WhatsApp appears to be finally adding message scheduling, a feature users have requested for years and that rival Telegram has offered since 2019. According to a report from Engadget, the capability was spotted in the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.8.11 by WaBetaInfo. It is currently available to some Android testers, with a wider beta rollout expected in the coming weeks and an official release likely to follow.
The feature works similarly to Telegram's implementation: users long-press the send button to open a scheduling dialog at the bottom of the screen, where they can pick a delivery date and time. A dedicated section lets users manage pending scheduled messages before they are sent. Messages can be scheduled from as little as 10 minutes ahead to up to two weeks in advance, and the feature is compatible with group chats.
Scheduled messages support text, links, photos, and videos, and remain protected by end-to-end encryption. Notably, the message will be delivered at the chosen time even if the device is offline at that moment. For businesses, this could help manage off-hours communications and recurring reminders without requiring someone to be online. As this is based on a single source reporting on a beta build, details may change before the public release.