Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging apps, allowing you to easily communicate with friends and family. One useful Messenger feature is the ability to schedule messages to be sent at a later date and time. Scheduling Messenger messages can be helpful for reminding someone about an event or wishing them a happy birthday.
Whether you want to schedule a message for later today or next month, setting up a scheduled Messenger message only takes a few taps. Here’s what you need to know about using this handy Messenger tool.
Why Would You Want to Schedule a Messenger Message?
There are a few different reasons why scheduling a Messenger message can come in handy:
- Wish someone a happy birthday at midnight on their special day.
- Remind a friend about an event or appointment coming up.
- Send an important message during your recipient’s normal waking hours, even if you’ll be busy at that time.
- Schedule messages to be sent while you’re on vacation or unable to use Messenger.
- Send messages as part of a social media marketing campaign.
Scheduling messages on Messenger allows you to queue up communications in advance so they get sent at the most relevant and convenient times.
How to Schedule a Message on Mobile
Scheduling a future Messenger message is easy to do on both iPhone and Android devices. Here are the steps:
On iPhone
- Open the Messenger app and select the conversation you want to schedule the message for.
- Type out your message as usual.
- Tap and hold the send button (it looks like an arrow).
- Select the “Schedule Message” option from the menu.
- Pick the date and time you want the message to be sent.
- Tap “Schedule” to confirm.
You’ll see a note that the message is scheduled. The recipient will not see or receive the message until the scheduled date and time.
On Android
- Open the Messenger app and select the conversation.
- Draft your message.
- Tap and hold the send button.
- Choose “Schedule Message” from the menu.
- Select the date and time to schedule the message.
- Confirm by tapping “Schedule.”
As with iPhone, the scheduled message will be sent precisely at the specified date and time.
How to Schedule a Message on Desktop
If you prefer scheduling Messenger messages from your computer, here are the steps:
- Go to www.messenger.com in your browser and open the conversation.
- Type out your message as you normally would.
- Click and hold the send button (shaped like a paper airplane).
- Choose “Schedule Message” from the menu.
- Select the date and time to send the scheduled message.
- Confirm by clicking “Schedule.”
The process works the same whether you’re using Messenger in your browser or the desktop app. The recipient will get the scheduled message precisely at the set date and time.
How to Schedule a Message on Facebook
It’s also possible to schedule a Messenger message directly from Facebook:
- Go to Facebook in your browser and locate the person you want to message.
- Click on the Message button next to their name.
- Type out your message as normal.
- Click and hold the send button.
- Choose “Schedule Message.”
- Pick the date and time to schedule the message.
- Confirm by clicking “Schedule.”
Even though you start the message from your Facebook timeline, it will be delivered on Messenger just like a regular scheduled message.
Scheduling a Message from Messenger Apps
In addition to the main Messenger app, you may use standalone Messenger apps like Messenger Lite or Messenger Kids. It’s possible to schedule messages from these apps too:
- Messenger Lite: Tap and hold the send button, then choose “Schedule Message.” Pick the date/time to send.
- Messenger Kids: Tap and hold the send icon, select “Schedule Message,” choose the date/time, and confirm.
So no matter which version of Messenger you use, you can easily schedule messages.
Changing a Scheduled Message
Made a mistake in your scheduled Messenger message? Not to worry, you can easily edit or reschedule a queued message:
- Open Messenger and tap your profile photo.
- Go to the “Scheduled Messages” section.
- Tap the message you want to edit.
- Make changes to the message text and/or scheduled date/time.
- Hit “Update” to save changes.
You have full control over scheduled messages up until they are sent out. Feel free to modify the content or timing as needed.
Cancelling a Scheduled Message
Want to cancel a message you previously scheduled? Just follow these steps:
- Open Messenger and tap your profile picture.
- Go to “Scheduled Messages.”
- Tap the red trash icon next to the message.
- Confirm that you want to delete the scheduled message.
The scheduled message will be immediately cancelled and will not send to the recipient. This is useful if you scheduled something by mistake or no longer need the message sent.
Limits on Scheduled Messages
Facebook Messenger allows you to schedule messages up to one year in advance. The schedule limit is:
- Up to 365 days in the future for regular messages
- Up to 30 days in advance for messages with more than 10 recipients
So you have plenty of flexibility to schedule messages when needed. However, Messenger will not let you pick a scheduling date more than one year out.
Scheduled Message Templates
If you find yourself scheduling the same messages over and over, Messenger has a templates feature that can help:
- Create a new scheduled message.
- Type out the message text you want to reuse as a template.
- Tap “Save as Template” below the text field.
- Name the template.
- Tap “Save.”
Now when composing a new scheduled message, tap “Templates” to access and reuse your saved templates. This can save you time when scheduling recurring or repetitive messages.
Troubleshooting Scheduled Messages
While scheduling Messenger messages is usually straightforward, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure you have an internet connection when composing and sending scheduled messages.
- Double check the date/time is correct before scheduling the message.
- For messages over 365 days in the future, reduce the date to within one year.
- If a message doesn’t send on schedule, try deleting and recreating it.
- Make sure Messenger has permission to run in the background on your device.
Following these tips should help avoid issues with scheduled Messenger messages not sending properly.
Third-Party Scheduling Apps
While Messenger’s built-in scheduling works great, there are also third-party apps that offer enhanced scheduling and automation for Messenger messages, such as:
- Buffer – Allows bulk scheduling and analytics for social media messages
- Hootsuite – Social media management platform with scheduling capabilities
- Sprout Social – All-in-one solution for scheduling messages across platforms
These tools provide expanded scheduling options but generally require a paid subscription plan. The native Messenger tool is still the easiest free way to schedule messages directly from your conversations.
Using Scheduled Messages for Marketing
For businesses and social media marketing, scheduled Messenger messages can be very useful. Some potential ways to leverage scheduled messaging include:
- Send event reminders and notifications to followers/subscribers.
- Schedule product launch announcements.
- Queue messages while you’re away so engagement remains consistent.
- Create evergreen content by recycling popular messages.
- Build automated nurture sequences to engage customers.
Pro tip: Use Messenger bots to fully automate scheduling marketing messages!
Can I Schedule Voice Messages?
At this time, Messenger does not allow you to schedule voice messages. The scheduling feature only works with regular text messages. Some workarounds include:
- Recording a voice message in another app, then sending as an audio file.
- Transcribing your voice message to text.
- Using a third-party automation tool that supports voice messages.
- Sticking to text scheduled messages.
Hopefully support for scheduling voice messages gets added in the future. But for now, text scheduled messages are the only option.
Conclusion
Scheduling Messenger messages is an easy way to set reminders, plan content, and messaging your connections at the perfect time. Whether using the mobile app, desktop browser, or Facebook website, it only takes a few taps to schedule a future Messenger message up to 365 days in advance.
To recap, here are some of the key points about Messenger scheduled messages:
- Great for reminders, birthday wishes, announcements, and event coordination.
- Easily change or cancel messages before they send.
- Reuse common messages as templates.
- Integrates seamlessly with your existing conversations.
- Completely free to use with all Messenger apps.
So if you haven’t taken advantage of scheduled Messenger messages yet, give it a try! It’s one of the handiest ways to plan your communications and ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Whether for personal or business uses, this tool can help take your Messenger game to the next level.