How to schedule WhatsApp messages: 2026 guide.
Scheduling a WhatsApp message means writing it now so it goes out on its own at a set date and time. The WhatsApp Business app schedules the away message, and to send reminders, follow-ups and campaigns at the exact time, businesses use the official API with a platform like Elocuenti.
Can you schedule a message on WhatsApp?
It depends on what you want to send. As of September 2026, WhatsApp's official help explains how to schedule the WhatsApp Business away message and how to schedule calls, but it doesn't document an option to schedule a regular message inside a chat. WhatsApp has been testing that feature in beta versions during 2026.
For a business, the official way to send messages at an exact date and time is the WhatsApp API. A platform connected to your number schedules Meta-approved templates, for one person or for thousands, and records who replied.
What's best avoided are unofficial apps and extensions that promise to automate your personal WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app. WhatsApp restricts accounts that show signs of automated or bulk messaging, and the number is put at risk.
Ways to schedule WhatsApp messages
| Option | What it schedules | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Business away message | An automatic reply during the hours you pick | To say you're closed or on vacation |
| A reminder on your phone | A nudge for you to send the message by hand | For an occasional personal message |
| A platform on the official API | Approved templates, at the date and time you choose | For a business's reminders, follow-ups and campaigns |
| Unofficial apps that automate your account | Sends from your personal WhatsApp or the app | Not worth it: WhatsApp restricts accounts over automated messaging |
How to schedule the away message in WhatsApp Business
It's the only scheduling the business app offers, and it replies on its own while you're away.
- 01
Open the app's tools.
In the WhatsApp Business app, go to the business tools and tap «Away message».
- 02
Turn it on and write the message.
For example: «Thanks for reaching out. We'll reply tomorrow from 8:00 a.m.».
- 03
Pick the schedule.
Send it always, during hours you define, or only outside your business hours.
- 04
Choose who gets it and save.
Everyone, people who aren't in your contacts, or a list you choose.
How to schedule WhatsApp messages with the official API
The way to send at the exact time without anyone watching the phone.
- 01
Connect your number to the API.
With coexistence you keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number, without losing your history.
- 02
Create the template and submit it for approval.
Meta reviews the text and its category: marketing, utility or authentication. Outside the 24-hour window, only approved templates go out.
- 03
Choose who gets it.
One customer, a segment or a list of contacts who agreed to hear from you.
- 04
Schedule the date and time.
The platform sends it on its own, and every reply lands in your inbox with the customer's history.
Which messages a business should schedule
Appointment reminders
A day before and a few hours before, with the option to confirm or reschedule in the same chat.
Payment reminders
Before and on the due date, with the payment link ready so customers pay without leaving WhatsApp.
Quote follow-ups
Two or three days after sending a price, to answer questions before the customer goes cold.
Abandoned carts
A few hours after someone left products in your online store without buying.
Launches and promotions
A campaign to a customer segment, scheduled for the hour they usually reply.
After-sales and reviews
Days after delivery, to see how it went and ask for a review.
How to pick the time for a scheduled message
- Schedule in the customer's time, not yours: if you sell in several countries, split the sends by time zone.
- Avoid nights and early mornings: a message that lands while the customer sleeps gets ignored or reported.
- Check the 24-hour window: after it you can only write with an approved template.
- Schedule when someone can reply: a message nobody answers loses the sale it started.
- Test two times with similar groups and keep the one that gets more replies.
How Elocuenti schedules sends
In Elocuenti you schedule the date and time of each campaign, choose the customer segment and measure what it sells against a control group. Appointment reminders, payment reminders and follow-ups go out on their own with automations, without your team having to remember.
When a customer replies to a scheduled message, the AI agent answers instantly with that customer's history, books, quotes and, in Colombia, takes the payment in the same conversation, and hands your team whatever needs a person.
See WhatsApp campaignsSources
- How to use away messages WhatsApp Help Center
- About restricted accounts WhatsApp Help Center
- WhatsApp Business Platform message templates Meta for Developers
- WhatsApp tests scheduled messages (February 24, 2026) MacRumors
Frequently asked questions about scheduling WhatsApp messages
Can you schedule a message on WhatsApp?
In the app, the official help only documents scheduling the WhatsApp Business away message. To send at an exact date and time, a business uses the official API with a platform that schedules approved templates.
Is the away message a scheduled message?
It's an automatic reply: it goes out on its own when someone writes to you during the hours you set. It can't message a customer first on a given date.
Can scheduling messages get my WhatsApp banned?
With unofficial apps, yes: WhatsApp restricts accounts over automated or bulk messaging. With the official API and approved templates, it's the way Meta allows.
How much does scheduling messages with the API cost?
Meta charges per delivered template, based on its category and the customer's country. Replies inside the 24-hour customer service window don't carry that cost.
Do I have to stop using the WhatsApp Business app?
No. With coexistence you connect your same number to the API and keep using the app, while scheduled messages go out from the platform.
Every message, right on time.
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