How to Schedule a text message to send later

[brothman01]

I was using an Android phone before and I switched back to iPhone (which I used to use before the Android) and I cannot seem to find a feature that allows me to schedule a text message to be sent at a certain time which was a functionality that I used on the Android multiple times every day.

I found two "solutions" but neither of them is ok with me:

1. The Scheduled App. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scheduled-app/id1145815975

They claim that for $3.95 per month they will do this for me. I will not pay for this basic functionality. I already paid quite a lot for the phone, now I am just trying to use it in a useful way.

2. This shortcuts app extension <link removed, cannot be verified>

This just plain does not work unless I keep the phone unlocked and the shortcuts app in the foreground which means I cannot do anything else while I wait which defeats the whole purpose.

Has anyone found a way to schedule text messages to be sent later that works and does not cost extra money or cause great inconvenience? I was so disappointed when I found this issue and I am hoping that I just overlooked something important.

 

[Lee_Bo]

Good morning, @brothman01. Welcome to iMore.

Unfortunately there aren't any 1st party apps that do what you are looking for. Honestly, I don't know a lot of people who want to send delayed text messages.

The other thing is, many developers are moving to a subscription based platform. You have two choices; pay the subscription, or don't. But that' the wave of the future.

One more quick mention. Careful on the links you post. If they can't be verified, they'll get removed.

When you get a moment, stroll on over to the new members section and introduce yourself to the community:
https://forums.imore.com/new-forums-introduce-yourself-here/
Hope this helped.

 

[Wotchered]

why would you need to do this ? the only reasons I can think of are not too good !

 

[Annie_M]

why would you need to do this ? the only reasons I can think of are not too good !

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Mars20]

why would you need to do this ? the only reasons I can think of are not too good !

Someone might want to schedule a message after the recipient had come out of a meeting or exam or even operation for instance.

 

[JML5150]

I too have been hoping for  to add some more power user functionality to messages, instead of childish Memoji. Years ago there was a jailbreak app Bite SMS that did this, but is has since been depreciated. On Routine Hub, there are shortcuts but they run through Reminders and aren't automated, meaning they have to ask for your permission to send your message.

 

[JML5150]

My thoughts exactly!

As a retail manager I work crazy hours and different shifts daily. If I'm closing one night and forget to leave a message for the opening manager I can schedule that text for 5am or whatever time, versus having to get up and trying to call the store. Or you could schedule a daily message to your significant other, totally automated and not disturb your workflow. It has been extremely useful when I have done it.

 

[gnirkatto]

Funny how so many responses to feature requests always are "who needs this?".
I guess nobody would post a question here without a 'need' or at least a 'desire'?

Why did I come here?

Tomorrow it will be a good friend's birthday.
I use to send her a congratulatory message every year.
I will join a party tonight, which will last endlessly, and the one or the other beer will have to be consumed.
Now I'm afraid that I'll sleep late tomorrow, forget about the birthday, and overlook all kinds of reminders that I set already.
So I would like to schedule a message today, to be sent tomorrow.
Nope.

Just one silly example for why one might need this. And there are more/better/more serious ones.

By the way, Spark, my email client of choice, allows for scheduling of emails. Apparently there is need? Doesn't help my case though, as an email won't cut it!

 

[Annie_M]

After reading more replies, I admit that my response was “short-sighted”! It’s a good lesson to learn! Just because I cannot see a reason or use for something, doesn’t mean that there isn’t one!

 

[Wotchered]

My wife gawd bless ‘er,would have spotted an automatic text the second time she got one ! talk about making a rod for my own back ! The other thing, the message handing the baton on, you send it now, the recipient does not have to open it yet and if any sense has left the phone downstairs or turned it off !

 

[Lee_Bo]

Tomorrow it will be a good friend's birthday.
I use to send her a congratulatory message every year.
I will join a party tonight, which will last endlessly, and the one or the other beer will have to be consumed.
Now I'm afraid that I'll sleep late tomorrow, forget about the birthday, and overlook all kinds of reminders that I set already.
So I would like to schedule a message today, to be sent tomorrow.
Nope.

I’d rather get a text message like “Happy belated birthday. Sorry, got drunk at your party last night and slept late this morning” than a scheduled text.

 

[gnirkatto]

I’d rather get a text message like “Happy belated birthday. Sorry, got drunk at your party last night and slept late this morning” than a scheduled text.

And what will tell you that a text was scheduled?

 

[swmboa]

I am late to the party. But my kids informed me yesterday I could now schedule texts using “shortcuts.” Apparently that is not really true.

I am perversely amused by all the people not wanting this functionality. It’s laughable. I have been an iPhone user since the iphone3 and will be switching to Android over the lack of this functionality. Here are the ways it would serve me:

I am a lawyer. Clients text me at inappropriate times (outside business hours). I will not respond despite reading and possibly working on their case outside of business hours. They should not get a response that reinforces their behavior of bothering me outside business hours. I would, however, love to respond and have it send at 8 am. Ridiculous that I cannot.

I have employees. Oftentimes I will remember late at night, or any other random times, things I need them to do. Lists of tasks for the following day. It is neither appropriate nor fair of me to text them whenever I think of those things. They’re not my slaves. Those texts need to send tomorrow morning at 8 am as well. When they’re back on the clock. It may well be ruled a labor law violation soon to text employees at all hours. So I need to schedule texts to them as well.

I am remodeling. Oftentimes I am doing ordering and remodeling steps in evenings, even very late at night. Would like to text plumber, electrician, etc. and have it send at appropriate times (ie 8 am the following morning). Just as my clients shouldn’t text me outside of business hours, I shouldn’t text these contractors outside of business hours for the same reason, especially very late at night. Common courtesy.

Many of us have teenagers and have to keep our phones on late at night in case our teens call. So other people should exercise common courtesy and not text at all hours. A lot of people don’t have the luxury of “Do Not Disturb” or shutting their phone off.

I can think of about 100 other reasons I want to program texts to send later/tomorrow morning at 8. Kids’ teachers. Hair dresser for appointment. Other lawyers. Family who don’t shut their phones off for various reasons. People who work nights. Just to name a few.

The lack of imagination by many who replied to this thread is amazing.

This will be my last iPhone exactly, and solely, because of the lack of this feature. 100% because I NEED this feature. I don’t just want it. I actually need it to be efficient and keep up with my workload.

Sorry OP that you discovered it too late. I could have told you. I agree that I will not pay for a subscription for something so basic. Especially not when other devices have the function natively. I’ve been desperately hoping Apple would add it for at least 3 years. Now I’m just done waiting.

What is more—I can’t use Scheduled. Even as a business expense. Using a non-secure 3rd Party for client communication is a violation of a whole bunch of ethical rules. Even gmail’s terms of service violate the Code of Professional Responsibility. So it’s not even an acceptable choice.

If some app designer can create the functionality, so can Apple.
It’s an extreme disappointment that they have not done so.

 

[Just_Me_D]

@swmboa, have you taken the time to contact Apple in regard to your disappointment? If not, why?

 

[swmboa]

@swmboa, have you taken the time to contact Apple in regard to your disappointment? If not, why?

Not really—it feels pointless. I have mentioned it on a couple of support calls and discussed it with technicians at a couple different Apple Stores. I am not sure what “contacting Apple” really looks like beyond that. I don’t have any means of “contacting Apple”. I could google the general support email, but that seems pretty pointless. They’re aware of the issue and either something deep in iPhone programming is keeping them from doing it, or something else is. My contacting them is unlikely to change the issue, whatever it is. I might do it as a last ditch before my next phone. See if I get a meaningful response as to why this isn’t available on iphones.

I used to download movies (Italian Job was my first ;-)) to my iPod color from DVDs using various 3rd party apps around 2003, before ipods had video capabilities. I’ve worked almost exclusively on Macs since being an editor of high school and college newspapers in 1992 and beyond. It’s going to be sad (and likely difficult) to change. But to be honest. I need this functionality bad enough at this point that it will be well worth it once the learning curve is over. My need to message when I think of things, so that I don’t forget later (and to eliminate miles of phone reminder lists, notes, and physical sticky notes) is beyond any other organizational tool. I need this every day, multiple times per day.

I even have hope my transition to Android will free me of my long-term Mac addiction, which is probably a liability at this point due to networking (computer networking) and other needs that have arisen during the last few years and come to a head during Covid. The world had changed. For me, this functionality is imperative and the #1 thing I need on a smartphone to make my life function more smoothly right now.

I have downloaded “Moxy”. I have high hopes it will eliminate a couple of my current steps of typing out notes to cut and paste into texts the following morning. We’ll see if it proves out. Still can’t use it with clients, though. So that’s still a big chunk of inefficiency for me... *

 

[Just_Me_D]

I would start here: https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html#mn_p