Send later option in messages disappeared for a contact

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Level 1

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Send later option in messages disappeared for a contact

Hi, I use an iPhone 17 Pro Max and have relied on the send later option in messages for a long time, but I had never encountered a contact where it disappeared. Today, the choice was missing for one person, yet it appeared for another; since the missing one shows green messages, I assumed the issue might be that they lack an iPhone. I suppose every prior use involved someone with an iPhone. Does anyone know whether this is the cause or something else?

iPhone 17 Pro Max, iOS 27

Posted on Aug 21, 2026 10:52 PM

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Answer 1

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WheelieNick

Level 9

56,499 points

Aug 22, 2026 3:02 PM in response to Ashleyaz29

Yes, your assumption is completely correct: the "Send Later" option disappears because the contact is not an iPhone user.

Apple's built-in Send Later feature relies entirely on Apple’s server infrastructure and only works for iMessage conversations . When a contact's text bubbles are green, it means the conversation is using standard carrier SMS/MMS networks or RCS, which do not natively support Apple's cloud-based message scheduling.

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