Scheduling Delivery – Date Mode

Date mode lets you pick a specific date and time for your message to be delivered. At that moment, MessageFuture automatically sends the message to all your recipients – no further action needed from you.

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of the date & time picker on web]

How to Set a Delivery Date

1. In the composer, make sure the delivery mode is set to Scheduled (not Timeless)
2. Click or tap the Calendar icon or the Schedule section
3. Pick your delivery date using the date picker
4. Pick your delivery time (hours and minutes)
5. Confirm your timezone (see below)
6. Tap Next – this takes you to the Review & Confirm screen

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of the iOS date picker modal on mobile]

Timezone Selection

Your message is delivered at the exact local time you specify, converted accurately to UTC for storage.

• Default: The composer detects your browser or device timezone automatically and pre-selects it
• Per-message timezone: You can change the timezone directly in the composer for each individual message – useful if you’re scheduling a message for someone in a different country
• Saved timezone: Your preferred timezone can be saved permanently in Settings → Profile so it is always pre-filled correctly

Technical note: MessageFuture uses Intl.DateTimeFormat to resolve timezone offsets – this works correctly on both desktop browsers and mobile (including React Native’s Hermes JS engine). The calculated UTC delivery time is shown on the confirm screen so you can verify it before saving.

Scheduling Horizon Limits

MessageFuture enforces a maximum scheduling window based on your plan:

If you attempt to set a date beyond your plan’s limit, the composer will show an error and block you from proceeding. The date picker’s maximum selectable date reflects your current plan’s limit.

MessageFuture guarantees delivery for messages scheduled up to 30 years ahead.

The Schedule Confirmation Email

When you finalise a scheduled message (or change the delivery date on an already-scheduled message), MessageFuture automatically sends a schedule confirmation email to:

• You (the message owner) – confirming the delivery date and showing the cancellation window
• All assigned Guardians – notifying them that a delivery date has been set or changed

The email includes:
– The message subject
– The scheduled delivery date and time
– A note about the cancellation cutoff – messages can be edited or cancelled up to 4 hours before the scheduled delivery time

What Happens at Delivery Time

At the scheduled date and time, the MessageFuture delivery system:

1. Retrieves your message (decrypting content server-side)
2. Sends it to each recipient via email
3. Sends a push notification to any recipient who has the MessageFuture mobile app
4. Sends a delivery confirmation to you (in-app bell + email)
5. Updates the message status to delivered

If delivery fails for any reason, the system retries automatically. See Understanding Message Statuses for details on the retry logic.

Past Dates Are Rejected

The system validates that the delivery date is in the future both at the time you compose the message and at the time of delivery. If you try to set a date that has already passed, the composer will show an error and require you to choose a future date.

Next Steps

• Timeless Messages – Guardian-Triggered Delivery →
• The Review & Confirm Screen →
• Credits & Plans →