Delete A Message

Delete messages and handle real-time deletion events using the CometChat Flutter SDK.

AI Integration Quick Reference

Field	Value
Key Classes	BaseMessage, CometChatException
Key Methods	CometChat.deleteMessage()
Listener Events	onMessageDeleted
Prerequisites	SDK initialized, user logged in

// Delete a message by ID
int messageId = 1234;
await CometChat.deleteMessage(messageId,
  onSuccess: (BaseMessage message) {
    debugPrint("Message deleted at: ${message.deletedAt}");
  },
  onError: (CometChatException e) {
    debugPrint("Delete failed: ${e.message}");
  },
);

// Listen for deleted messages
CometChat.addMessageListener("listener_id", MessageListener(
  onMessageDeleted: (BaseMessage message) {
    debugPrint("Message ${message.id} was deleted");
  },
));

// Remove listener when done
CometChat.removeMessageListener("listener_id");

Who can delete: Message sender, Group admin, Group moderator Deleted fields: deletedAt (timestamp), deletedBy (user who deleted)

This operation is irreversible. Deleted messages cannot be recovered.

While deleting a message is straightforward, receiving events for deleted messages with CometChat has two parts:

1. Adding a listener to receive real-time message deletes when your app is running.
2. Calling a method to retrieve missed message delete events when your app was not running.

Available via: SDK | REST API | UI Kits

Delete a Message

In other words, as a sender, how do I delete a message?

Use deleteMessage() with the message ID of the message to be deleted.

Parameter	Type	Description
messageId	int	The ID of the message to delete.
onSuccess	Function(BaseMessage)	Callback triggered on success with the deleted message object.
onError	Function(CometChatException)	Callback triggered on error with exception details.

Delete Message

int messageId=1234;

await CometChat.deleteMessage(messageId, 
  onSuccess: (BaseMessage message){
  	debugPrint("Message deleted successfully at : $message");
  }, onError: (CometChatException e){
  	debugPrint("Message deletion failed : ${e.message}");
  }
);

Response

On Success — A BaseMessage object with deletedAt and deletedBy fields set:

BaseMessage Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
id	number	Unique message ID	1234
metadata	object	Custom metadata attached to the message	{}
receiver	object	Receiver user object	See below ↓
editedBy	string	UID of the user who edited the message	null
conversationId	string	Unique conversation identifier	"cometchat-uid-1_user_cometchat-uid-2"
sentAt	number	Epoch timestamp when the message was sent	1745554729
receiverUid	string	UID of the receiver	"cometchat-uid-2"
type	string	Type of the message	"text"
readAt	number	Epoch timestamp when the message was read	0
deletedBy	string	UID of the user who deleted the message	"cometchat-uid-1"
deliveredAt	number	Epoch timestamp when the message was delivered	1745554750
deletedAt	number	Epoch timestamp when the message was deleted	1745554800
replyCount	number	Number of replies to this message	0
sender	object	Sender user object	See below ↓
receiverType	string	Type of the receiver	"user"
editedAt	number	Epoch timestamp when the message was edited	0
parentMessageId	number	ID of the parent message (for threads)	0
readByMeAt	number	Epoch timestamp when read by the current user	0
category	string	Message category	"message"
deliveredToMeAt	number	Epoch timestamp when delivered to the current user	0
updatedAt	number	Epoch timestamp when the message was last updated	1745554800
unreadRepliesCount	number	Count of unread replies	0
quotedMessageId	number	ID of the quoted message	null

---

sender Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	Unique identifier of the sender	"cometchat-uid-1"
name	string	Display name of the sender	"Andrew Joseph"
link	string	Profile link	null
avatar	string	Avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-1.webp"
metadata	object	Custom metadata	{}
status	string	Online status	"online"
role	string	User role	"default"
statusMessage	string	Status message	null
tags	array	User tags	[]
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether this user has blocked the current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether the current user has blocked this user	false
lastActiveAt	number	Epoch timestamp of last activity	1745554700

---

receiver Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	Unique identifier of the receiver	"cometchat-uid-2"
name	string	Display name of the receiver	"George Alan"
link	string	Profile link	null
avatar	string	Avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-2.webp"
metadata	object	Custom metadata	{}
status	string	Online status	"offline"
role	string	User role	"default"
statusMessage	string	Status message	null
tags	array	User tags	[]
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether this user has blocked the current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether the current user has blocked this user	false
lastActiveAt	number	Epoch timestamp of last activity	1745550000

Error

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
code	string	Error code identifier	"ERR_CHAT_API_FAILURE"
message	string	Human-readable error message	"The message could not be deleted."
details	string	Additional technical details	"Ensure the message ID is valid and you have permission to delete this message."

The deleted message object is returned with deletedAt (timestamp) and deletedBy (UID of deleter) fields set.

Relevant fields to access on the returned message:

Field	Property	Return Type	Description
deletedAt	deletedAt	int	Timestamp when the message was deleted
deletedBy	deletedBy	String	UID of the user who deleted the message

By default, CometChat allows certain roles to delete a message.

User Role	Conversation Type	Deletion Capabilities
Message Sender	One-on-one Conversation	Messages they’ve sent
Message Sender	Group Conversation	Messages they’ve sent
Group Admin	Group Conversation	All messages in the group
Group Moderator	Group Conversation	All messages in the group

Real-time Message Delete Events

In other words, as a recipient, how do I know when someone deletes a message when my app is running?

Use onMessageDeleted in MessageListener to receive real-time delete events.

Dart

class Class_Name  with MessageListener {

//CometChat.addMessageListener("listenerId", this);
@override
void onMessageDeleted(BaseMessage message) {
	// TODO implement onMessageDeleted
}  


}   

Always remove message listeners when they’re no longer needed (e.g., in the dispose() method). Failing to remove listeners can cause memory leaks and duplicate event handling.

@override
void dispose() {
  CometChat.removeMessageListener("listenerId");
  super.dispose();
}

The onMessageDeleted callback receives a BaseMessage object with the deletedAt and deletedBy fields set.

Relevant fields to access on the returned message:

Field	Property	Return Type	Description
deletedAt	deletedAt	int	Timestamp when the message was deleted
deletedBy	deletedBy	String	UID of the user who deleted the message

Missed Message Delete Events

In other words, as a recipient, how do I know if someone deleted a message when my app was not running?

When you retrieve the list of previous messages, for the messages that were deleted, the deletedAt and the deletedBy fields will be set. Also, for example, if the total number of messages for a conversation are 100, and the message with message ID 50 was deleted. Now the message with ID 50 will have the deletedAt and the deletedBy fields set whenever it is pulled from the history. Also, the 101st message will be an Action message informing you that the message with ID 50 has been deleted.

For the message deleted event, in the Action object received, the following fields can help you get the relevant information-

1. action - deleted
2. actionOn - Updated message object which was deleted.
3. actionBy - User object containing the details of the user who has deleted the message.
4. actionFor - User/group object having the details of the receiver to which the message was sent.

You must be the message sender or a group admin/moderator to delete a message.

---

Next Steps

Edit Message

Modify sent messages before deletion

Send Message

Send text, media, and custom messages

Receive Messages

Handle incoming messages in real-time

Flag a Message

Report inappropriate messages