YOU can now schedule texts on your iPhone to send at almost any time.
Better still, the message will go through even if you don’t have signal when the message is due to deliver.
Look out for the dotted line around texts – it means they’re scheduled messages[/caption]
It’s all thanks to a new iPhone feature called Send Later.
This was bundled into Apple‘s new iOS 18 update, and is available right now.
Apple explains: “If it’s too late at night or too important to forget, you can schedule a message to be sent at a later time.”
There’s also no additional cost to scheduling a text versus sending it normally.
HOW TO SCHEDULE A TEXT
First, make sure that you’ve got an iPhone running iOS 18 or later.
Just go into Settings > General > Software Update to check.
Thankfully the recipient doesn’t need to have iOS 18 to receive scheduled texts.
Then simply go into the Messages app on your iPhone, tap on the plus, then choose Send Later.
Tap the time and then choose an option from the scheduler.
This will determine when you text is ultimately sent.
You’ll notice that the edges of the text field become a dashed line. This means you’re scheduling a text rather than sending it out right.
Finally enter a message and then tap Send – the blue arrow.
Your message will appear with a dashed line until it’s delivery time.
You need to be online to schedule the text, but once you’ve done that, the message is encrypted and stored on Apple’s servers.
So it’ll send even if you’re offline when the time comes to send it.
SCHEDULING IPHONE TEXTS – TRICKS AND CATCHES
Firstly, note that you can only schedule a text message up to 14 days in the future.
Secondly, it’s possible to reschedule, edit, and even cancel scheduled messages at any time before the delivery.
But you can’t do any of this unless you’re online.
iOS 18 devices – can your iPhone get it?
Here are the devices that can get the new iOS 18 update
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone SE (3rd generation)
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
To adjust a message, simply hold down on the message and then choose an option.
You can also choose to “send it immediately” if you’ve changed your mind about delaying a text.
