How to schedule a text message on an iPhone

Forgetting to send an important text is a problem that many people are guilty of having. But what if we told you that just by tweaking some settings on your iPhone, you can get it to automatically send a text message to a contact at a specified time? This would save you the hassle of having to remember to text someone for, let’s say, an important occasion like their birthday or anniversary.

While iOS doesn’t have this functionality built-in, you can use the Shortcuts app or other third-party apps to accomplish this task. This article will guide you on how you can schedule a text on your iPhone.

How to schedule a text message on an iPhone

Automating the task of sending text messages at pre-defined times is a fairly simple process. While there are many automation apps on Android, iOS only has the pre-installed Shortcuts app. The following steps will show you how you can use the Shortcuts app to set up such automation:

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Automation at the bottom of the screen.
3. If this is your first time creating automation, simply tap Create Personal Automation. If you have created an automation before this, tap the + in the top right corner and then tap Create Personal Automation.
4. Tap Time of Day, and then select the time for when you want to schedule the message.
5. Next, tap Monthly and use the calendar to select the month and date you want the message to be sent. When that’s done, tap Next.
6. Now, tap Add Action. In the menu that appears, go to the Apps tab and select Messages. Under the Messaging section, select Send Message.
7. Type the content of the text you want to send in the Message field and the contact you want to send the message to in the Recipients field, and then tap Next.
8. Double-check the entire automation to make sure the details are all correct. One thing you need to pay particular attention to is the Ask Before Running option. At the default setting (On), it will ask you before executing the automation, and you will have to confirm to send the message. But if you want the automation to run without any input from your end, simply turn the toggle off for this option.
9. Once you are sure you have set up the automation exactly like you want it to, tap Done.

You have successfully set up a message to be sent at a later time. One thing you should keep in mind, though, is that the automation will send that particular message to the contact you have selected on the same date and time every month. If you don’t intend for this to happen, you will need to delete the automation after it has been executed. You can do this by sliding right to left on the automation and tapping Delete.

You can also use the variety of third-party apps available on the App Store to schedule a message to be sent at a later time. These apps allow you to set up messages to be sent either once or in a recurring pattern. Some of the best ones include:

1. Reminderbase – SMS Scheduler: A useful feature this app has is the ability to set the timezone of the recipient so they receive messages according to their timezone.
2. Moxy Messenger: This one includes support for a lot of messaging apps, including Whatsapp, Slack, Messenger, GroupMe, etc.
3. Carrier Messaging: This app allows you to create entire groups you can send automated messages to, making the process of sending them multiple messages a lot easier.

While all of these apps are free to download, they do include in-app purchases. All of them work in different ways, but they all would have options to choose the contacts you want to send the message to and the date and time you want to schedule the message.

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