WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the handy features it offers is the ability to schedule messages on Android devices. But what about iPhones? Can you schedule WhatsApp messages on an iPhone?
The Short Answer
Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not natively support scheduling messages on iPhones at this time. While Android users can schedule messages in WhatsApp directly, iPhone users do not have this capability within the app. There is no option to select a future date and time to send a WhatsApp message on an iPhone.
Why No Scheduled Messages on iPhone
WhatsApp has not enabled the message scheduling feature for iOS yet. Here are some potential reasons why:
- Technical limitations – The underlying iOS platform may not allow WhatsApp to implement this feature due to restrictions imposed by Apple.
- Focus on other features – WhatsApp may be prioritizing the development of other features over scheduling messages on iOS.
- Smaller iOS user base – WhatsApp has fewer users on iOS compared to Android. Catering first to the larger Android base makes sense.
- Rolling out slowly – WhatsApp may be slowly rolling out message scheduling to iOS after testing it on Android first.
Hopefully, with enough user requests, WhatsApp will implement scheduled messages for iOS users soon as well.
Workarounds to Schedule WhatsApp Messages on iPhone
Until WhatsApp provides native scheduling, here are some workarounds iPhone users can try to simulate scheduling messages on WhatsApp:
Use Third-Party Apps
There are some third party apps like SKEDit, Auto Text Message, Scheduled that let you schedule WhatsApp messages on iPhone. These work by accessing your WhatsApp through accessibility features of iOS. Some popular options include:
- SKEDit – Easy to use app with schedule and repeat message options. Syncs across devices.
- Scheduled – Allows scheduling messages, emails, tweets. Basic version is free.
- Auto Text Message – Schedules messages and auto replies for WhatsApp and SMS.
The main limitation is these apps require access permissions to manage your WhatsApp, which may be privacy concern for some users.
Use WhatsApp Business API
WhatsApp Business API allows third-party business tools to integrate with WhatsApp programmatically. This API provides the capability to queue and schedule messages. So apps utilizing the Business API can enable scheduling WhatsApp messages on an iPhone. Some examples of tools with this capability are ChatFuel, MailerLite, Metafy.
The Business API option also has limitations – your WhatsApp account needs to be a verified business account to use such tools. And these tools are mainly focused on business messaging at scale, not consumer use cases.
Use Reminder Apps
A simple workaround is to use general reminder apps like Apple’s stock Reminders app, Google Calendar, Todoist, AnyList etc. You can set a reminder at the desired future time and date. When the reminder pops up, you can manually open WhatsApp and send the message.
The drawback is this approach requires you to manually send the message when the reminder happens. It does not automate actually composing and sending the WhatsApp message for you.
Should You Use Third-Party Apps?
Third party apps provide the closest experience to having native message scheduling built into WhatsApp. But before using such apps, consider a few factors:
- Privacy – Granting access permissions to a third party to manage your WhatsApp messages and data is risky from a privacy perspective.
- Security – There have been incidents of hacking via unauthorized WhatsApp third party apps.
- Reliability – The app may stop working anytime if WhatsApp changes its platform, restricting access.
- Cost – Some good third party scheduling apps have premium subscriptions.
Evaluate your specific use case and risk appetite before choosing third party solutions. For most everyday users, the reminder workaround may be good enough vs installing an extra app.
WhatsApp’s Stance on Third-Party Tools
WhatsApp does not explicitly authorize or recommend using third-party apps to schedule messages on its platform. Some key points on WhatsApp’s stance:
- Violates Terms – WhatsApp’s terms prohibit mimicking or reproducing their service using unauthorized apps.
- Can Lead to Ban – Using unsupported apps could result in your WhatsApp account being banned.
- No Tech Support – WhatsApp does not provide support for issues caused by third-party tools.
- Lack Control – WhatsApp cannot control security and privacy with unauthorized third-party access.
While not directly illegal, using unauthorized apps is discouraged by WhatsApp itself due to reliability and privacy reasons.
Upcoming Official Support
The good news is official support for scheduling messages on iOS may be coming soon. Some indicators:
- Beta Testing – WhatsApp has been beta testing message scheduling on iOS in recent months.
- Android Rollout – Gradual rollout on Android indicates iOS is next.
- Business API – Scheduling capability already exists via the Business API for larger businesses.
- Expected in 2022 – CommunitiesApp reported WhatsApp is targeting 2022 to rollout the feature.
Given steady development progress, WhatsApp will hopefully provide native scheduling on iOS later this year. That would offer the convenience of scheduling without relying on third party apps.
Key Takeaways
- No native scheduling of WhatsApp messages is currently available on iPhones.
- Third party apps offer scheduling capabilities but have privacy and reliability risks.
- Reminder apps can provide basic scheduling functions without WhatsApp access.
- Native support is expected to be released sometime in 2022.
Conclusion
While iPhone users cannot natively schedule WhatsApp messages today, viable workarounds exist using third party or reminder apps. However, it’s best to avoid unauthorized third party tools due to security and stability concerns. Looking ahead, official support for scheduling messages is poised to be released by WhatsApp in 2022. This would provide iOS users the simplicity of scheduling WhatsApp messages directly within the app.