"Send Later" option not appearing in Message app iOS 18

Restarting my phone worked. It made it appear.

I tried this feature and noticed it was there sometimes and then not others. A little internet searching show that it apparently only works with other iOS devices. Then it all made sense.

After years of my partner teasing me about how she can schedule texts to be sent later I was thinking to myself, "Finally I'm going to be able to do that too." But..., no. How shockingly out of touch with its user base Apple must be to only allow that feature to other iPhone users. Hard to comprehend really - I didn't think they would stoop that low. I guess I will finally move on to Android now, I can't take the embarrassment any longer and I'm tired of waiting for basic features that the rest of the world gets years before Apple decides to bless us with them.

I have the iPhone Pro16 (IOS 18.3.1) and it works for me if I send a message to myself or another iPhone user (a big let down that it doesn’t include Android phones as well). Don’t know if it helps but the first time I tried it I had opened a new message and typed the recipient’s name in then pressed the + sign and didn’t get the Send Later option. I had to press the + sign before entering any text and then the option was there (on mine anyway). Sorry if you’ve already done it that way with no luck. I’ve also tried it with the Focus setting on and off and it still gives me the Send Later option.

Use the Shortcuts App. This will allow you to write and send your text message to anyone, anyphone, anytime. Shortcuts>new shortcut > send message.

It’s a workaround and inherently clunky compared to the ‘Send Later’ function, but it works.

Have you tried clicking on the "+" key before writing the text and before filling out the recipient's name/number? That's the only time it appears for me.

Punkin0001 wrote:

The Send Later feature of my iPhone is missing

Assuming you are using iOS 18, do you have the + button next to where you would type the message. That is where you would find the Send Later option that can only be used to send later to other users with iMessage. That means it is not possible to send later to an Android phone.

mjfromrockville wrote:

Interesting. I have the latest iOS (18.3.1), and there's no "send later" option. What iOS are you using? I have the option on my MacBook Air, but not on my phone.

You will only see the "Send Later" option if you are sending to someone using iMessages.

THIS! Thank you, laj397. That's the key. Clicking the "+" sign FIRST did, indeed, give me the "send later" option on my iPhone. Yippee!!!

redmondta wrote:

As a matter of fact, there used to be all sorts of choices when you pressed the plus sign to the left. Now when I press it, I only get pictures to select immediately. This is definitely a glitch. I’ve been using the send later function quite often, so I really miss it. Please somebody fix this glitch. Yes I have the latest update. That’s when the issue started. Anyone found what to do?

The glitch lies with your phone so no-one else but you can fix it.

Sometimes, just restarting will fix something like that. The next step I'd take is a forced restart.

Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

Yes it is just with other IOS users. I tried to send messages to Android user and it doesn’t show.

It appears when sending to other iPhones but you have to hunt for it in the list of apps. However even though it is advertised that it is not dependent on the recipient phone it is not showing up for non-iPhone users.

sounds like a bug that needs to be fixed. Or documentation needs to be updated.

BlueButterfly888 wrote:

There is a glitch. I’ve tried everything and everyone on your message list has to be using an IPhone for this to work.

Yes, everyone needs to be using iMessage. It's not a "glitch." It's working as designed. Whether or not you agree with this decision is another matter. You can let Apple know your thoughts using the feedback link previously provided in this thread.

mikethechap wrote:

It’s worked for me when texting non-iOS devices until today. I have no idea why it’s no longer on the iMessage + list. Apple Support pages still provides instructions for its use iOS 18+. So, it seems bizarre that it would suddenly quit working. Maybe it’s true that previous messages where it worked were all going to Apple devices. But, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. Plus, the Apple Support pages still say all devices should get it since it’s stored on Apple servers until delivery time.

It has never been an option if you were messaging someone who was not using iMessages. I think you may be misremembering.

Once your enter the email address/persons name to who you are sending the email to and complete your message, press and hold the arrow up bottom to the right of the recipient’s name to whom you are sending the message to. You will see 4 options of what to do and ‘send later’ is one of the options.

I had an android and the “Send Later” option was available for all my contacts. I used it daily and constantly! Changed to an iPhone 16, and this feature has limited usage - only available with other iMessage contacts. So disappointing! I wished I kept my android!