have to manually hit send (thanks, iOS restrictions)
Important note: Due to Apple’s privacy rules, most of these apps can’t actually send texts on your behalf. They’ll remind you when it’s time, but you still have to tap “send” yourself.
Method 4: Set a Reminder (When You Just Need a Nudge)
Okay, so maybe you don’t want to mess with apps or automations. Sometimes all you need is a simple nudge — a reminder to send that text manually.
Do this:
- Open the Reminders app.
- Create a new reminder with your message like: “Text Jess good luck for her job interview.”
- Set the time you want the reminder to pop up.
When the notification goes off, just tap it and send your message. Super low effort. Super effective.
But wait — why can’t iPhone Just Schedule Any Text?
Great question. The big limitation is that Apple doesn’t allow third-party apps to send texts automatically in the background. Even Apple’s own Shortcuts app needs you to approve certain automations unless you tweak it a bit.
And the new “Send Later” feature? It only works with iMessages — so if you’re texting someone with a flip phone (yup, still a thing), this won’t help.
Compatible devices for each Method
Let’s get practical. Here’s how things stack up across different iPhones and iOS versions:
| iPhone Model | iOS Version | Can Use “Send Later”? | Can Use Shortcuts? | Can Use Apps? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16/15/14/13 | iOS 18+ | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| iPhone 12/11/X | iOS 17/16 | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| iPhone 8/7/6 | iOS 15–13 | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Can you Schedule a Text Message on iPad or Mac?
Absolutely — and it works almost the same way as it does on your iPhone if you’re running the latest software.
If your iPad is on iPadOS 18 or your Mac is updated to macOS Sequoia, you can take advantage of the Send Later feature right from those devices too. It’s perfect for people who like texting from their keyboard or work primarily on their desktop.
Let’s say you’re typing out client follow-ups or prepping messages for a group chat — doing it on a bigger screen can be way easier.
Here’s how it works:
- Open the Messages app on your iPad or Mac.
- Start a new conversation or open an existing one.
- Click the plus (+) button before the message field area.
- Choose Send Later.
- Select your preferred date and time, write your message, and hit Send.
The message gets queued up just like it does on iPhone and is delivered automatically at the time you selected.
💡 Tip: If you use iCloud for Messages, your scheduled texts will sync across your Apple devices. So even if you scheduled it on your Mac, it’ll still send — even if your Mac is closed, because the cloud handles it for you.
This cross-device functionality makes Apple’s ecosystem feel smarter — and finally catches up to what users have been wanting for years.
Also read: How to Block Unknown Calls on iPhone
Can you Schedule a Text Message on Apple Watch?
If you were hoping to schedule a message right from your wrist — well, not just yet.
The Apple Watch doesn’t currently support the Send Later feature directly. Even if your iPhone is on iOS 18, and your Messages are synced, the watch’s Messages app only allows you to send texts instantly — no option to set a future delivery time.
That said, the Apple Watch is still handy if you just want to quickly reply or send a text on the go using voice dictation, emojis, or Scribble. But for scheduling messages ahead of time? You’ll need to grab your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to do that part.
💬 Fun tip: If you schedule a message from your iPhone using Send Later, and your Watch is synced with Messages, you’ll still see that scheduled message in the conversation thread — you just can’t edit or manage it from the watch itself.
Hopefully in a future watchOS update, Apple will bring more of these features to the wrist — because who wouldn’t want to schedule a text between gym reps?
Can I Schedule a Text Message Using Siri?
Alright, let’s get one thing straight: Siri is smart, but when it comes to scheduling text messages… she’s still learning.
You can ask Siri to send a message immediately — like, “Hey Siri, text Mom ‘I’ll call you later’” — and she’ll do it instantly. But if you try to say something like “Hey Siri, send a text to Sarah tomorrow at 8 AM,” she’ll either get confused or just tell you she can’t help with that (yep, tried it more than once).
So sadly, you can’t use Siri to schedule messages in the future — at least not directly.
😩 Siri doesn’t currently support date/time-based message scheduling through voice commands alone.
However, you can still use Siri alongside the Shortcuts app if you’ve already created a text-sending automation. For example:
- You build a shortcut to send a message at a certain time.
- Then you can say, “Hey Siri, run [Your Shortcut Name]” — and she’ll do it.
That said, it’s a bit clunky and requires setup ahead of time. Not exactly “set it and forget it,” but useful if you’re already using Shortcuts regularly.
My take?
I love Siri for quick tasks like sending instant texts, setting reminders, or calling someone hands-free. But for scheduling messages — she’s not quite there yet.
Let’s hope iOS 19 finally brings that feature to voice commands. Until then, stick with Messages, Shortcuts, or third-party tools.
How to Schedule a Text Message from iPhone to an Android Phone
Here’s where things get a little tricky.
The built-in Send Later feature only works with iMessages — meaning you can only schedule messages to other Apple users (blue bubbles). If your contact uses an Android phone, your message shows up as green bubble SMS, and Apple doesn’t allow those to be scheduled using the native Messages app.
But don’t worry. You still have two solid workarounds:
Option 1: Use the Shortcuts App
The Shortcuts app doesn’t care if your contact is on iPhone or Android. It just sends a standard message using your cellular network or Wi-Fi (depending on what’s available).
You can:
- Set a specific time
- Choose the contact (even if they’re Android)
- Write your message
- Let it run automatically (if you disable “Ask Before Running”)
It’s not quite as intuitive as “Send Later,” but it works across both iPhone and Android recipients.
Option 2: Try a Third-Party App
Apps like Scheduled or Kyew let you type out messages to Android users and schedule a reminder for when to send them. Since Apple restricts background SMS-sending for privacy, the app can’t send it for you — but it does notify you at the perfect time.
This is ideal for situations where you just want a nudge to copy-paste and send. Not fully automatic, but definitely helpful if you’re juggling different platforms.
FAQs
Can I schedule a regular SMS (green bubble) text on iOS 18?
Unfortunately, no. The new “Send Later” feature is only for iMessages — so it won’t work if the recipient is using an Android phone or if your iMessage isn’t enabled.
So how do I schedule a text to an Android user?
Great question! Since the “Send Later” feature doesn’t support SMS, your best bet is to use the Shortcuts app or a third-party app like Scheduled or Kyew. These let you create messages for SMS (green bubble) recipients and remind you to send them at your chosen time. It’s not automatic, but it’s the next best thing.Can third-party apps auto-send messages for me?
Can I schedule a text message on iPad or Mac?
Yes — if you’ve updated to iPadOS 18 or macOS Sequoia (or later), the Messages app also includes the new Send Later feature. The steps are very similar to what you do on iPhone:
- Open Messages.
- Start a new message or open a conversation.
- Use the Send Later option to schedule the message.
Just remember: this still only works with iMessage conversations.
Can third-party apps auto-send messages for me?
Not really. Because of Apple’s privacy settings, these apps can’t actually send messages on your behalf. They’ll give you a notification when it’s time, and you’ll need to tap send.
Can I reschedule a message after I’ve scheduled it?
Yes! Go to the conversation, tap Edit next to the time, and choose a new time.
Can I edit or delete a scheduled message before it sends?
Absolutely. Long-press the message bubble and tap Edit to change it or Delete to cancel it.
Will the person know the message was scheduled?
Nope — it appears just like any normal message on their end.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’ve just unboxed a shiny new iPhone 15 Pro running iOS 18, or you’re holding tight to your classic iPhone 8, there’s a way for you to schedule texts. Apple’s built-in features are finally catching up, but with a few clever workarounds, you don’t have to miss out — no matter what iPhone you’re using.
So next time you think, “I’ll text them later,” don’t leave it up to memory. Schedule it. Save your brainpower for more important stuff… like remembering where you left your AirPods.
