One nifty feature of many email clients is the ability to schedule messages to send in the future, letting you write an email and then have it automatically sent at a later time. Now Google is adding a similar feature to its Messages app.
Some Google Messages users are now seeing a "Schedule Message" feature in their app that enables the app to send a text message at a specific time in the future (via Twitter user Sai Reddy). Just write your text and press and hold the Send button and you'll get a few preset times to choose from, like "Later today, 6:00 pm" or "Tomorrow, 8:00 am".
You can also choose "Select date and time" and you'll be able to set a custom date and time for your message to be sent.
Once you've chosen the time that you'd like your message to be sent, your text will appear in the chat thread with a clock next to it and "Scheduled message" written below it. If you then tap on the message you'll have the option to update its contents, send it immediately, or delete the message.
Google Messages's scheduling feature doesn't appear to be rolling out widely quite yet. However, XDA-Developers has confirmed that the current Google Messages APK includes code for the feature, so it may get a wider rollout soon.
The ability to schedule text messages is a nice addition to Google's texting app. Sometimes you might think of something you want to say to or ask someone, but it's not an appropriate time to bother them with a text. This feature allows you to write out the text while it's fresh in your mind but then have it automatically sent later at a better time for them.
Is this a feature you could see yourself using?
