WhatsApp tests scheduled messaging for future growth

WhatsApp is testing a scheduled messages feature in its iOS beta, allowing users to choose a specific date and time for a message to be delivered automatically, a move that reflects a deeper shift in how the platform is positioning itself for more structured, business-oriented communication.

The feature, spotted in the iOS beta distributed through Apple’s TestFlight programme, enables users to draft a message and set it to be sent at a later time without relying on third-party automation tools. While scheduling functions have long been available in email and workplace platforms such as Slack or Microsoft Teams, their arrival on WhatsApp marks a notable development for an app that built its reputation on immediacy and informal, real-time chat.

Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, has repeatedly described the service as having more than two billion users globally. That scale gives even incremental product adjustments wider implications. Scheduled messaging may appear modest, but it aligns with Meta’s broader effort to expand WhatsApp beyond a personal messaging tool into an essential utility for commerce, customer service and community management.

Under the beta version, users can reportedly access a scheduling option within the message interface, selecting a future delivery time rather than sending immediately. The feature remains in testing and has not yet been rolled out widely. Meta has not publicly confirmed a timeline for a full release, and beta features do not always graduate to general availability. Still, the direction of travel is consistent with the company’s product strategy over the past three years.

Since 2022, Meta has intensified efforts to monetise WhatsApp indirectly through business services rather than advertising within personal chats. WhatsApp Business, launched in 2018, now allows companies to create profiles, catalogue products and interact with customers. Larger enterprises use the WhatsApp Business Platform, integrated via application programming interfaces, to manage high volumes of customer queries and notifications. Scheduled messaging could strengthen these capabilities by enabling reminders, appointment confirmations and promotional communications to be timed precisely.

Industry analysts note that structured messaging tools are increasingly central to digital commerce. In markets across Asia, Latin America and parts of Europe, WhatsApp functions as a primary interface between consumers and small businesses. From restaurant bookings to medical appointments, the app has become an operational backbone. Enabling native scheduling reduces reliance on external software and may encourage more small enterprises to use the platform as a quasi customer relationship management system.

At the same time, the feature has implications for personal communication. Birthday wishes, meeting reminders or group announcements can be prepared in advance and delivered automatically. This shifts WhatsApp slightly closer to productivity tools, blurring the boundary between casual chat and task management. For a generation accustomed to ephemeral messaging, the introduction of time-controlled delivery represents a subtle cultural change.

Meta’s strategic repositioning of WhatsApp has been gradual. The introduction of Communities in 2022 allowed administrators to manage multiple related groups under a single umbrella. Channels, rolled out globally in 2023, created a broadcast-style feature enabling organisations, media outlets and public figures to share updates with large audiences. Payments services, available in select markets including Brazil and India, have added financial transactions to the mix. Each addition has nudged the app towards becoming a multifunctional platform rather than a simple chat service.

Competition also shapes these decisions. Telegram has long offered scheduled messages, as well as bots and advanced automation tools. Apple’s iMessage ecosystem integrates scheduling through system-level shortcuts. In China, WeChat combines messaging, payments and services in a tightly integrated “super app” model. While WhatsApp does not replicate that model entirely, Meta has signalled interest in making the app more indispensable within daily digital life.

Privacy considerations remain central to WhatsApp’s brand. End-to-end encryption, introduced by default in 2016, is frequently cited by Meta as a defining feature. Any expansion of functionality must operate within that encrypted framework. Scheduled messages, if implemented on-device rather than stored on central servers before dispatch, would preserve this architecture. Meta has not disclosed technical specifics, but privacy advocates are likely to scrutinise how timing data and stored drafts are handled.

Regulatory pressures also influence product development. European and UK regulators have taken a closer look at large digital platforms’ market power and data practices. By embedding more business tools directly within WhatsApp, Meta strengthens the service’s utility, potentially deepening user dependence. Critics argue that such integration can consolidate dominance; supporters counter that it enhances efficiency and user choice.

For Meta, diversification is a financial imperative. Advertising revenue remains concentrated in Facebook and Instagram. WhatsApp, despite its vast user base, has historically generated limited direct income. Expanding business messaging, transaction fees and premium tools offers a pathway to monetisation without inserting traditional adverts into private chats, a move that could provoke user backlash.