Can I schedule WhatsApp broadcasts?
Yes. With InfiQ you can build a broadcast, pick a send date and time (down to the minute, in IST), point it at a segment of opted-in contacts, and let it fire automatically — no one has to sit at a keyboard hitting send. Scheduling matters because timing changes results: a payday reminder that lands Friday evening reads very differently from the same message at 3am. This page explains how scheduling works on the WhatsApp Business API, what to watch for on cost and compliance, and how to schedule broadcasts that Meta approves and customers actually open.
Quick answer
Yes — InfiQ lets you schedule WhatsApp broadcasts to send at a chosen IST date and time to segmented, opted-in audiences using an approved Marketing or Utility template, with live delivery and read analytics. You pay Meta's per-delivered-message rate (billed by template category), shown transparently in ₹.How scheduling a WhatsApp broadcast actually works
A scheduled broadcast is three decisions locked in ahead of time: which approved template to send, which segment of contacts to send it to, and exactly when. In InfiQ you compose the campaign, choose a pre-approved Marketing or Utility template (broadcasts always go out as templates because they open a new conversation — free-form text only works inside the 24-hour service window after a customer messages you first), map any variables like name or order ID from your contact fields, then set a future date and time in IST. When that moment arrives, InfiQ submits the messages to WhatsApp on your behalf and starts recording status callbacks. You can schedule a one-off blast, a recurring cadence, or a follow-up that only targets people who didn't read the first send.
- Pick an approved template (Marketing for promos, Utility for order or account updates)
- Choose a segment — tags, custom attributes, past-purchase filters or an uploaded list
- Set the exact IST send time, then review a live preview before you confirm
- Optionally throttle the send rate so support isn't buried by a wall of replies
Timing, segmentation and opt-in — the three things that decide results
Scheduling is only as good as the audience and the moment you pick. Send to everyone at once and you'll spike your opt-out rate and drag down your quality rating; send to a tight, relevant segment and the same template performs far better per rupee. Every contact in a broadcast must have opted in to hear from you — WhatsApp requires it, and it's also what keeps your quality rating (and therefore your messaging limits) healthy. On timing, think about your customer's day, not yours: retail and D2C often see stronger reads in the evening and on weekends, while B2B utility alerts belong in business hours. Because you're scheduling in advance, you can line up sends across a week without any manual work, and pre-schedule reminders relative to an event date.
- Segment by behaviour, location, language or lifecycle stage rather than blasting the full list
- Only ever include contacts who have genuinely opted in — it's a WhatsApp requirement, not a nicety
- Match the send time to the customer's routine; test two windows and keep the winner
- Keep Marketing frequency sane — over-messaging is the fastest route to blocks and opt-outs
What a scheduled broadcast costs
WhatsApp bills per delivered message, and the rate depends on the template category, not on how many messages are in the batch or when you schedule them. Marketing templates (offers, launches, re-engagement) sit at the top of Meta's rate card; Utility templates (order confirmations, payment reminders, shipping updates) are cheaper; Authentication templates are for OTPs. The 24-hour window that opens when a customer replies is a free service window — it is not a billing unit, so a reply doesn't cost you anything on its own. InfiQ applies its own platform pricing on top of Meta's live rate card and shows the ₹ figures transparently (ex-GST), so before you schedule a large send you can see the category, the per-message rate and the projected spend for that segment. Scheduling itself doesn't change the price — a message costs the same whether it goes now or at 7pm on Friday.
- Priced per delivered message, set by category: Marketing > Utility, with Authentication for OTPs
- The 24-hour reply window is free service time, not a per-conversation charge
- Use the InfiQ pricing calculator to estimate a broadcast's ₹ cost before you confirm it
Analytics: knowing whether the schedule worked
Every scheduled broadcast reports back in real time. As WhatsApp returns status callbacks you'll see messages move through sent, delivered, read, replied and failed — so you can tell within minutes whether your 7pm slot beat your 11am slot, which segment engaged, and whether a template is quietly failing to deliver. Read rate tells you if the timing landed; reply rate tells you if the message was relevant; failure and opt-out rates are your early-warning system for template or list problems. Use those numbers to schedule smarter next time: shift the send window, tighten the segment, or split-test two templates against comparable groups and let the data pick the winner.
- Track sent, delivered, read, replied and failed for every scheduled campaign
- Compare send windows and segments to find your best-performing slot
- Watch failure and opt-out rates as an early warning on template or list health
Doing it right with InfiQ
InfiQ is a WhatsApp-first platform and an official Meta Business Partner, so scheduled broadcasts run on the real WhatsApp Business API with your own verified account — you keep full ownership of the number and the business account, not a shared or rented one. That means approved templates, proper opt-in handling, quality-rating visibility and transparent ₹ pricing, all in one place. Practically: verify your account, get a Marketing or Utility template approved, import and segment your opted-in contacts, then schedule with confidence knowing the delivery and read data will flow straight back to you.