How To Auto-Reply to Texts on an Android Device

Lee Stanton August 25, 2022

Sometimes, there are situations where you simply can’t whip out your phone to type a text message – while driving, riding on a packed train, etc. Setting up auto-replies can be a smart course of action in these scenarios.

How To Auto-Reply to Texts on an Android Device

Utilizing this feature lets your friends, family, or business contacts know that you can’t come to your phone and will get back to them later. Let’s see how to auto-reply to texts on an Android.

How To Automatically Reply to a Text on an Android Phone

Although Android phones have many innovative features, auto-replying to text messages isn’t one of them. Since this OS platform is yet to introduce this option, many third-party developers have created their own version. You can use numerous Android apps on the Google Play Store to auto-reply to text messages. Some of the best ones include the following.

AUTO MESSAGE send & reply SMS – This versatile app offers call, email, and WhatsApp support in addition to SMS.
SMS Auto Reply/Autoresponder – Great for both missed calls and text messages, this app offers a high level of customization.
WhatsAuto – Reply App – The free version of this simple app works like a charm.
AutoResponder for WhatsApp – This app comes in handy when you want to automate your WhatsApp messages.

We’ll use SMS Auto Reply/Autoresponder as an example. Here’s how to set up auto-replies to text messages on Android using this app.

Download and install SMS Auto Reply /Autoresponder from the Google Play Store.
Launch the app and tap the plus sign to create a new profile.
Name the profile.
Type your auto-reply message.
Customize your profile.
- Create an “Emergency List” to whitelist certain contacts.
- Add contacts to your “Personalized List” to create custom replies for them.
- Exclude contacts from your auto-replies by adding them to your “Don’t Reply List.”
- Customize what time you want your profile to be active by tapping “Set Time.”
Save the profile by tapping the button at the bottom.
Press the toggle next to the profile to activate it. The profile will be active from the time you specified earlier.

Note: You’ll need to grant the SMS Auto Reply app access to your phone’s notifications and cellular data for it to work properly. You’ll get a popup when you first activate your profile asking you to do so, and all you need to do is follow the instructions on your screen. In addition, the app will need to keep running in the background to do its job. Therefore, you’ll have to remove it from your battery optimization list. The app will direct you to the correct settings page.

How To Auto-Respond to Calls With a Text on Android

Sending a quick text response to an incoming call is a helpful Android feature. You can use it in scenarios where you momentarily aren’t able to take a call. Instead of forcing the caller to try to contact you repeatedly, send them a message to let them know you saw their call and will contact them later. Here’s how to access your quick responses on Android.

Open your Android’s phone app.
Find the three vertical dot menu in the top right corner.
Select “Settings” from the dropdown.
Scroll down to find “Quick decline messages.”

Your current automatic text response options will be displayed on this screen. Androids allow you to save four different reply options, but you can edit each and tailor it to your needs.

Tap any of the responses to modify its text.
Type your new message.
Press “+” to save the changes.

Once you’ve set up your quick responses, you’ll be able to use them whenever you have an incoming call in the following way.

When your phone rings, tap the “Message” button on the call screen.
Your quick response options will pop up. Select the reply you want or tap “Customize” to type a custom response if none of the saved ones are suitable.

How to Automate Quick Responses on Android

As you can see, while quick responses are convenient, they aren’t actually automatic on Android. Unfortunately, most Androids don’t offer automated quick responses natively.

If your Android device doesn’t support automated replies, you can use one of the third-party apps mentioned above to achieve your goal. AUTO MESSAGE is one of the apps that support this feature. Nevertheless, auto-replies to missed or rejected calls are only included in its paid version. If you still want to use this service, here’s how to set it up.

Download AUTO MESSAGE send & reply SMS from the Google Play Store.
Open the app.
You’ll immediately get a popup asking for certain permissions. Tap “Grant Permission,” then “Allow” to give the app access to your text messages.
Tap the plus button and select “Reply SMS/phone call” from the menu.
Add a title to your automated reply.
Type your message.
Select the calls option under “Target.”
Schedule when you want the profile to be active.
Tweak the Reply List to customize who will receive automated replies.
Hit the save button when you’re done.

Like other auto-reply apps, AUTO MESSAGE must also be removed from your device’s battery optimization list. Find the app on your app list and allow it to run in the background.

Stay in Touch

Setting up automated replies will allow you to put down your phone and focus on your task without having to manually reply to every incoming text or call. Unfortunately, most phones still don’t have built-in auto-reply features, but third-party apps fill the gap. Follow the steps above to learn how to auto-reply to texts on an Android.

Have you tried any of the apps mentioned above? How do you like to set up your automated replies? Let us know in the comments section below.