You’ll soon be able to schedule outgoing texts in Google Messages

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If you’re an Android user, go see if your Google Messages app now has the power to schedule your texts. Google has been testing the feature since early November, and now it’s rolling out more widely.

We saw Gmail get the ability to schedule outgoing emails earlier this year, and Outlook has had the feature for ages.

Now, Messages is joining the club, so you don’t wake up your friends when you just have to share that meme in the middle of the night. That’ll be welcome news to your family and friends and is one more step towards Messages being a fully-featured messaging app, to rival Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, etc.

https://twitter.com/besaireddy/status/1323865351830999046

To use the new scheduling feature inside the Google Messages app

1. Open up Messages, and then open any chat or start a new message
2. Long-press on the Send button
3. If you’ve got the new feature, you’ll get a pop-up with scheduling options that include three pre-set times, and the option to choose your own day and time
4. You might not have the update yet, in which case you’ll see the old MMS interface

You’ll have to remember to leave your phone on though, as the scheduled messages won’t get sent if your phone is off, or if you don’t have connectivity at the time. The scheduled messages will show up in your chats list, so you can delete or edit them at any time before the scheduled time of sending.

If you can’t see the new scheduling features yet, you’ll have to wait. It’s rolling out as a server-side update, so it’ll get to everyone eventually. Even having the beta version of Messages installed is no guarantee that you’ll get the new feature.

What do you think? Could you see yourself using this new Messages feature? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.