The Draft-First Editor
Every message on MessageFuture starts as a draft. The composer is designed around this idea: you can open it, start writing, close the app, come back an hour later, and pick up exactly where you left off – without losing a word.
Drafts are always free. Credits are only deducted at the moment you finalise a message (i.e. when you schedule a delivery date or activate a Timeless message). This means you can take your time composing without any financial pressure.
[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of the draft composer with all fields visible]
Auto-Save
The composer saves your work automatically as you type. You do not need to tap a “Save” button.
How it works
- Web: After you’ve filled in at least one field (title, content, recipient, or media attachment), a debounced auto-save runs every 3 seconds of inactivity. The draft is written to the backend in the background.
- Mobile: The same 3-second debounce applies. Additionally, the current draft’s ID is stored securely on your device so the composer can restore it the next time you open the Create tab.
Auto-save only triggers when there is content to save. Completely blank forms are not saved. Once auto-save runs for the first time, a Draft ID is created and linked to your message for the rest of the session.
Auto-save and finalized messages
If you open an already-finalized message (status scheduled or timeless) to edit it, auto-save is paused for that session. This is intentional: writing the backend on every keystroke would silently trigger a schedule-confirmation email to you and all your Guardians before you’ve deliberately confirmed anything. Your changes are staged in memory and only written when you tap Confirm Update on the review screen.
Draft Restore on Mobile
When you start a new message on the mobile app and leave mid-way (e.g. by switching apps), the Draft ID is saved to your device’s secure storage. The next time you open the Create tab, the composer automatically restores your in-progress draft – subject line, body, recipient, attachments, and all.
To clear an in-progress draft, tap the X (close) button in the top-right corner of the composer. You’ll be given three options:
- Keep editing – stay in the composer
- Save as draft – keep the draft saved on the server and return to the home tab
- Discard – permanently delete the draft and return to the home tab
Saving Explicitly as a Draft (Web)
On the web, a Save Draft button is available at the bottom of the composer. Tapping it saves your current message with status: draft and redirects you to the Drafts section of your Messages dashboard.
You can return to any draft at any time from Dashboard → Messages → Drafts and continue editing.
What’s in a Draft
A draft stores:
| Field | Required to save? |
|---|---|
| Title / Subject | No – can be blank |
| Message body | No – can be blank |
| Recipients | No – can be empty |
| Media attachments | No – can be none |
| Delivery mode (Scheduled / Timeless) | No – defaults to Scheduled |
| Guardians assigned | No – can be none |
The only hard rule: a completely empty form (no title, no content, no recipients, no media) will not be auto-saved.