How to schedule messages on Instagram

Instagram is still primarily thought of as a feed of algorithmically suggested photos, but the app is also quite popular for messaging. If you want to take some of the stress out of remembering to send a birthday message to a friend, as part of a recent update, you can now schedule messages on Instagram in advance. Scheduled messages cannot contain media such as GIFs, photos, or videos, but you can schedule them up to 29 days in advance on the Android and iOS versions of the app.

What are Instagram DMs?

If you’ve stuck to using Instagram as your smartphone photo repository, you may have missed the introduction of Instagram Direct in 2013 a direct messaging system integrated right into the Instagram app to share photos and videos with friends and family.

Meta has changed the look, location, and features of Instagram DM over the years, associating it with Messenger in 2020and recently added location sharing capabilities in November 2024 The addition of scheduled messages brings Instagram to a larger lineup with messaging tools like iMessage and Gmail.

How to schedule a message on Instagram

You can access DMs by tapping the arrow or chat bubble icon in the top right corner of your feed. To schedule a message, select an existing chat or create a new message by tapping the new message icon in the upper right corner. Then fill in the text box with whatever you want to say and tap and hold the blue arrow icon to the right of the text box.

Instagram will then pull up a series of dials that you can use to set the date and time you want your message to be sent. Once you’re satisfied, tap the blue send button at the bottom of the menu and the message will be scheduled.

How to delete a scheduled message on Instagram

If you change your mind about a scheduled message, you can delete it directly from your chat. From inside a chat, tap the small text that says “scheduled messages” above the text field. Then press and hold on the message you want to delete. From the drop-down menu that appears, tap Delete to remove the message.

How to edit a scheduled message on Instagram

If you want to edit your message instead of deleting it, things get more complicated. It became possible to edit normal Instagram messages in March 2024, but editing a scheduled message is currently not possible. There is a way to achieve the same effect if you are willing to do the extra work.

First, open the chat where the scheduled message you want to edit is. Then tap “scheduled messages” at the bottom of the screen above the text field. Find the message you want to edit, then touch and hold it. Tap Copy from this menu to copy the text to the clipboard, then repeat the process and tap Delete.

With your copied message in hand, paste it into the text field of your existing chat or new message. Edit it as you see fit, then tap and hold the blue arrow to the right of the text box to reschedule it for the date and time you want. Tap the send button at the bottom of the menu and it will be scheduled.