Send Messages - CometChat Docs

AI Integration Quick Reference

// Text message
val textMessage = TextMessage("UID", "Hello!", CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)
CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage, object : CallbackListener<TextMessage>() {
    override fun onSuccess(msg: TextMessage) { }
    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) { }
})

// Media message (file upload)
val mediaMessage = MediaMessage("UID", File("/path/to/file.jpg"),
    CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)
CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, object : CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
    override fun onSuccess(msg: MediaMessage) { }
    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) { }
})

// Custom message
val customData = JSONObject().apply { put("latitude", "19.07"); put("longitude", "72.87") }
val customMessage = CustomMessage("UID", CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER, "LOCATION", customData)
CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, object : CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
    override fun onSuccess(msg: CustomMessage) { }
    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) { }
})

Type	Method	Receiver Types
Text	`sendMessage()`	`RECEIVER_TYPE_USER`, `RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP`
Media	`sendMediaMessage()`	`RECEIVER_TYPE_USER`, `RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP`
Custom	`sendCustomMessage()`	`RECEIVER_TYPE_USER`, `RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP`

CometChat supports three types of messages:

Type	Method	Use Case
Text	`sendMessage()`	Plain text messages
Media	`sendMediaMessage()`	Images, videos, audio, files
Custom	`sendCustomMessage()`	Location, polls, or any JSON data

You can also send Interactive Messages for forms, cards, and custom UI elements.

Text Message

Send a text message using sendMessage() with a TextMessage object.

Java (User)
Kotlin (User)
Java (Group)
Kotlin (Group)

private String receiverID = "UID";
private String messageText = "Hello CometChat!";
private String receiverType = CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER;

TextMessage textMessage = new TextMessage(receiverID, messageText, receiverType);

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<TextMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(TextMessage textMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message sent successfully: " + textMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message sending failed with exception: " + e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val receiverID = "UID"
private val messageText = "Hello CometChat!"
private val receiverType = CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER

val textMessage = TextMessage(receiverID, messageText, receiverType)

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage, object : CallbackListener<TextMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(textMessage: TextMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message sent successfully: $textMessage")
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message sending failed with exception: " + e.message)
  }
})

private String receiverID = "GUID";
private String messageText = "Hello CometChat!";
private String receiverType = CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP;

TextMessage textMessage = new TextMessage(receiverID, messageText, receiverType);

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<TextMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(TextMessage textMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message sent successfully: " + textMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message sending failed with exception: " + e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val receiverID = "GUID"
private val messageText = "Hello CometChat!"
private val receiverType = CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP

val textMessage = TextMessage(receiverID, messageText, receiverType)
CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage, object : CallbackListener<TextMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(textMessage: TextMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message sent successfully: $textMessage")
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message sending failed with exception: " + e.message)
  }
})

The TextMessage class constructor takes the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Required
`receiverID`	`UID` of the user or `GUID` of the group receiving the message	Yes
`messageText`	The text message content	Yes
`receiverType`	`CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER` or `RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP`	Yes

On success, sendMessage() returns a TextMessage object containing all information about the sent message.

Add Metadata

Attach custom JSON data to the message:

Java
Kotlin

JSONObject metadata = new JSONObject();
metadata.put("latitude", "50.6192171633316");
metadata.put("longitude", "-72.68182268750002");
textMessage.setMetadata(metadata);

val metadata = JSONObject()
metadata.put("latitude", "50.6192171633316")
metadata.put("longitude", "-72.68182268750002")
textMessage.setMetadata(metadata)

Add Tags

Tag messages for easy filtering later:

Java
Kotlin

List<String> tags = new ArrayList<>();
tags.add("pinned");
textMessage.setTags(tags);

val tags: MutableList<String> = ArrayList()
tags.add("pinned")
textMessage.setTags(tags)

Quote a Message

Reply to a specific message by setting its ID:

Java
Kotlin

textMessage.setQuotedMessageId(10);

textMessage.quotedMessageId = 10

Media Message

Send images, videos, audio, or files using sendMediaMessage(). There are two ways to send media messages:

Upload a file — Pass a File object and CometChat uploads it automatically
Send a URL — Provide a URL to media hosted on your server or cloud storage

Add Metadata

Java
Kotlin

JSONObject metadata = new JSONObject();
metadata.put("latitude", "50.6192171633316");
metadata.put("longitude", "-72.68182268750002");
mediaMessage.setMetadata(metadata);

val metadata = JSONObject()
metadata.put("latitude", "50.6192171633316")
metadata.put("longitude", "-72.68182268750002")
mediaMessage.setMetadata(metadata)

Add Caption

Add text along with the media:

Java
Kotlin

mediaMessage.setCaption("Message Caption");

mediaMessage.setCaption("Message Caption")

Add Tags

Java
Kotlin

List<String> tags = new ArrayList<>();
tags.add("pinned");
mediaMessage.setTags(tags);

val tags: MutableList<String> = ArrayList()
tags.add("pinned")
mediaMessage.setTags(tags)

Upload a File

Pass a File object directly. CometChat uploads it to its servers and returns the URL in the success response.

Java (User)
Kotlin (User)
Java (Group)
Kotlin (Group)

private String receiverID = "UID";
private String messageType = CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE;
private String receiverType = CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER;
private String filePath = "/storage/emulated/0/Download/CometChat.jpg";

MediaMessage mediaMessage = new MediaMessage(receiverID, new File(filePath), messageType, receiverType);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(MediaMessage mediaMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Media message sent successfully: " + mediaMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Media message sending failed with exception: " + e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val receiverID = "UID"
private val messageType = CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE
private val receiverType = CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER
private val filePath = "/storage/emulated/0/Download/CometChat.jpg"

val mediaMessage = MediaMessage(receiverID, File(filePath), messageType, receiverType)
CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, object : CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(mediaMessage: MediaMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Media message sent successfully: " + mediaMessage.toString())
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Media message sending failed with exception: " + e.message)
  }
})

private String receiverID = "GUID";
private String messageType = CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE;
private String receiverType = CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP;
private String filePath = "/storage/emulated/0/Download/CometChat.jpg";

MediaMessage mediaMessage = new MediaMessage(receiverID, new File(filePath), messageType, receiverType);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(MediaMessage mediaMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Media message sent successfully: " + mediaMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Media message sending failed with exception: " + e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val receiverID = "GUID"
private val messageType = CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE
private val receiverType = CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP
private val filePath = "/storage/emulated/0/Download/CometChat.jpg"

val mediaMessage = MediaMessage(receiverID, File(filePath), messageType, receiverType)
CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, object : CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(mediaMessage: MediaMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Media message sent successfully: " + mediaMessage.toString())
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Media message sending failed with exception: " + e.message)
  }
})

The MediaMessage class constructor takes the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Required
`receiverId`	The UID or GUID of the recipient	Yes
`file`	The `File` object to upload	Yes
`messageType`	`MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE`, `MESSAGE_TYPE_VIDEO`, `MESSAGE_TYPE_AUDIO`, or `MESSAGE_TYPE_FILE`	Yes
`receiverType`	`RECEIVER_TYPE_USER` or `RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP`	Yes

Send a URL

Send media hosted on your server or cloud storage using the Attachment class:

Java (User)
Kotlin (User)
Java (Group)
Kotlin (Group)

String receiverId = "recipient_UID";

MediaMessage mediaMessage = new MediaMessage(receiverId, CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER);

Attachment attachment = new Attachment();
attachment.setFileName("test");
attachment.setFileExtension("png");
attachment.setFileUrl("https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png");

mediaMessage.setAttachment(attachment);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(MediaMessage mediaMessage1) {
      Log.i(TAG, "onSuccess");
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.e(TAG, e.getMessage());
  }
});

val receiverId = "recipient_UID"

val mediaMessage = MediaMessage(receiverId, CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)

val attachment = Attachment()
attachment.fileName = "test"
attachment.fileExtension = "png"
attachment.fileUrl = "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png"

mediaMessage.attachment = attachment

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, object : CallbackListener<MediaMessage?>() {
  override fun onSuccess(mediaMessage1: MediaMessage?) {
      Log.i(TAG, "onSuccess")
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.e(TAG, e.message!!)
  }
})

String receiverId = "recipient_GUID";

MediaMessage mediaMessage = new MediaMessage(receiverId, CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP);

Attachment attachment = new Attachment();
attachment.setFileName("test");
attachment.setFileExtension("png");
attachment.setFileUrl("https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png");

mediaMessage.setAttachment(attachment);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(MediaMessage mediaMessage1) {
      Log.i(TAG, "onSuccess");
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.e(TAG, e.getMessage());
  }
});

val receiverId = "recipient_GUID"

val mediaMessage = MediaMessage(receiverId, CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP)

val attachment = Attachment()
attachment.fileName = "test"
attachment.fileExtension = "png"
attachment.fileUrl = "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png"

mediaMessage.attachment = attachment

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, object : CallbackListener<MediaMessage?>() {
  override fun onSuccess(mediaMessage1: MediaMessage?) {
      Log.i(TAG, "onSuccess")
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.e(TAG, e.message!!)
  }
})

On success, sendMediaMessage() returns a MediaMessage object.

Multiple Attachments

Starting version 3.0.9, the SDK supports sending multiple attachments in a single media message.

Upload Multiple Files

Java (User)
Kotlin (User)
Java (Group)
Kotlin (Group)

String receiverId = "cometchat-uid-1";

List<File> files = new ArrayList<File>();
files.add(new File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/1.jpg"));
files.add(new File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/2.jpg"));
files.add(new File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/3.jpg"));

MediaMessage mediaMessage = new MediaMessage(receiverId, files, fileType, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(MediaMessage mediaMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message Sent Successfully")
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message Sending Failed with exception : " + e.getMessage());
  }
});

val receiverId = "cometchat-uid-1"
val files: MutableList<File> = ArrayList()
files.add(File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/1.jpg"))
files.add(File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/2.jpg"))
files.add(File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/3.jpg"))

val mediaMessage = MediaMessage(receiverId, files, fileType, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, object : CallbackListener<MediaMessage?>() {
  override fun onSuccess(mediaMessage: MediaMessage?) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message Sent Successfully")
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message Sending Failed with exception : " + e.message)
  }
})

String groupId = "cometchat-guid-1";

List<File> files = new ArrayList<File>();
files.add(new File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/1.jpg"));
files.add(new File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/2.jpg"));
files.add(new File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/3.jpg"));

MediaMessage mediaMessage = new MediaMessage(groupId, files, fileType, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(MediaMessage mediaMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message Sent Successfully")
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message Sending Failed with exception : " + e.getMessage());
  }
});

val groupId = "cometchat-guid-1"

val files: MutableList<File> = ArrayList()
files.add(File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/1.jpg"))
files.add(File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/2.jpg"))
files.add(File("/storage/emulated/0/Download/3.jpg"))

val mediaMessage = MediaMessage(groupId, files, fileType, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP)

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, object : CallbackListener<MediaMessage?>() {
  override fun onSuccess(mediaMessage: MediaMessage?) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message Sent Successfully")
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, "Message Sending Failed with exception : " + e.message)
  }
})

The MediaMessage class constructor takes the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Required
`receiverId`	The `UID` or `GUID` of the recipient	Yes
`files`	A `List<File>` of files to upload	Yes
`messageType`	`MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE`, `MESSAGE_TYPE_VIDEO`, `MESSAGE_TYPE_AUDIO`, or `MESSAGE_TYPE_FILE`	Yes
`receiverType`	`RECEIVER_TYPE_USER` or `RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP`	Yes

Send Multiple URLs

Java (User)
Kotlin (User)
Java (Group)
Kotlin (Group)

String receiverId = "cometchat-uid-1";

MediaMessage mediaMessage = new MediaMessage(receiverId, CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER);

List<Attachment> attachments = new ArrayList<>();
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
    Attachment attachment = new Attachment();
    attachment.setFileName("test");
    attachment.setFileExtension("png");
    attachment.setFileUrl("https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png");
    attachment.setFileMimeType("image/png");
    attachments.add(attachment);
}

mediaMessage.setAttachments(attachments);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(MediaMessage mediaMessage) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Message Sent Successfully")
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Message Sending Failed with exception : " + e.getMessage());
    }
});

val receiverId = "cometchat-uid-1"
val mediaMessage = MediaMessage(receiverId, CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)

val attachments: MutableList<Attachment> = ArrayList()
for (i in 0..4) {
    val attachment = Attachment()
    attachment.fileName = "test"
    attachment.fileExtension = "png"
    attachment.fileUrl = "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png"
    attachment.fileMimeType = "image/png"
    attachments.add(attachment)
}

mediaMessage.attachments = attachments

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, object : CallbackListener<MediaMessage?>() {
    override fun onSuccess(mediaMessage: MediaMessage?) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Message Sent Successfully")
    }

    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Message Sending Failed with exception : " + e.message)
    }
})

String groupId = "cometchat-guid-1";

MediaMessage mediaMessage = new MediaMessage(groupId, CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP);

List<Attachment> attachments = new ArrayList<>();
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
    Attachment attachment = new Attachment();
    attachment.setFileName("test");
    attachment.setFileExtension("png");
    attachment.setFileUrl("https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png");
    attachment.setFileMimeType("image/png");
    attachments.add(attachment);
}

mediaMessage.setAttachments(attachments);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<MediaMessage>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(MediaMessage mediaMessage) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Message Sent Successfully")
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Message Sending Failed with exception : " + e.getMessage());
    }
});

val groupId = "cometchat-guid-1"
val mediaMessage = MediaMessage(groupId, CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_IMAGE, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP)

val attachments: MutableList<Attachment> = ArrayList()
for (i in 0..4) {
    val attachment = Attachment()
    attachment.fileName = "test"
    attachment.fileExtension = "png"
    attachment.fileUrl = "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png"
    attachment.fileMimeType = "image/png"
    attachments.add(attachment)
}

mediaMessage.attachments = attachments

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage, object : CallbackListener<MediaMessage?>() {
    override fun onSuccess(mediaMessage: MediaMessage?) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Message Sent Successfully")
    }

    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Message Sending Failed with exception : " + e.message)
    }
})

When a media message is sent successfully, the response will include a MediaMessage object which includes all information related to the sent message. You can use the setMetadata(), setCaption() & setTags() methods to add metadata, caption and tags in the same way as a single attachment.

Custom Message

Send custom data that doesn’t fit text or media using sendCustomMessage().

Java
Kotlin

CustomMessage customMessage = new CustomMessage(receiverId, receiverType, customType, customData)

val customMessage = CustomMessage(receiverId, receiverType, customType, customData)

Parameter	Description	Required
`receiverId`	UID of the user or GUID of the group	Yes
`receiverType`	`RECEIVER_TYPE_USER` or `RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP`	Yes
`customType`	Developer-defined type string (e.g., `"LOCATION"`, `"POLL"`)	Yes
`customData`	The payload as a `JSONObject`	Yes

You can also set a subtype using setSubtype() to further classify the custom message.

Add Tags

Java
Kotlin

List<String> tags = new ArrayList<>();
tags.add("pinned");
customMessage.setTags(tags);

val tags: MutableList<String> = ArrayList()
tags.add("pinned")
customMessage.setTags(tags)

Once the message object is ready, call sendCustomMessage().

Java (User)
Kotlin (User)
Java (Group)
Kotlin (Group)

private String UID = "UID";
private String customType = "LOCATION";

JSONObject customData = new JSONObject();
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760");
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777");

CustomMessage customMessage = new CustomMessage(UID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER, customType, customData);

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(CustomMessage customMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val UID = "UID"
private val customType = "LOCATION"

val customData = JSONObject()
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760")
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777")
val customMessage = CustomMessage(UID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER, customType, customData)

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, object : CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(customMessage: CustomMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString())
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.message!!)
  }
})

private String GUID = "GUID";
private String customType = "LOCATION";

JSONObject customData = new JSONObject();
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760");
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777");

CustomMessage customMessage = new CustomMessage(GUID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP, customType, customData);

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(CustomMessage customMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val GUID = "GUID"
private val customType = "LOCATION"

val customData = JSONObject()
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760")
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777")
val customMessage = CustomMessage(GUID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP, customType, customData)

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, object : CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(customMessage: CustomMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString())
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.message!!)
  }
})

On success, sendCustomMessage() returns a CustomMessage object.

Control Conversation Update

By default, a custom message updates the conversation’s last message. To prevent this:

Java (User)
Kotlin (User)
Java (Group)
Kotlin (Group)

private String UID = "UID";
private String customType = "LOCATION";

JSONObject customData = new JSONObject();
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760");
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777");

CustomMessage customMessage = new CustomMessage(UID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER, customType, customData);
customMessage.shouldUpdateConversation(false);

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(CustomMessage customMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val UID = "UID"
private val customType = "LOCATION"

val customData = JSONObject()
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760")
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777")

val customMessage = CustomMessage(UID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER, customType, customData)
customMessage.shouldUpdateConversation(false)

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, object : CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(customMessage: CustomMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString())
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.message!!)
  }
})

private String GUID = "GUID";
private String customType = "LOCATION";

JSONObject customData = new JSONObject();
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760");
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777");

CustomMessage customMessage = new CustomMessage(GUID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP, customType, customData);
customMessage.shouldUpdateConversation(false);

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(CustomMessage customMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val GUID = "GUID"
private val customType = "LOCATION"

val customData = JSONObject()
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760")
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777")

val customMessage = CustomMessage(GUID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP, customType, customData)
customMessage.shouldUpdateConversation(false)

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, object : CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(customMessage: CustomMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString())
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.message!!)
  }
})

Custom Notification Text

Set custom text for push, email, and SMS notifications:

Java (User)
Kotlin (User)
Java (Group)
Kotlin (Group)

private String UID = "UID";
private String customType = "LOCATION";

JSONObject customData = new JSONObject();
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760");
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777");

CustomMessage customMessage = new CustomMessage(UID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER, customType, customData);
customMessage.setConversationText("Custom Notification Body");

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(CustomMessage customMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val UID = "UID"
private val customType = "LOCATION"

val customData = JSONObject()
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760")
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777")

val customMessage = CustomMessage(UID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER, customType, customData)
customMessage.setConversationText("Custom Notification Body")

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, object : CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(customMessage: CustomMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString())
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.message!!)
  }
})

private String GUID = "GUID";
private String customType = "LOCATION";

JSONObject customData = new JSONObject();
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760");
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777");

CustomMessage customMessage = new CustomMessage(GUID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP, customType, customData);
customMessage.setConversationText("Custom Notification Body");

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(CustomMessage customMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString());
  }

  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.getMessage());
  }
});

private val GUID = "GUID"
private val customType = "LOCATION"

val customData = JSONObject()
customData.put("latitude", "19.0760")
customData.put("longitude", "72.8777")

val customMessage = CustomMessage(GUID, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP, customType, customData)
customMessage.setConversationText("Custom Notification Body")

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage, object : CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
  override fun onSuccess(customMessage: CustomMessage) {
      Log.d(TAG, customMessage.toString())
  }

  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
      Log.d(TAG, e.message!!)
  }
})

It is also possible to send interactive messages from CometChat, to know more click here

Next Steps

Receive Messages

Listen for incoming messages in real time

Edit Message

Modify sent messages after delivery

Delete Message

Remove messages from conversations

Interactive Messages

Send messages with embedded forms and buttons

Message Payload Structure

BaseMessage Object

The BaseMessage object returned by SDK methods contains the following fields. TextMessage, MediaMessage, and CustomMessage extend this base structure with additional type-specific fields.

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	long	Unique message identifier
`muid`	String	Developer-defined message ID for deduplication
`sender`	User	User who sent the message
`receiver`	AppEntity	Message receiver (User or Group)
`receiverUid`	String	Receiver’s unique identifier
`type`	String	Message type. Values: `"text"`, `"image"`, `"video"`, `"audio"`, `"file"`, `"custom"`
`receiverType`	String	Type of receiver. Values: `"user"`, `"group"`
`category`	String	Message category. Values: `"message"`, `"action"`, `"call"`, `"custom"`
`sentAt`	long	Unix timestamp when message was sent
`deliveredAt`	long	Unix timestamp when message was delivered
`readAt`	long	Unix timestamp when message was read
`metadata`	JSONObject	Custom message metadata set by developer
`readByMeAt`	long	Unix timestamp when logged-in user read the message
`deliveredToMeAt`	long	Unix timestamp when message was delivered to logged-in user
`deletedAt`	long	Unix timestamp when message was deleted (0 if not deleted)
`editedAt`	long	Unix timestamp when message was edited (0 if not edited)
`deletedBy`	String	UID of user who deleted the message (null if not deleted)
`editedBy`	String	UID of user who edited the message (null if not edited)
`updatedAt`	long	Unix timestamp of last message update
`conversationId`	String	Associated conversation identifier
`parentMessageId`	long	Parent message ID for threaded messages (0 if not a reply)
`replyCount`	int	Number of replies in thread
`unreadRepliesCount`	int	Number of unread replies in thread
`mentionedUsers`	Array<User>	List of users mentioned in the message
`hasMentionedMe`	boolean	Whether the logged-in user is mentioned
`reactions`	Array<ReactionCount>	List of reaction counts on the message
`rawMessage`	JSONObject	Raw JSON message data
`quotedMessageId`	long	ID of the quoted message (0 if not quoting)
`quotedMessage`	BaseMessage	The quoted message object (null if not quoting)

Sample BaseMessage Object:

{
  "id": 12345,
  "muid": "msg_abc123",
  "sender": {
    "uid": "user_123",
    "name": "John Doe",
    "avatar": "https://example.com/avatar.png",
    "status": "online",
    "role": "default",
    "lastActiveAt": 1699900000
  },
  "receiver": {
    "uid": "user_456",
    "name": "Jane Smith",
    "avatar": "https://example.com/avatar2.png"
  },
  "receiverUid": "user_456",
  "type": "text",
  "receiverType": "user",
  "category": "message",
  "sentAt": 1699900000,
  "deliveredAt": 1699900001,
  "readAt": 1699900002,
  "metadata": {
    "priority": "high",
    "customField": "value"
  },
  "readByMeAt": 1699900002,
  "deliveredToMeAt": 1699900001,
  "deletedAt": 0,
  "editedAt": 0,
  "deletedBy": null,
  "editedBy": null,
  "updatedAt": 1699900000,
  "conversationId": "user_123_user_456",
  "parentMessageId": 0,
  "replyCount": 5,
  "unreadRepliesCount": 2,
  "mentionedUsers": [],
  "hasMentionedMe": false,
  "reactions": [
    {
      "reaction": "👍",
      "count": 3,
      "reactedByMe": true
    }
  ],
  "rawMessage": {},
  "quotedMessageId": 0,
  "quotedMessage": null
}

User Object

The nested User object (used in sender, receiver, mentionedUsers) contains:

Parameter	Type	Description
`uid`	String	Unique identifier of the user
`name`	String	Display name of the user
`avatar`	String	URL to user’s profile picture
`link`	String	URL to user’s profile page
`role`	String	User role for access control
`metadata`	JSONObject	Custom data set by developer
`status`	String	User online status. Values: `"online"`, `"offline"`
`statusMessage`	String	Custom status message
`lastActiveAt`	long	Unix timestamp of last activity
`hasBlockedMe`	boolean	Whether this user has blocked the logged-in user
`blockedByMe`	boolean	Whether the logged-in user has blocked this user
`tags`	Array<String>	List of tags for user identification
`deactivatedAt`	long	Unix timestamp when user was deactivated (0 if active)

Group Object

The nested Group object (used in receiver for group messages) contains:

Parameter	Type	Description
`guid`	String	Unique identifier of the group
`name`	String	Display name of the group
`type`	String	Group type. Values: `"public"`, `"private"`, `"password"`
`icon`	String	URL to group icon
`description`	String	Group description
`owner`	String	UID of group owner
`metadata`	JSONObject	Custom data set by developer
`membersCount`	int	Number of group members
`tags`	Array<String>	List of tags for group identification
`hasJoined`	boolean	Whether logged-in user has joined
`scope`	String	User’s scope in group. Values: `"admin"`, `"moderator"`, `"participant"`

ReactionCount Object

The nested ReactionCount object (used in reactions array) contains:

Parameter	Type	Description
`reaction`	String	The reaction emoji
`count`	int	Total count of this reaction
`reactedByMe`	boolean	Whether the logged-in user has reacted with this emoji

Documentation Index

​Text Message

​Add Metadata

​Add Tags

​Quote a Message

​Media Message

​Add Metadata

​Add Caption

​Add Tags

​Upload a File

​Send a URL

​Multiple Attachments

​Upload Multiple Files

​Send Multiple URLs

​Custom Message

​Add Tags

​Control Conversation Update

​Custom Notification Text

​Next Steps

Receive Messages

Edit Message

Delete Message

Interactive Messages

​Message Payload Structure

Text Message

Add Metadata

Add Tags

Quote a Message

Media Message

Add Metadata

Add Caption

Add Tags

Upload a File

Send a URL

Multiple Attachments

Upload Multiple Files

Send Multiple URLs

Custom Message

Add Tags

Control Conversation Update

Custom Notification Text

Next Steps

Message Payload Structure