You can now schedule direct messages on Instagram, here’s how

Instagram

If you want to be the first to wish your friend a happy birthday at midnight but can’t stay up because of work the next day, don’t worry. Instagram now lets you schedule direct messages – which means you will be able to choose the date and time you want to wish your friend.

With this feature, you can plan your message in advance and still be the first to send your wishes without staying awake till 12 am. It’s easy and convenient for anyone with a busy schedule.

The feature was first reported by TechCrunch. Soon after the report went live, Instagram too made changes to its security page. Notably, the feature only supports text based messages, so scheduling messages containing pictures or videos is not possible.

How to schedule a message on Instagram

Follow these steps to schedule a message on Instagram:

–Open Instagram and tap the send or messenger icon at the top right of your feed.
–Select the chat where you want to send the message.
–Type your birthday wish or any other wish which you want to convey in the message box or reply to an existing message by tapping and holding it, then selecting Reply.
–Once your message is ready, tap and hold the send icon.
–Choose a date and time to schedule the message. Make sure your device’s time zone is correct since the scheduling works based on it.
–Confirm your selection at the bottom.

Things to keep in mind

After scheduling, your message will remain visible only to you under the Scheduled message section in the chat. It will automatically be sent to your friend at the exact time you set.

While this feature supports only text-based messages (no photos, videos, or GIFs), it’s ideal for ensuring timely wishes or reminders without any extra effort.