Why wait for the right and appropriate moment when iPhone Mail can wait for you (and deliver the email or reply on point)? Find out here how to schedule an email in Apple Mail on an iPhone for later delivery.
First, Eats Leaves and Scoots
Like its nominal relative the giraffe, the elegant gerenuk (the Somali “gáránúug” reportedly means giraffe-necked, after all) eats primarily leaves off trees and shrubs in its dry East African home.
Like the panda, the gerenuk also eats shoots; then, however, it does something special none of the other two can muster: it leaves. The gerenuk can leave without taking a single sip of water to accompany its diet. With superior liquid management, it can go on perpetually with just the moisture taken from the leaves it gathers.
Now, want to do something special as well? Gather your messages so you can have the delivered as emails later—without lifting a single finger (then):
How to Schedule an Email in Apple Mail on an iPhone
Time needed: 2 minutes
To send an email at a scheduled time in the future from Apple Mail on your iPhone:
- Tap and hold the sending button.
Here’s where: The button sports an upward arrow and is next to the subject (or New Message) at the top.
Disabled: The button is enabled once the email has at least one recipient and either a subject or edited text (you can write and then remove text in the body). - Pick Send Later… from the menu that has appeared.
Suggested times: You can also choose one of the preset times in the menu to schedule the email for later in the day or next morning quickly.
- Now choose the date and time for desired (earliest) delivery.
- Tap Done.
Delivery time: The iPhone needs to be on and online for delivery to happen at the scheduled time.
I’d rather not: If you change your mind, you can cancel delivery or reschedule an email; see below.
On the desktop: How to Schedule an Email in Apple Mail for Mac
How to Schedule an Email in Apple Mail on an iPhone: FAQ
Does the iPhone have to be online at the scheduled time?
Yes.
Scheduled messages are delivered at the time by iPhone Mail, not relayed to a server before.
What happens when the iPhone is offline or off at the scheduled time?
When the iPhone cannot send the message immediately at the scheduled time because. it is offline,
- the message is moved from the Send Later folder to Outbox and delivered once the iPhone is online.
If the iPhone is off at delivery time,
- the schedule email is delivered when the iPhone restarts and has an internet connection.
Can I cancel a schedule or edit the message before delivery?
Yes.
To change the delivery time or the message itself (or both) before the scheduled time:
- Open the folder Send Later for the email account in iPhone Mail.
- Tap the message you want to change.
- Now tap Edit next to the current scheduled time for delivery.
- Choose a new date and time for sending, then tap Done to reschedule.
Edit the message: To edit the message itself, tap Cancel Send Later and open the draft from the folder Drafts; you can then edit and send or re-schedule the message.
You can also cancel a scheduled email altogether, of course, by deleting it in the Send Later folder; note that this does not save the message as a draft for further editing.
Will I see emails scheduled in iPhone Mail on iCloud.com or on a Mac?
No.
Scheduled messages are kept only locally on the iPhone until delivery time.
(How to schedule an email in Apple Mail on an iPhone tested with iOS 16–18; first published August 2023, last updated January 2025)