Gmail Schedule send: limits, gotchas, and how to make an email recurring
Gmail can schedule an email but can't repeat it. Here is what Schedule send does, where it breaks, and how to get a truly recurring email from your Gmail address.
What Schedule send does well
Compose, click the arrow beside Send, pick a time. Gmail stores the message in a Scheduled label and sends it from Google's servers at that moment, whether your device is on or not. You can schedule up to 100 emails at a time. That is plenty for a week of follow-ups.
Where it falls short for personal dates
- No repeat. Every scheduled email is one-off. There is no 'every year on this date'.
- Your timezone only. The scheduled time is yours. A 9 AM send to someone eight hours ahead lands at 5 PM their time.
- Written now, sent later. A birthday email written in January and sent in November can reference things that have changed.
- No reminder to you. Once scheduled, it is invisible until it goes out. You don't get a nudge to add a personal line.
Workarounds people try
Some people write a year of birthday emails in one sitting and schedule them all. It works for a year, then it doesn't. Others set a calendar reminder to use Schedule send, which just moves the forgetting one step earlier. Google Apps Script can send on a schedule from a Sheet, which works if you enjoy maintaining scripts and don't mind the emails reading like templates.
A recurring email from your Gmail, without scripts
DontRemember connects to your Gmail with send-only permission, the same API Google offers developers. You add a person and a date once. Each year it writes a fresh email in your chosen tone from the facts you gave it, emails you a copy the night before, and sends from your address at the recipient's local morning. It appears in your Sent folder. It can't read, search or delete anything in your inbox, and you can revoke it from your Google account at any time.
When to just use Schedule send
For a one-time message where you already know the exact wording and the recipient is in your timezone, Schedule send is the right tool and it is free. Use the recurring approach for the small list of people you would be in trouble for forgetting.
Questions
Can Gmail send an email every year automatically?
Not natively. Schedule send is one-off. You need Apps Script or a service that connects to Gmail.
Does Gmail Schedule send use the recipient's timezone?
No, it uses yours. Convert manually or use a tool that stores the recipient's timezone.