Typing Indicators

Send and receive real-time typing indicators using the CometChat Flutter SDK.

AI Integration Quick Reference

Field	Value
Key Classes	TypingIndicator
Key Methods	CometChat.startTyping(), CometChat.endTyping()
Receiver Types	CometChatReceiverType.user, CometChatReceiverType.group
Listener Events	onTypingStarted, onTypingEnded
Prerequisites	SDK initialized, user logged in

// Start typing indicator to user
CometChat.startTyping(receiverUid: "UID", receiverType: CometChatReceiverType.user);

// Start typing indicator to group
CometChat.startTyping(receiverUid: "GUID", receiverType: CometChatReceiverType.group);

// Stop typing indicator
CometChat.endTyping(receiverUid: "UID", receiverType: CometChatReceiverType.user);

// Listen for typing indicators
CometChat.addMessageListener("listenerId", MessageListener(
  onTypingStarted: (TypingIndicator typingIndicator) { },
  onTypingEnded: (TypingIndicator typingIndicator) { },
));

Typing indicators let users know when someone is actively typing a message, creating a more engaging real-time chat experience.

Available via: SDK | REST API | UI Kits

Send a Typing Indicator

In other words, as a sender, how do I let the recipient(s) know that I’m typing?

Start Typing

Use startTyping() to notify the receiver that the logged-in user has started typing. The receiver will receive this information in the onTypingStarted() method of the MessageListener class.

Start Typing (User)

CometChat.startTyping(
  receiverUid: "UID",
  receiverType: CometChatReceiverType.user,
);

Start Typing (Group)

CometChat.startTyping(
  receiverUid: "GUID",
  receiverType: CometChatReceiverType.group,
);

startTyping() Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description	Required
receiverUid	String	The UID of the user or GUID of the group to send the typing indicator to	Yes
receiverType	String	The type of the receiver — CometChatReceiverType.user or CometChatReceiverType.group	Yes

startTyping() returns void — the typing indicator is sent as a fire-and-forget operation.

Stop Typing

Use endTyping() to notify the receiver that the logged-in user has stopped typing. The receiver will receive this information in the onTypingEnded() method of the MessageListener class.

Stop Typing (User)

CometChat.endTyping(
  receiverUid: "UID",
  receiverType: CometChatReceiverType.user,
);

Stop Typing (Group)

CometChat.endTyping(
  receiverUid: "GUID",
  receiverType: CometChatReceiverType.group,
);

endTyping() Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description	Required
receiverUid	String	The UID of the user or GUID of the group to send the typing indicator to	Yes
receiverType	String	The type of the receiver — CometChatReceiverType.user or CometChatReceiverType.group	Yes

endTyping() returns void — the typing indicator is sent as a fire-and-forget operation.

Use the metadata field of the TypingIndicator class to pass additional custom data along with the typing indicators. The metadata field is a Map<String, String> and can be set using the .metadata property. This data will be received at the receiver end and can be obtained using the same property.

Real-time Typing Indicators

In other words, as a recipient, how do I know when someone is typing?

Use onTypingStarted and onTypingEnded in MessageListener to receive TypingIndicator events.

Always remove 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.

CometChat.removeMessageListener("listenerId");

Dart

class Class_Name  with MessageListener {

//CometChat.addMessageListener("listenerId", this);
@override
void onTypingStarted(TypingIndicator typingIndicator) {
  // TODO: implement onTypingStarted
}

@override
void onTypingEnded(TypingIndicator typingIndicator) {
  // TODO: implement onTypingEnded
}


}

The received object is a TypingIndicator with the following fields:

Parameter	Type	Description
sender	User	An object of the User class holding all the information related to the sender of the typing indicator.
receiverId	String	UID of the receiver. This is the ID of the group or the user the typing indicator is being sent to.
receiverType	String	Indicates if the typing indicator is to a user or a group — CometChatReceiverType.user or CometChatReceiverType.group.
metadata	Map<String, String>?	Optional metadata to provide additional data.
lastTimestamp	DateTime	The timestamp of the last typing indicator event.

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Next Steps

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