How to schedule messages on your iPhone in iOS 18 (and which models support it)

Apple has finally unveiled a long-awaited feature for those who use its Messages app.

At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) Monday, the tech giant announced that Messages will offer a scheduling feature in this year’s iOS 18 update, allowing users to craft a text and decide when in the future to send it. 

Also: Everything Apple announced at WWDC 2024, including iOS 18, Siri, AI, and more

The feature, which has been available to Android users for years and is something that Apple called one of its “most requested features,” will be especially useful for those who may want to send a message to someone, but it’s already too late and they don’t want to wake them — or for those who don’t want to forget to send a message for a birthday or event.

To use the feature once you download iOS 18, you’ll simply write out a message and see an option to schedule the send, along with the ability to choose the exact date and time to send it. The message will then get stored on the device, ready to be sent at a later time.

The new scheduling feature comes alongside a host of major announcements at this year’s WWDC, including a range of iOS updates, like the ability to enhance privacy and hide apps, categorize emails, and more easily arrange the photo library. While artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to steal the show, Apple also uses its annual developer keynote to highlight the many software improvements coming to its platforms this year.

Also: Every iPhone model that will get Apple’s iOS 18 (and which ones won’t)

Since Messages is ubiquitous across all of Apple’s operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS, and macOS, the scheduling feature will likely be available across all those platforms as well. It’s worth noting that older iPhone models, from the iPhone X and below, will not support the new iOS 18 update and will, therefore, miss out on the messaging feature.

Apple’s new scheduling feature will be available in iOS 18 when the operating system launches later this year. In the meantime, users who sign up for Apple’s beta testing program can get early access to it this summer.