Overview
- WhatsApp is rolling out a native scheduling tool to a limited set of beta users on Android and iOS, with multiple outlets reporting the test on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
- Users invoke scheduling by long-pressing the send button in a chat to pick a date and time, and scheduled items are stored as pending messages that can be viewed, edited, or deleted from the chat’s info panel.
- The beta supports text, links, photos, and videos (multimedia must be scheduled one file at a time), and works in both individual and group chats.
- Scheduling runs on Meta’s cloud servers so planned sends go out at the chosen moment even if the sender’s device is off or offline, and only the sender needs the beta for recipients on stable builds to receive the message.
- The test imposes operational rules: a 10-minute minimum and 14-day maximum scheduling window, and group sends only reach members who were in the group when the message was scheduled; the update also includes a separate Smart Text Actions feature that surfaces quick actions for detected phone numbers, dates, and addresses.