How to schedule text messages on an Android phone to send texts at a more convenient time

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You can schedule text messages on an Android using Google Messages or Samsung Messages.
If the scheduler is not available on your version of Google Messages, you might need to opt into its beta program.
There are many third-party message apps with a scheduling feature, including Do It Later and Pulse.

Not every text message needs to be sent the moment you write it. If you want to delay a text — perhaps to avoid sending it in the middle of the night and disturbing the person who is unwise enough not to have their phone set to Do Not Disturb mode — it's easy to schedule it for another time. And you can do this no matter what version of Android you have, though in some cases it might require using a third-party app.

How to schedule text messages on Android using Google Messages

Start Messages and create a text message, but don't send it.

Tap and hold the Send button. After a moment, the "Schedule send" pop-up window will appear.

Tap and hold the Send button to see your scheduling options. Dave Johnson/Insider

Choose the time you want to send the message. You can choose from among several preset times or tap "Pick date and time" and choose the exact time you like.

Tap the Send button, which now has a small clock icon to indicate this is a scheduled text.

A scheduled text will show the clock in the Send button. Dave Johnson/Insider
If you don't have this feature in Google Messages, it hasn't rolled out to you yet. If you want it right away, you can open the Google Play Store app, find Google Messages, and opt into the beta program on the product page. The beta version of the Messages app should include this feature.

How to schedule text messages on Android using Samsung Messages

If you have a Samsung phone, you can schedule texts using Samsung Messages.

Start the Samsung Messages app and create a text message, but don't send it.

Tap the arrow to the left of the text field to see additional options, then tap the plus button.

In the library of options that pops up, tap "Schedule message."

Choose "Schedule message" from the options at the bottom of the screen. Dave Johnson/Insider

Set the time and date that you want to send the message, then tap "Done."

Tap the Send button to send the message at the scheduled time.

How to schedule text messages on Android using third-party apps

Between Google Messages and Samsung Messages, you should have all the text message scheduling options you need. But if you prefer, there are a variety of third-party messaging apps that offer this capability as well. Here are some of the best options:

Do It Later: Do It Later is a free messaging tool that lets you easily schedule messages, emails, tweets, and other kinds of messages — even fake phone calls. To use it, just tap the plus in the lower-right corner of the screen, create your message, and schedule the send time.
Do It Later has a slew of scheduling options on screen when you create a text message. Dave Johnson/Insider
SMS Organizer: This app from Microsoft has a lot of polish even though it is still in beta. To schedule a text message, simply tap the calendar icon that appears under the text field, beside the attachment icon.
Microsoft SMS Organizer has a calendar icon when you create text. Dave Johnson/Insider
Pulse: Similar to Google Messages, Pulse allows you to schedule texts by tapping and holding the Send button. You can find Pulse in the Google Play Store.
Tap and hold the Send button in Pulse to see the scheduling options. Dave Johnson/Insider

Dave Johnson Freelance Writer Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider. Read more Read less

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