Google recently announced six updates for Android users, and one of them is the ability to schedule a text with Google Messages.

Perhaps it's late at night and your partner is sleeping but you want to ask them to take the trash out in the morning without setting their phone off, or maybe you need to text your boss a work-related reminder but don't want to hit send at 1am. That's where scheduling a text message comes in handy.

Here's how to schedule a text using Google's own Messages app on Android.

How 'schedule send' works in Google Messages

Google's text-scheduling feature is called "schedule send". It works in the Messages app on Android phones running Android 7 or newer. 

  1. Open the latest version of the Messages app.
  2. Start a new conversation or enter an existing one.
  3. Type the message you’d like to schedule.
    • Don’t hit the send button when the message is composed.
  4. Tap and hold the send button.
    • This prompts the scheduled send feature.
  5. You can choose to send your message at pre-determined times or whenever.
    • If you choose to set up your own schedule, you’ll see a calendar and time picker.
  6. Adjust the date and time and hit "Save" when done.
  7. You'll see the scheduled time above your message with a clock on the send button.
  8. Tap the clock send button to schedule your message.

Note: This feature should work with all different types of texts - SMS, MMS, and Chat messages. 

Anything else you should know?

Make sure your phone is connected to mobile data and/or Wi-Fi when the message is scheduled to go out or else it won't send.