WhatsApp will enable you to schedule reminders for specific messages and receive timely notifications so you don’t forget about important follow-up replies.
WABetaInfo reports that this feature has entered testing in the latest version of WhatsApp Beta for Android, with WhatsApp Beta for iOS expected to follow suit. Message reminders will be available to all users in a future update to the app.
You can set a reminder for any message to receive a push notification from WhatsApp at a designated time, reminding you to attend to the message.
How to schedule a follow-up reminder for a specific WhatsApp message
The feature is not live yet. When it launches, you’ll be able to schedule a reminder in WhatsApp by opening a chat and holding a specific message bubble to reveal the hidden menu with the “Remind me” option.
- Go to the chat list in WhatsApp for iPhone
- Touch and hold any message in the list.
- Select “Remind me” in the menu.
- Choose between “2 hours,” “8 hours,” “24 hours,” or “Custom” if you’d like to set a custom reminder timer instead, which can be handy for coordinating responses around meetings or deadlines.
The message is labeled with a tiny bell icon in the chat bubble to indicate that the specific message has a reminder set. When the timer expires, you will receive a push notification on your iPhone, resurfacing the message you care about so it doesn’t get overlooked in an ongoing conversation.
The notification is prefixed with a “🔔Reminder” and includes the message itself along with the chat it originated from and a preview of the attached media, if any.
I typically star messages that I need to come back to later and respond to. Also, I pin my most important conversations to the top of the app. But when message reminders are fully rolled out to all users, I will no longer be starring chats as a way to remember to check back later because I’ll actually receive a notification.
“It’s important to note that these message reminders are handled entirely on‑device, which means they remain private and are never shared with the other participants in the conversation,” the site notes.
“No one else in the chat will know that a reminder has been set, and this confidentiality allows messages to be organized without any pressure or concerns about visibility. This privacy also applies to WhatsApp, which does not have access to or store any information on its servers about the reminders users create and their content.”
Reminders about unread messages
WABetaInfo also reported that Meta is developing proactive reminders about unread WhatsApp messages. According to the site, WhatsApp will occasionally send notifications that highlight unread chats from the contacts that you interact with most frequently.
“This is useful in situations where a user is busy managing multiple conversations and unintentionally overlooks a message from someone they interact with often,” the site explains. Like reminders about specific messages, reminders about unread messages are currently being tested in WhatsApp for Android, with no word on when the test might expand to the iPhone or when the features might roll out to all users.
More new WhatsApp features coming
Other upcoming features being tested include threaded message replies for more structured conversations, especially in busy group chats.
Meta is also working on the ability to switch between two different accounts on one iPhone without having to use WhatsApp Business for a second account. WhatsApp usernames will make it possible to use the messaging app without revealing your actual mobile phone number.
Meta recently launched a native WhatsApp iPad app and released enhancements like voice chat in group conversations, AI wallpapers, message summarization and new privacy controls, and more.