Can You Schedule Messages On WhatsApp Or WhatsApp Business?

Essentials to know

• No direct scheduling for standard chats: WhatsApp Messenger lacks a native schedule button to queue ordinary one-to-one or group messages for a future date.
• Marketing messages can be scheduled: Eligible WhatsApp Business accounts can schedule promotional marketing campaigns and business broadcasts ahead of time.
• Built-in tools automate instant replies: Features like Away Messages, Greeting Messages, and Quick Replies handle automated customer communications without manual scheduling.
• Third-party scheduling apps pose security risks: Unofficial external scheduling apps can compromise customer data, breach WhatsApp’s Terms of Service, and risk account bans.
• Out-of-hours messages set clear expectations: Configuring Away Messages around your official business hours manages customer response times without needing to monitor your phone 24/7.

Picture this scenario – you know you need to send a customer an appointment reminder, you’ve written the message, and you know exactly when you want it to arrive. There’s just one problem: you don’t want to be holding your phone at that precise moment.

So, can you schedule a WhatsApp message in advance?

The short answer is: sort of. WhatsApp Messenger doesn’t currently include a universal scheduling tool for everyday chats, but businesses have several options depending on what they want to automate, where they operate and which WhatsApp product they use.

Here’s what you can schedule, how WhatsApp Business automation works and why unofficial workarounds should be approached carefully.

Is there a schedule button in WhatsApp?

There isn’t a standard schedule button that lets every WhatsApp user write an ordinary message, select a future date and send it automatically to an individual chat.

For example, you can’t generally open WhatsApp Messenger, write “Happy birthday”, hold the Send button and choose to deliver it next Tuesday.

However, WhatsApp has introduced scheduling within certain business messaging features. Eligible WhatsApp Business users may be able to schedule a marketing message or business broadcast for a chosen date and time. This is different from scheduling an ordinary one-to-one chat.

WhatsApp’s official guidance now includes steps for scheduling marketing messages and business broadcasts. These features may be paid and aren’t necessarily available to every account or market yet.

If you can’t see the option under Business tools, Marketing messages or Business broadcasts, it may not currently be available for your account.

Some sources also suggest that WhatsApp may be planning to introduce wider message scheduling in the future. Code found in beta versions of the Android and iPhone apps suggests that a native scheduling tool is in development, but WhatsApp hasn’t officially confirmed when – or whether – it will be released. For now, users shouldn’t assume that the feature is available on their account.

WhatsApp Messenger vs WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Messenger is primarily designed for conversations with friends and family. It supports messaging, calls, groups, Communities and Channels, but it doesn’t include the same customer-service automation as WhatsApp Business.

The WhatsApp Business app offers tools such as:

• Greeting Messages
• Away Messages
• Quick Replies
• Labels
• Catalogues
• Business Profiles
• Marketing messages or business broadcasts, where available
• Short links and QR codes

These features don’t all schedule messages in the traditional sense. However, they can reduce repetitive admin and ensure that customers receive an acknowledgement when you’re unavailable.

For larger or more complex operations, the WhatsApp Business Platform can connect with approved customer service, CRM and marketing systems. This enables more advanced automation, subject to WhatsApp’s templates, customer-consent rules and pricing.

How to schedule a WhatsApp Business marketing message

If scheduled marketing messages are available on your account, the general process is:

1. Open WhatsApp Business.
2. Go to Business tools or the Tools tab.
3. Select Marketing messages or Business broadcasts.
4. Create a new message.
5. Choose the eligible customers or audience.
6. Write your message and add any supported media or buttons.
7. Select Schedule.
8. Choose the date and time.
9. Review the audience, wording and cost.
10. Confirm the scheduled message.

The exact wording may differ depending on your country, phone and account.

Before confirming, check:

• The time zone used by your device or account
• Whether every recipient has agreed to this type of message
• Whether the offer will still be valid at the scheduled time
• Whether someone will be available to answer replies at the time of sending
• That you’re happy with the cost displayed by WhatsApp
• Whether the message complies with local marketing rules

Tip: To avoid disappointment or frustration from your customers, ensure that scheduled promotions don’t arrive after an offer has ended or at a time when nobody can answer interested customers.

Can Away Messages be used as a scheduler?

Away Messages are the closest thing to a built-in out-of-office scheduler in the standard WhatsApp Business app.

They don’t send a new message to a customer at a chosen time. Instead, they automatically reply when an eligible customer contacts you during the period you’ve scheduled.

You can choose:

• Always send: Useful during annual leave or a temporary closure.
• Custom schedule: Useful for a bank holiday, event or planned period away.
• Outside of business hours: Uses the hours listed on your Business Profile.

For example:

“Thanks for contacting [business name]. We’re currently closed, but your message has reached us safely. We’ll reply from 9am tomorrow.”

This doesn’t schedule tomorrow’s personal reply, but it immediately manages the customer’s expectations so they know when you’ll get back to them.

How to set up an Away Message

On Android

1. Open WhatsApp Business.
2. Tap the three-dot menu.
3. Select Business tools.
4. Tap Away message.
5. Turn on Send away message.
6. Edit your message.
7. Choose Always send, Custom schedule or Outside of business hours.
8. Select the recipients.
9. Tap Save.

On iPhone

1. Open WhatsApp Business.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Select Business tools.
4. Tap Away Message.
5. Turn on Send Away Message.
6. Edit the message.
7. Choose your schedule and recipients.
8. Tap Save.

WhatsApp explains the three timing options in its official Away Messages guide.

Tip: If you select Outside of business hours, check that the hours on your Business Profile are correct. Otherwise, customers may receive an Away Message while you’re open or hear nothing when you’re closed.

How to automate greetings for new enquiries

A Greeting Message welcomes people who contact your business for the first time or return after a period of inactivity.

To set up a Greeting Message:

1. Open WhatsApp Business.
2. Go to Business tools.
3. Select Greeting message.
4. Turn on Send greeting message.
5. Edit the wording.
6. Choose which recipients should receive it.
7. Tap Save.

Greeting Messages are normally sent when someone contacts the business for the first time or after 14 days without activity.

A useful greeting could say:

“Hi! Thanks for contacting [business name]. To help us answer quickly, please send your name, postcode and a brief description of what you need. We’ll be in touch shortly.”

What about Quick Replies?

Quick Replies aren’t scheduled or sent automatically. They’re saved responses that you choose to insert into a conversation.

For example:

• /hours could insert your opening hours.
• /quote could explain how to request a quotation.
• /delivery could provide delivery times and costs.
• /booking could link to your appointment page.

They save time without removing your control over when a message is sent. This makes them useful for questions that need a fast but slightly personalised response.

For more information on how to use them, visit WhatsApp’s official guide to Quick Replies.

Can you schedule WhatsApp messages with another app?

You’ll find third-party apps and browser extensions that claim they can schedule personal WhatsApp messages.

Some use Android accessibility permissions to read the screen, open WhatsApp and press Send on your behalf. Others may require access to notifications, contacts, chats or login information. Some tools can only prepare the message and prompt you to send it manually.

It’s worth being cautious before installing one, and weighing up the pros and cons before you do so:

• Is it an official WhatsApp partner?
• What phone permissions does it require?
• Can it read other customer conversations?
• Does it upload contact or message data?
• Where is that information stored?
• Can you revoke access easily?
• Does its privacy policy identify the company behind it?
• Is it using an approved WhatsApp Business Platform connection?

Note: Never give a scheduling service your WhatsApp verification code, two-step verification PIN or any device-linking code.

Could a third-party scheduler get your account banned?

Using an unofficial scheduler won’t automatically get your account banned, but unauthorised automation, bulk messaging, spam and modified versions of WhatsApp can breach WhatsApp’s Terms of Service and lead to restrictions or account loss.

The risk is particularly serious if a tool:

• Sends large volumes of unsolicited messages
• Scrapes or imports contact details without permission
• Mimics human activity to avoid platform controls
• Uses an unofficial or modified version of the WhatsApp app
• Asks you to share account credentials
• Continues contacting people who have opted out
• Sends misleading or fraudulent content

For business-critical messaging, use the official WhatsApp Business app, the WhatsApp Business Platform or a reputable approved provider.

Personalisation vs automation

Automation should make communication faster, not make customers feel like numbers.

A good automated message:

• Acknowledges the customer
• Explains what will happen next
• Gives a realistic response time
• Uses the business’s normal tone of voice
• Provides one relevant next step
• Makes it easy to reach a person when needed

In general, it’s best to avoid pretending that a customer has received a personal reply when they haven’t. Be clear when a message is automated, particularly if it concerns payments, complaints or time-sensitive services.

Managing out-of-office expectations

For a UK sole trader or small high-street business, automation can help establish professional opening hours without making customers feel ignored.

Set your Business Profile hours accurately, then use an Away Message outside those times:

“Thanks for contacting [business name]. We’re currently closed, but we’ll reply when we reopen at 9am tomorrow.”

Use a custom schedule for bank holidays, annual leave and seasonal closures, and remember that bank holidays can differ across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

If scheduled marketing messages are available, make sure customers have agreed to receive them. WhatsApp promotions may be subject to UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.

The smarter way to automate WhatsApp Business

The most useful WhatsApp automation tools are available through WhatsApp Business rather than a personal Messenger account.

To use WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business on the same phone, each account needs its own number.

With a dedicated number or business eSIM from YourBusinessNumber, you can keep customer and personal chats separate and protect your personal mobile number, while making the most of all the professional tools included in WhatsApp Business. That means setting up dedicated business hours, using Greeting and Away Messages, organising enquiries with Labels, and saving routine responses with Quick Replies.

Ready to build a more professional WhatsApp setup? Get your virtual number for WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business from YourBusinessNumber today.

This article provides general information and shouldn’t be treated as legal or regulatory advice. Messaging, marketing and data-protection requirements vary between countries, states and Provinces.