Send Messages

Send text, media, and custom messages to users and groups using the CometChat iOS SDK.

AI Integration Quick Reference

Field	Value
Key Classes	TextMessage, MediaMessage, CustomMessage
Key Methods	sendTextMessage(), sendMediaMessage(), sendCustomMessage()
Receiver Types	.user, .group
Message Types	.text, .image, .video, .audio, .file, custom
Prerequisites	SDK initialized, user logged in

CometChat supports three types of messages:

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

You can also send metadata along with a text, media or custom message. Think, for example, if you’d want to share the user’s location with every message, you can use the metadata field.

Text Message

Send a text message using CometChat.sendTextMessage() with a TextMessage object.

Swift (User)

let receiverID = "cometchat-uid-2"
let text = "Hello"

let textMessage = TextMessage(receiverUid: receiverID, text: text, receiverType: .user)

CometChat.sendTextMessage(message: textMessage, onSuccess: { (message) in
  print("TextMessage sent successfully. " + message.stringValue())
}) { (error) in
  print("TextMessage sending failed with error: " + error!.errorDescription);
}

Objective-C (User)

NSString *receiverID = @"cometchat-uid-1";
NSString *text       = @"Hello";

TextMessage *textMessage = [[TextMessage alloc]initWithReceiverUid:receiverID text:text receiverType:ReceiverTypeUser];

[CometChat sendTextMessageWithMessage:textMessage onSuccess:^(TextMessage * message) {
    NSLog(@"TextMessage sent successfully. %@",[message stringValue]);
} onError:^(CometChatException * error) {
    NSLog(@"TextMessage sending failed with error: %@",[error errorDescription]);
}];

Swift (Group)

let receiverID = "cometchat-guid-102"
let text = "Hello"

let textMessage = TextMessage(receiverUid: receiverID, text: text, receiverType: .group)

CometChat.sendTextMessage(message: textMessage, onSuccess: { (message) in
  print("TextMessage sent successfully. " + message.stringValue())
}) { (error) in
  print("TextMessage sending failed with error: " + error!.errorDescription);
}

Objective-C (Group)

NSString *receiverID = @"cometchat-guid-101";
NSString *text       = @"Hello";

TextMessage *textMessage = [[TextMessage alloc]initWithReceiverUid:receiverID text:text receiverType:ReceiverTypeGroup];

[CometChat sendTextMessageWithMessage:textMessage onSuccess:^(TextMessage * message) {
    NSLog(@"TextMessage sent successfully. %@",[message stringValue]);
} onError:^(CometChatException * error) {
    NSLog(@"TextMessage sending failed with error: %@",[error errorDescription]);
}];

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
text	The text message content	Yes
receiverType	.user or .group	Yes

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

Add Metadata

Send custom data along with a text message using the metaData property:

Swift

let metadata = ["latitude":"50.6192171633316","longitude":"-72.68182268750002"];
textMessage.metaData = metadata;

Objective-C

NSDictionary * metadata = @{@"latitude":@"50.6192171633316",@"longitude":@"-72.68182268750002"};
[textMessage setMetaData:metadata];

Add Tags

let tags = ["pinned"]
textMessage.tags = tags

Quote a Message

textMessage.quotedMessageId = 140
textMessage.quotedMessage = // Pass the BaseMessage object you want to quote

Media Message

Send images, videos, audio, or files using CometChat.sendMediaMessage().

There are two ways to send media messages:

1. Upload a file — Pass a file path and CometChat uploads it automatically
2. Send a URL — Provide a URL to media hosted on your server or cloud storage

Upload a File

Swift

let receiverid = "cometchat-uid-2"
let mediaUrl = "file:///Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/.../image.jpg"

let mediaMessage = MediaMessage(receiverUid: receiverid, fileurl: mediaUrl, messageType: .image, receiverType: .user)

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(message: mediaMessage, onSuccess: { (message) in
  print("MediaMessage sent successfully. " + message.stringValue())
}) { (error) in
  print("MediaMessage sending failed with error: " + error.errorDescription);
}

Objective-C

NSString *receiverID = @"cometchat-uid-1";
NSString *filePath = @"Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/.../image.jpg";

MediaMessage *mediaMessage = [[MediaMessage alloc]initWithReceiverUid:receiverID fileurl:filePath messageType:messageTypeImage receiverType:ReceiverTypeUser];

[CometChat sendMediaMessageWithMessage:mediaMessage onSuccess:^(MediaMessage * message) {
    NSLog(@"MediaMessage sent successfully. %@",[message stringValue]);
} onError:^(CometChatException * error) {
    NSLog(@"MediaMessage sending failed with error: %@",[error errorDescription]);
}];

Send a URL

Use the Attachment class to send media hosted on your server or cloud storage:

let receiverid = "cometchat-uid-2"
let mediaUrl = "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png"

let mediaMessage = MediaMessage(receiverUid: receiverid, fileurl: "", messageType: .image, receiverType: .user)
mediaMessage.attachment = Attachment(fileName: "FileName", fileExtension: "png", fileMimeType: "image/png", fileUrl: mediaUrl)

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(message: mediaMessage, onSuccess: { (message) in
  print("MediaMessage sent successfully. " + message.stringValue())
}) { (error) in
  print("MediaMessage sending failed with error: " + error.errorDescription);
}

The MediaMessage class constructor takes the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Required
receiverID	UID of the user or GUID of the group	Yes
fileurl	File path or empty string if using URL	Yes
messageType	.image, .video, .audio, or .file	Yes
receiverType	.user or .group	Yes

On success, sendMediaMessage() returns a MediaMessage object.

Add Caption

mediaMessage.caption = "Message Caption"

Add Metadata and Tags

Same as text messages:

mediaMessage.metaData = ["location": "Paris"]
mediaMessage.tags = ["vacation"]

Multiple Attachments in a Media Message

Starting version 3.0.906 & above, the SDK supports sending multiple attachments in a single media message.

let receiverId = "cometchat-uid-1"

let data = try? Data(contentsOf: URL(string: "file:///path/to/image1.jpeg")!)
let data1 = try? Data(contentsOf: URL(string: "file:///path/to/image2.jpeg")!)

var files = [File]()
files.append(File(name: "FileName 1", data: data))
files.append(File(name: "FileName 2", data: data1))

let mediaMessage = MediaMessage(receiverUid: receiverId, files: files, messageType: .file, receiverType: .user)

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(message: mediaMessage, onSuccess: { (message) in
  print("Message sent successfully")
}, onError: { (error) in
  print("Message sending failed: ", error?.errorDescription)
})

Custom Message

Send structured data that doesn’t fit text or media categories — like location coordinates, polls, or game moves.

Swift (User)

let receiverid = "cometchat-uid-2"
let customData: [String: Any] = ["customKey": "customData"]

let customMessage = CustomMessage(receiverUid: receiverid, receiverType: .user, customData: customData, type: "Custom Type")

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(message: customMessage, onSuccess: { (message) in
  print("CustomMessage sent successfully. " + message.stringValue())
}) { (error) in
  print("CustomMessage sending failed with error: " + error!.errorDescription);
}

Swift (Group)

let receiverid = "cometchat-guid-1"
let customData: [String: Any] = ["customKey": "customData"]

let customMessage = CustomMessage(receiverUid: receiverid, receiverType: .group, customData: customData, type: "Custom Type")

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(message: customMessage, onSuccess: { (message) in
  print("CustomMessage sent successfully. " + message.stringValue())
}) { (error) in
  print("CustomMessage sending failed with error: " + error!.errorDescription);
}

The CustomMessage class constructor takes the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Required
receiverID	UID of the user or GUID of the group	Yes
receiverType	.user or .group	Yes
customData	Dictionary with your custom data	Yes
type	Your custom type string (e.g., "location", "poll")	Yes

On success, sendCustomMessage() returns a CustomMessage object.

Add Tags

customMessage.tags = ["starredMessage"]

Control Conversation Update

By default, custom messages update the conversation’s last message. To prevent this:

customMessage.updateConversation = false

Custom Notification Text

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

customMessage.conversationText = "Shared a location"

It is also possible to send interactive messages from CometChat. To learn more, see Interactive Messages.

---

Next Steps

Receive Messages

Listen for incoming messages in real-time

Edit Message

Edit previously sent messages

Delete Message

Delete sent messages