After years of anticipation, bypass tricks, and external apps, it seems WhatsApp (WhatsApp) is finally approaching the moment when it will close one of the most frustrating gaps in its service: The ability to schedule messages in advance. Yes, what until now was seen as a distant dream for the individual user is becoming reality in advanced development stages. According to new findings in the latest beta version of the app for iOS (number 26.7.10.72), the company is about to implement a feature that will allow any user to write a message and choose the exact time it will be sent automatically.
This ability is familiar to some of us from the world of WhatsApp Business under the name "Business Broadcasts" – a tool designed to schedule marketing messages, promotions, and coupons for a wide customer audience – but until now it was limited to the business sector and often involved a fee. Now, WhatsApp is making a dramatic move and making these capabilities accessible to all individual users, free of charge and in a much simpler and more convenient way.
Full control over the schedule
The move is expected to completely change the way we communicate. The scheduled message will remain in a "queue" on the company’s servers until the appointed time, and then it will be sent to its destination without any further action required by the user. This is a perfect solution for sending birthday greetings on time, reminders for appointments, or important work updates, without the risk of forgetting and without interrupting the sender’s current workflow.
WhatsApp will not only allow sending, but also provide users with tools to manage pending messages. According to screenshots from the development, a dedicated area will be added in the chat info screen that shows the number of scheduled messages. Users will be able to view the list of messages and manage them, including the option to delete a message at any time before it is sent. A significant advantage of this mechanism is discretion: Because the message is deleted before reaching the recipient, the other party will receive no indication or alert that a message was canceled.
It should be noted that until now, iPhone users had to perform cumbersome manipulations through the "Shortcuts" app to achieve a similar result – a process that required external configuration of the contact and text. Moving to a built-in feature within the app eliminates these workarounds. Additionally, the new capability will support not only private chats but also groups, allowing the sending of administrative messages or group updates at a strategic schedule.