If you want to send an email at a later time, you can schedule it on your iPhone using the Mail app. This feature is available from iOS 16 onwards and works with all your email accounts.
However, this approach is different to scheduling emails in Gmail (explained below) as it works on the server level and not on your device. Therefore, you must keep your iPhone switched on at the scheduled time for the email to go through successfully.
Send Later mailbox
If you’re on an iPhone, you can now schedule an email to send later with the Mail app. This is great if you’re on a different time zone or want to send an email in the morning rather than at 9PM, for example.
Once you’ve drafted your email, long-press on the blue Send button and you’ll see a scheduling menu. Choose a suggested time, like Send 9:00 PM Tonight or Send 8:00 AM Tomorrow, or pick a custom time to send the message.
The email will be stored in the Send Later mailbox until the scheduled time. You can view this folder from the Mailboxes screen and make changes or reschedule the email at any time. However, your iPhone must be switched on at the time you’ve set.
Send Later option
With the Send Later mailbox, you can schedule an email on your iPhone and it will be sent at a later date. This can be very useful, especially when you want to give someone a follow-up email or make sure they don’t get a message in the middle of the night.
In the Mail app, long press the Send button to see a menu of options like “Send Tonight” or “Send Tomorrow.” Then you can select a time using a calendar view.
The Send Later option is also very handy if you need to send an email to a person in another country, as you can set the date and time so it doesn’t land in their mailbox during odd hours.
It’s important to note that you need to have the device you’re sending the email to powered on and connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network at the time of the scheduled send. However, this is a much better alternative to a back-and-forth email chatter, which can take up a lot of time and distract your focus from your work.
Editing a scheduled email
If you’re one of the people who values planning ahead, you can use the iOS 16 mail app on your iPhone to schedule an email and have it sent at a time that suits your needs. This feature also lets you edit an existing email before it goes out to your recipients.
To schedule an email, tap and hold the blue Send icon in the mail app and select a sending time from preset options like 9:00 PM tonight or 8:00 AM tomorrow. You can also choose a custom time by tapping Send Later, then choosing a date and time from your calendar view.
A scheduled email is stored in the Send Later folder until the sending time arrives. You can edit it or reschedule it from this folder, as long as your iPhone is connected to an internet connection on the scheduled time.
Canceling a scheduled email
If you’ve made a mistake in an email and can’t be bothered to send it again, iOS 16 offers you the opportunity to cancel your message before it’s actually sent. This is an excellent way to fix an error or get a quick reply without risking your message going out to someone who might not read it.
In the default Mail app on iPhone and iPad, tap the blue | send button to see scheduling choices like “Send now,” or “Send at 9:00 pm tonight.” You can also specify your own time by tapping Send Later and choosing a date and time from a calendar view.
When you’ve scheduled an email, it will be stored in a special folder called the Send Later mailbox. This is where you’ll find it until the scheduled time arrives. From there, you can reschedule or even delete it. Just remember that your iPhone must be connected to the internet on the scheduled time to send it.
