It’s 7am and I’m about to leave when I get a text message from my girlfriend: “please check the laundry in the dryer and if it’s still wet run it again.” She’s still asleep in bed, and she hasn’t touched her phone. She scheduled the message on her iPhone last night to send this morning. I start the dryer and leave for work.
Scheduling messages is a hot feature that I’m hearing more people talk about, and it’s a surprisingly useful tool that goes far beyond reminding your partner to finish the laundry. You can schedule a text message from an iPhone or an Android phone, and I’ll show you how to find the feature in the Messages app.
I’ve come up with 13 situations when you might want to schedule a text message for later, and please chime in below in the comments with your favorite suggestions! This feature is new to most of us, so there are useful ideas yet to be discovered.
How to schedule a text message
It couldn’t be easier to schedule a message for later. On the iPhone and Android, you’ll use the same app: Messages. First, start writing a text message to your chosen recipient, like usual.
Next, look for the “+” next to the text box where you type your message. Both the iPhone and Android have the same + sign. On the iPhone, choose “Send Later” from the options that appear. On Android, choose to “Schedule Send” the message.
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When to schedule a text message
The iPhone will automatically suggest 9am to send your message, but if you tap on that time, you can pick your own time and date, up to a year ahead.
On Android, you get 8am, 1pm, or 6pm as suggestions, but you can choose any time in the future – and I do mean ANY time. I scheduled a text message for myself in the year 2100. My message for future me? Sup.
Time Zone Courtesy
You shouldn’t send text messages at any odd hour of the night. I usually keep my phone on vibrate, but many folks get a noisy notification. And some people just can’t resist reading a message as soon as it arrives.
If you’re in another time zone or sending messages at times when your recipients are asleep, you may want to consider scheduling the message for a more appropriate hour. Samsung Galaxy phones include 8am as a common shortcut for scheduling messages.
The wet laundry reminder
Is the laundry wet? Did you leave dinner in the slow cooker? Does your kid forget to put on socks? Schedule a text message to remind them at just the right moment. You don’t even need to raise an eyelid to send it.
Automate Happy Anniversary
Do you forget birthdays? Schedule a text message now. It’s the thought that counts, but they don’t need to know when you had the thought. In fact, go ahead and schedule some messages for the next few birthdays and save yourself a lifetime of drama.
Don’t text a student during class
I have something to tell my kid as soon as possible, but I don’t want to forget it, and I also don’t want to encourage him to use the phone in school. Instead of texting him at 10am during English class, I’ll schedule that message for the end of his school day. His teachers would appreciate it, I’m sure.
I’ll decide when we talk about this
Okay, we all have difficult people in our lives with whom we need to stay in touch. With scheduled messaging, I can decide when to start a conversation – or when to avoid one.
Hi Team! It’s your boss texting
Time to rally the troops! A clever text message from a beloved leader might be a nice start to a busy campaign, but be careful. Most people don’t want more work in their life.
It’s 5 o’clock sometime
Want to hang out after work? I don’t want to forget to make plans, but I also want to leave the office and catch the earliest train. I’ll schedule a message to friends like I’m Fred Flinstone blowing the whistle at the end of the day.
Dad, take your pills and turn off the TV
Do you care for somebody – or care about somebody – who needs a helpful nudge? You can schedule a personal message to help them remember important tasks or simply to remind them to take care of themselves.
I was in meetings all day, that’s why I’m sunburnt
I’m not saying you should cut out of work and hit the beach while the weather is warm, but a few well scheduled texts like “Hey, I got called into a meeting with Sales” or “What’s the status of those TPS reports?” would make it seem to your boss like you’re working, when maybe you’re not.
I bet you’re not salsa dancing in a year
Ever make someone a long-term bet — like a looooooong-term bet? I once bet my Dad that Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Starlight Express would stay on Broadway for at least 10 years. I could have scheduled a text message back then to be sent 10 years in the future, asking, “Is the Choo Choo version of Cats still running?” It’s not, sadly.
I’m 30, you’re 30, wanna get married?
Did you make a pact with a friend in high school that if neither of you had settled down by the time you both were 30 years old, you’d get together? You can schedule a text message right now to send on that birthday, even if it’s a few years away. Whether or not you’re serious, it’s a fun way to reconnect.
Hit the gym, big guy
Sure, there are reminder apps and calendar apps, but a text message breaks through notification walls that keep other distractions out. You might text yourself to hit the gym at 7p after dinner, or remind yourself to drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning.
You’re good enough, you’re smart enough…
Why does a text message to yourself have to be urgent or bossy? Send yourself a reminder that you’re a good person. Schedule a self-affirmation to say that everything is going to be okay, because you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it… people like you!
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philip.berne@futurenet.com (Philip Berne)
