Microsoft Teams can finally schedule messages natively — in chats and in channels. That's the good news, and for "don't ping Marta at 11 PM her time" it's all you need. The bad news arrives the first time you try to schedule the same message twice: there is no recurring option. Not in chats, not in channels, not hidden behind a setting. The standup reminder you want every weekday at 8:55 AM simply isn't something the Teams composer can do. This guide covers all of it honestly: how native scheduling works, where it stops, and the two real ways to get recurring messages in Teams — Microsoft's Workflows route and third-party apps — with actual pricing.
TL;DR: One-off message → use Teams' built-in scheduler (steps below). Recurring messages → Schedule Message (our app, now on Microsoft Teams — recurring schedules sent under your own name, same as on Slack and Google Chat), Workflows if free-and-posted-by-a-bot is acceptable, or Delayed Send at $20/year.
How to schedule a chat message in Teams (built-in)
- Open the chat and type your message (you need to already have a conversation open with that person)
- Click the + (Actions and apps) button next to the send button and choose Schedule message — on mobile, just long-press the Send button
- Pick the date and time, then select Continue
- Hit Send — the message shows in the chat as scheduled, and you can edit, reschedule, or delete it any time before it goes out
That's genuinely it, and it works well. Scheduled chat messages are delivered even if you're offline at send time, and the edit-before-send window has saved more than one hastily worded Friday message.
Scheduling channel messages (and the Android gap)
Channel messages can be scheduled the same way — compose in the channel, open Actions and apps, choose Schedule message. The gap is Android: Microsoft's own support article states that Teams on Android doesn't support scheduling channel messages. Chat scheduling works there; channel scheduling is the one that isn't guaranteed. (We've seen it appear on some current Android builds, so a rollout may be underway — check your own device.)
If your Android app doesn't offer it, that's a real limitation with a simple fix: Schedule Message lets you set up a channel schedule from the Teams Android app, no laptop required. Because the send is executed by our servers rather than your handset, the message posts on time whether your phone is awake, offline, or dead — and it posts under your own name, not a bot's. The same is true in reverse: schedule from your laptop, edit it from your phone.
What Teams' native scheduling can't do
- No recurring messages. Every scheduled message is one-shot. A weekly reminder means manually re-scheduling it every single week — which is exactly the busywork scheduling was supposed to remove
- No documented channel scheduling on Android. Microsoft lists it as unsupported, so an Android-first team can't count on scheduling a channel announcement from a phone
- No team-wide visibility. Your scheduled messages are yours alone — a team can't see or manage its ritual messages in one place
- No templates. Recurring rituals (standup prompts, review reminders, pipeline check-ins) get retyped from scratch
Microsoft's official answer to the recurring gap is Workflows — so let's do that one properly.
Option 2: Recurring messages with Workflows (Power Automate)
Teams ships with a Workflows app powered by Power Automate, and it includes a template called "Automate weekly reminders and updates in a channel." You pick the frequency (weekly by default, adjustable), a start date, the day and time, the team and channel, and the message text — and it posts on schedule, forever. It's free with your Microsoft 365 license for standard connectors, and for a single static reminder it genuinely works.
The trade-offs show up with use. Microsoft's weekly-reminder template commonly uses the Flow bot, but the Teams connector can also post as the signed-in user when you build or edit the flow accordingly. Editing the message still means opening the flow editor rather than clicking the message; every reminder is another flow to own, and failures live in Power Automate run history. It is capable and flexible, but it is an automation platform doing a messaging job. Microsoft documents both posting identities.
Option 3: Delayed Send — the third-party scheduler for Teams
Delayed Send (by Appfluence) is the established third-party scheduling app inside Teams, and its pricing is refreshingly small: the free plan allows up to 3 scheduled messages (2 at a time) with 7-day history, no recurring, and no attachments; Pro is $20 per year for unlimited scheduled messages, recurring messages, attachments, and 90-day history; a Team plan at $15/user/year adds central billing and admin. If your whole world is Teams and you just need recurring posts without Power Automate, it's the pragmatic pick — the free tier is a demo more than a plan, but Pro costs less than one lunch a year. We went deeper on its plans and trade-offs in our full Delayed Send review.
| Native Teams | Workflows (Power Automate) | Delayed Send Pro | Schedule Message | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-off scheduled message | ✅ Chat + channel | ✅ (overkill) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Recurring messages | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Daily/weekly/monthly/custom |
| Posts as you (not a bot) | ✅ | ✅ Connector supports bot or signed-in user | ✅ | ✅ |
| Schedule a channel message from Android | ❌ Not supported per Microsoft | Posts server-side, but authoring a flow is desktop work | Not documented | ✅ |
| Template library for team rituals | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Also covers Slack + Google Chat | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Setup effort | None | Flow per reminder | Install app | Install app |
| Price | Free | Included in M365 | $20/year | Free tier; flat plans from $2.63/mo |
Option 4: Schedule Message — recurring messages that send as you, now on Teams
Full disclosure: this one is ours. Schedule Message built its reputation on Slack and Google Chat doing exactly what this article's readers keep asking Teams for — and it now runs on Microsoft Teams with the same feature set. Install Schedule Message from the Microsoft Teams app store for first-class recurring schedules (every weekday at 8:55, first Monday of the month, whatever cadence you need), messages sent under your own name so they read like a human wrote them instead of workflow exhaust, your team's rituals managed in one place instead of scattered across personal schedulers, and a library of ready-made templates for standups, check-ins, and reviews.
The honest comparison with Delayed Send: if you're one person scheduling a few personal reminders, Delayed Send's $20/year is hard to argue with. Schedule Message earns its price when a team runs on it — shared visibility of every recurring ritual, templates, and one subscription that covers Teams, Slack, and Google Chat, which matters more than it sounds the moment your company runs more than one platform. There's a free tier to try it properly. And for the culture side of recurring posts — icebreakers, birthdays, kudos — our Tribe bot runs natively on Teams too. For scheduling mechanics on the other platforms, see the guides to scheduling in Slack and recurring messages in Google Chat.
Which option should you pick?
- Occasional one-off scheduling: native Teams. It's built in and it's good now
- One or two static recurring reminders, no budget: Workflows — choose Flow bot or signed-in-user posting in the Teams connector
- Solo user, a few recurring personal reminders: Delayed Send Pro at $20/year is honest value
- A team running shared rituals — standups, check-ins, reviews: Schedule Message — recurring, send-as-you, template library, and one tool across Teams, Slack, and Google Chat
Conclusion
Use Teams' built-in scheduler for one-off chats and channel posts. Use Workflows for a small number of free recurring reminders, and Delayed Send for inexpensive personal recurring messages. A dedicated team scheduler is justified when multiple people need shared visibility, reusable ritual templates, send-as-user behavior, or the same scheduling workflow across Teams, Slack, and Google Chat.
Sources checked
- Microsoft: schedule channel messages in Teams
- Microsoft: send Teams messages with Power Automate
- Delayed Send pricing