WhatsApp is finally fixing one of its most glaring feature gaps. After months of quiet development, WhatsApp is rolling out the ability for users to schedule messages through Android Beta version 2.26.40.7.

If you have ever relied on third-party workarounds or set calendar reminders just to send a late-night birthday wish without waking someone up, this update could make your life significantly easier, as discovered by WABetaInfo.

How message scheduling works and how to use it

Instead of tapping the send icon as you normally would after typing out a text or selecting a photo, holding down the send button triggers a new bottom sheet menu.

From there, you can pick a specific date and time for delivery.

WhatsApp allows you to queue up text messages, links, single photos, and individual videos anywhere between 10 minutes and two weeks in advance.

Crucially, delivery happens on WhatsApp’s servers, meaning your message fires off on schedule even if your phone happens to be powered off or completely disconnected from the network at that exact moment.

A dedicated section inside the chat info screen lets you review or delete pending items before they go out. Recipients will not see any tag indicating a message was scheduled, nor will they be notified if you decide to cancel one before delivery.

In group chats, messages are only delivered to members who were present at the moment of scheduling, avoiding awkward context issues if new members join later.

While the feature is currently limited to select beta users, a broader rollout across the stable channel should follow in the coming weeks.

WhatsApp is working on a new Settings page to make the app easier to use. The new design will help users find important options quickly without going through a long list.

In the new design, the Settings tab will become the You tab. It will show the user’s profile photo, name, and phone number at the top. Users can edit and share their profiles. Below this, they will find options such as Subscriptions, Lists, Broadcast Messages, Events, Starred, and Linked Devices.

Other options will move to a separate Settings menu. Users can open it by tapping the gear icon at the top of the screen. This menu will include Account, Privacy, Chats, Appearance, Notifications, Storage and Data, and Parental Controls. Help and other options will also remain available.

Image via WABetaInfo

WhatsApp will add a search bar to this menu, making it easier to find settings quickly. Users will also be able to add another account by tapping their account name in the You tab.

The main aim of this change is to make the Settings page cleaner and less crowded. Frequently used options will stay easy to find, while other settings will be available in a separate menu.

The new design is currently under development for iOS. It could soon reach beta users before gradually rolling out to more users. It was spotted in WhatsApp beta version 26.40.10.21 for iOS, available through TestFlight.

WhatsApp is bringing a new feature to Android users that allows them to watch status videos at double speed. The feature will help users watch status updates faster and save time. It is currently rolling out to some beta testers.

Users can easily use this feature. They just need to press and hold the right side of the screen while watching a status video. The video will immediately start playing at double speed, allowing users to watch the content in less time.

When users lift their finger from the screen, the video returns to normal speed. The speed change is temporary and does not remain active for other status updates. Users can use the gesture whenever they want while watching a video.

Image via WABetaInfo

The new feature can be useful for people who watch many status updates every day. WhatsApp has increased the maximum music clip duration in status updates from 15 seconds to 30 seconds. Watching videos at double speed can help users catch up on longer updates more quickly.

The press-and-hold gesture may also feel familiar to users of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, where similar controls are used to speed up videos. This makes the new feature easy to understand and use.

The feature was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.40.4, available on the Google Play Store. WhatsApp introduced the same feature on iOS last month. WhatsApp is rolling out the feature gradually to Android beta testers.

WhatsApp is testing a dedicated Contacts tab on Android that could make finding people and checking their availability much easier. The feature brings the contact list, online indicators, birthday reminders, and an option to invite friends into one place.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is testing the Contacts tab with Beta version 2.26.40.3. The change builds on an earlier plan to show online contacts inside Settings, but WhatsApp now appears to be moving that functionality into a dedicated section instead.

The new tab includes a search bar for finding contacts by name, phone number, or username. Users can sort contacts by activity or alphabetically. The Activity view puts people who are currently online first, followed by recently active contacts, while a green dot highlights those who are online.

WhatsApp is also preparing birthday reminders

Contacts with a birthday today could appear with a cake emoji and a “Birthday today” label, using information saved in the phone’s address book. There is also an “Invite a friend” option at the bottom, along with a shortcut to chat with Meta AI.

Contacts who hide their online or last-seen information will not suddenly become visible through this new tab. The feature organizes information WhatsApp is already allowed to show rather than creating a new way around privacy settings.

The Contacts tab is still under development and is not available to regular users yet. WhatsApp has not confirmed when it will roll out publicly.

More on WhatsApp:

• WhatsApp may block your login until you update Android or iOS

WhatsApp is rolling out a new warning that can prevent some users from logging in until they install the latest available software update on their Android or iPhone.

WhatsApp can identify accounts running on an operating system it considers too outdated and display a dedicated screen during login. The message directs users to their phone’s Settings app to install the latest available OS update.

According to WABetaInfo, the change is being applied server-side, so users do not necessarily need to download a new WhatsApp update to encounter it.

There is no announced list of Android or iOS versions that trigger the restriction yet. WhatsApp also appears to be enabling the requirement for selected accounts rather than switching it on for everyone at once.

End-to-end encryption protects WhatsApp conversations while they are being transmitted, but it cannot fully protect information on a compromised phone.

Older operating systems can contain publicly known security flaws that attackers may exploit to gain access to data before an app can protect it.

This is also separate from a WhatsApp vulnerability.

The company is effectively treating the operating system as part of its security boundary. If the underlying platform no longer receives important security protections, WhatsApp has less confidence in the environment where its app and user data are running.

For affected users, there is no workaround in the new login flow. Updating Android or iOS is required before WhatsApp allows access again.