Being able to schedule messages on WhatsApp can be really helpful if you’re looking to send a message at a specific time in the future. You might want to wish a friend a happy birthday at midnight, send a reminder to a colleague on their workday, or follow up with your client after a specific interval.
Now you might be wondering how to do that on WhatsApp. Unfortunately, WhatsApp doesn’t offer this feature natively, but does that mean it’s impossible to schedule messages on WhatsApp? Not at all!
If you’re having a hard time scheduling your messages on WhatsApp, we’re here to help! In this article, we’ll look at a few workarounds to help you schedule messages on WhatsApp and also discuss some useful external tools that support it.
Table of Contents
How to schedule messages on regular WhatsApp
How to schedule messages on WhatsApp Business
How to schedule messages on WhatsApp Business API
Conclusion
How to schedule messages on regular WhatsApp
By default, WhatsApp messenger doesn’t offer a message scheduling option. That means you’ll have to make your own strategy or rely on external tools to schedule messages. Here are a few ways you can schedule messages on regular WhatsApp.
Using reminders or calendar apps
We already use reminder apps and calendars for various reasons, especially to get notified about important tasks and occasions. They can be handy for messaging scheduling as well. Using reminder or calendar apps is a completely manual process as these apps don’t send a message automatically. However, they remind you to send the message at your chosen time. You may also note down any specific message you have in mind on these apps. You can use this strategy for both iOS and Android devices.
Using third-party apps
Before using any third-party app to schedule your messages on WhatsApp, be aware that the tools that mimic WhatsApp functionalities are against WhatsApp’s Terms of Service and might lead to a ban on your number.
If you’re an Android user, you can schedule messages by using third-party apps like SKEDit. Keep in mind that for such apps to work, you need to disable your screen lock and give control of your device to the app as it can’t automate sending messages with the lock screen on. Giving a third-party app access to your device could potentially expose your data to others. Using such apps to schedule messages is not recommended on a device that has your sensitive data, such as investment and banking information, unless you use the device exclusively to send messages on WhatsApp.
Another option to schedule your messages on WhatsApp using a third-party tool is by letting some apps hijack your WhatsApp account and schedule messages on your behalf. Yes, such apps exist! They require you to scan a QR code to simulate WhatsApp web and send messages on your behalf. It works on both Android and iOS devices. This could be slightly “safer” than giving an external app access to your entire device, but still not recommended as you’re exposing all of your WhatsApp data. Not to mention you would also be breaking WhatsApp’s Terms of Service, which can get you banned.
Remember, most third-party apps only work on Android devices. If you use an iPhone, the security measures don’t allow for such tools to be used.
Using Privyr
Privyr is a light yet powerful mobile-first CRM you can use to schedule your WhatsApp messages. Although its main functionality is around managing and following up with leads and clients via WhatsApp, iMessage, SMS and other channels, one of its functionalities include automatic follow-up reminders. This function helps you plan your WhatsApp message scheduling with far less manual effort than using reminder or calendar apps.
You can also schedule your messages for WhatsApp on Priyr manually. All you need to do is open your Privyr app, compose your message (or use one of the templates), enter the recipient, and set the date and time when you want to send your message. The app will notify you about the message when its time. You can then simply review the message and send your scheduled message on WhatsApp directly. The process doesn’t need you to switch between multiple apps.
Privyr is a reliable external tool to schedule messages as it works directly with the official WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business applications. More importantly, this tool doesn’t break the platform’s Terms of Service, unlike other third-party tools that require complete access to your account before sending scheduled messages.
How to schedule messages on WhatsApp Business
Just like regular WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business doesn’t have a built-in scheduling feature. Therefore, you’ll need to use a similar workaround like in regular WhatsApp to be able to schedule messages.
However, WhatsApp Business has an ‘Away Message’ feature for business communications that you can use to automatically respond to enquiries when you’re away. Here’s how you can activate ‘Away Message’ feature:
- Open WhatsApp Business and tap ‘More options‘.
- Go to ‘Settings’, then ‘Business settings‘, and tap on ‘Away message’.
- Set your away message, and select the time and recipients.
- Turn on ‘Send away message‘.
- The message will be sent to your customers who message you outside your business hours.
Although this isn’t technically a message scheduling feature, it’s a useful tool for businesses to maintain communication with customers. Other than that, you may want to follow the techniques explained above for regular WhatsApp to schedule your messages on WhatsApp Business.
How to schedule messages on WhatsApp Business API
WhatsApp Business API is designed for large-scale business communications, and is completely separate from the WhatsApp messenger people use on their phone. In fact, it doesn’t even work with the regular WhatsApp applications (personal and business). If you’re looking to schedule messages on WhatsApp API, keep in mind that WhatsApp has a strict policy around automated and bulk messaging, which aims to keep the platform spam-free. Any attempts to get around these restrictions can result in your number or account being banned from the platform.
Messaging scheduling is not natively supported in WhatsApp API either. Nwvertheless, you can implement it using server-side programming. Here are a few ways you can do it:
Writing the code yourself
If you have a technical team or knowledge, you can use task scheduling libraries in the server-side language of your choice to create a function that sends a message via the WhatsApp API at a certain time. You can set up a scheduled task on your server by using a server-side scripting language, such as Node.js or Python, and using a task scheduler like Cron in Unix or task scheduler in Windows, depending on your operating system. This allows you to send a WhatsApp message using the API at a specified time.
Using WATI
WATI is a WhatsApp support tool, highly useful for WhatsApp Business API users. It offers a reliable way to schedule WhatsApp messages through the API. You can schedule messages on WhatsApp via WATI’s Broadcast List feature. Here’s how to do it on different operating systems:
Schedule WhatsApp Messages On Android
- Open your WATI app, go to settings and tap More options > New broadcast.
- Select the contacts you want to add.
- Tap on the green checkmark.
Schedule WhatsApp Messages On iPhone
- Open your WATI app and tap Chats > Broadcast Lists > New List.
- Select the contacts you want to add.
- Tap ‘Create’.
Do note that the Broadcast List feature only works with saved contacts. Make sure you save the contact you want to schedule a message to before adding it to the Broadcast List.
Using other external tools
You may alternatively consider other external platforms like Gupshup or Twilio to schedule messages on WhatsApp API. These platforms integrate with WhatsApp Business API and offer message scheduling features along with many other tools for managing your communications. However, they may still require you to write code to integrate with their platforms.
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Conclusion
Being able to schedule messages on WhatsApp can save you a lot of time, especially if you use the platform for business conversations and aim to do a lot of timely follow-ups. However, since WhatsApp does not offer a message-scheduling feature natively, you’ll have to rely on workarounds or external tools to schedule your messages for future. While doing that, keep in mind that WhatsApp’s policies and guidelines want you to respect the recipient’s privacy. So you may want to only send messages to people who have agreed to receive them. Also, if you’re using a third-party tool to schedule your WhatsApp messages, be mindful of security implications and always prioritise your privacy and data protection.
Privyr is a mobile-first CRM that allows you to contact your leads through WhatsApp within seconds. Whether you’re generating leads from Facebook, TikTok, Google, or your own website, the tool seamlessly integrates with the lead source and makes it easier to contact and manage your leads, helping you improve lead conversation. Privyr can also be an excellent tool to schedule automatic follow-up reminders to send and organise your WhatsApp messages without breaking WhatsApp’s policies, and without risking your privacy and data. The best part is that you can use the tool for free. So why not try Privyr today?
