WhatsApp users may soon have a useful new feature: the ability to schedule messages in advance. According to WABetaInfo, a website that tracks WhatsApp updates, the feature is now rolling out to some Android beta testers using version 2.26.40.7.

The feature will allow users to write a message in advance and choose the date and time it should be sent, without having to remember to send it themselves.

How Will It Work?

According to the report, users who have access to the feature will be able to type a message in a chat, press and hold the send button, and choose when the message should be sent.

Messages can reportedly be scheduled from 10 minutes to two weeks in advance. The feature is expected to support text messages, links, photos and videos. In the current beta version, scheduled media messages are limited to one item at a time.

Scheduled messages are designed to be sent automatically at the selected time, even if the app is closed or the phone is offline.

Users Will Be Able to Manage Scheduled Messages

According to the report, WhatsApp is adding a dedicated section in chat information where users will be able to view scheduled messages and delete them before they are sent.

The feature is expected to work in both private chats and group chats. In groups, scheduled messages will reportedly be sent to members who were in the group when the message was scheduled.

When Will It Be Available to Everyone?

For now, the feature is being rolled out gradually to selected Android beta testers. WhatsApp has not announced an official release date for all users, and there is no confirmed date for its arrival in the regular version of the app.

Installing the beta version does not guarantee that the feature will be available on every account.

If the rollout continues as expected, scheduled messages could be especially useful for preparing birthday greetings, reminders and updates in advance and sending them at exactly the right time.