Understanding Message Statuses

Every message in MessageFuture has a status that tells you exactly where it is in its lifecycle – from an unsent draft to a delivered message. This article explains what each status means and how messages move between them.

Status Reference

draft

The message has been saved but not finalised. No credits have been deducted. The message will not be delivered automatically.

• You can edit a draft freely at any time
• Auto-save keeps the draft up to date as you type
• Drafts with no recent changes are visible in Dashboard → Messages → Drafts

scheduled

The message has been finalised with a specific future delivery date. Credits have been deducted. The message will be delivered automatically at the scheduled date and time.

• A schedule confirmation email was sent to you and any assigned Guardians when this status was set
• You can still edit the content, date, or recipients – but changes must go through the confirm screen first

timeless

The message has been finalised with no specific date. Credits have been deducted. The message will remain in this state until a Guardian manually triggers delivery.

• The message is stored for up to 20 years from the date it was finalised
• Assigned Guardians can see this message in their Guarded Messages list
• No automatic delivery will ever occur – a Guardian must take action

delivered

The message has been successfully sent to all recipients. The delivery is complete and cannot be undone.

• You receive a delivery confirmation (in-app notification + email) when this status is set
• The delivered message remains visible in your dashboard under Delivered
• Recipients can access the message in their own inbox

failed

Delivery was attempted but did not succeed after the maximum number of retries.

• The system retries delivery up to 3 times, with a 30-minute gap between each attempt
• If all 3 attempts fail, the status is set to failed and the last error is logged
• You will receive an in-app notification when a message reaches failed status
• Contact support if a message has failed and you need help recovering the delivery

Status Transition Diagram

[draft] ──────────────────────────────────────►  [scheduled]  ──► [delivered]
   │                                                                    │
   │                                                            (or)    ▼
   └──────────────────────────────────────────►  [timeless]   ──► [failed]
                                                      │
                                              (guardian triggers)

Additional transitions:
– scheduled → draft – owner cancels the delivery
– timeless → draft – owner cancels the timeless state
– scheduled / timeless → delivered (soft-deleted after owner deletes from dashboard, moves to Trash)

Where to Find Messages by Status

Next Steps

• The Trash & Soft-Delete →
• Editing and Cancelling a Scheduled Message →