Send Messages - CometChat Docs

AI Integration Quick Reference

Field	Value
Key Classes	`TextMessage`, `MediaMessage`, `CustomMessage`
Key Methods	`sendMessage()`, `sendMediaMessage()`, `sendCustomMessage()`
Receiver Types	`CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER`, `CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.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	`sendMessage()`	Plain text messages
Media	`sendMediaMessage()`	Images, videos, audio, files
Custom	`sendCustomMessage()`	Location, polls, or any JSON data

Text Message

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

TypeScript (User)
JavaScript (User)
TypeScript (Group)
JavaScript (Group)

let receiverID: string = "UID",
  messageText: string = "Hello world!",
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER,
  textMessage: CometChat.TextMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage(
    receiverID,
    messageText,
    receiverType
  );

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.TextMessage) => {
    console.log("Message sent successfully:", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Message sending failed with error:", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "UID";
let messageText = "Hello world!";
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER;
let textMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage(
  receiverID,
  messageText,
  receiverType
);

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Message sent successfully:", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Message sending failed with error:", error);
  }
);

Alternatively, you can use the async/await syntax:

try {
  const receiverID = "UID";
  const messageText = "Hello world!";
  const receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER;
  const textMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage(
    receiverID,
    messageText,
    receiverType
  );

  const message = await CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage);
  console.log("Message sent successfully:", message);
} catch (error) {
  console.log("Message sending failed with error:", error);
}

let receiverID: string = "GUID",
  messageText: string = "Hello world!",
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP,
  textMessage: CometChat.TextMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage(
    receiverID,
    messageText,
    receiverType
  );

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.TextMessage) => {
    console.log("Message sent successfully:", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Message sending failed with error:", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "GUID";
let messageText = "Hello world!";
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP;
let textMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage(
  receiverID,
  messageText,
  receiverType
);

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Message sent successfully:", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Message sending failed with error:", error);
  }
);

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`	`CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER` or `CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP`	Yes

On success, sendMessage() returns a TextMessage | MediaMessage | CustomMessage | BaseMessage object containing all information related to the sent message.

Media Message

Send images, videos, audio, or files using CometChat.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

Upload a File

Get the file using a React Native image picker and pass it to MediaMessage:

ImagePicker.showImagePicker(options, (response) => {
  if (response.didCancel || response.error) return;

  const file = {
    name: Platform.OS === "android" ? response.fileName : response.fileName || "Camera_001.jpeg",
    type: response.type,
    uri: Platform.OS === "android" ? response.uri : response.uri.replace("file://", ""),
  };
  // Use this file object in MediaMessage
});

TypeScript (User)
JavaScript (User)
TypeScript (Group)
JavaScript (Group)

let receiverID: string = "UID",
  messageType: string = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE,
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER,
  mediaMessage: CometChat.MediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
    receiverID,
    file,
    messageType,
    receiverType
  );

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.MediaMessage) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "UID";
let messageType = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE;
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER;
let mediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
  receiverID,
  file,
  messageType,
  receiverType
);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID: string = "GUID",
  messageType: string = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE,
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP,
  mediaMessage: CometChat.MediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
    receiverID,
    file,
    messageType,
    receiverType
  );

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.MediaMessage) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "GUID";
let messageType = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE;
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP;
let mediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
  receiverID,
  file,
  messageType,
  receiverType
);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

Send a URL

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

TypeScript (User)
JavaScript (User)
TypeScript (Group)
JavaScript (Group)

let receiverID: string = "UID",
  messageType: string = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE,
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER,
  mediaMessage: CometChat.MediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
    receiverID,
    "",
    messageType,
    receiverType
  );

let file: Object = {
  name: "mario",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png",
};

let attachment: CometChat.Attachment = new CometChat.Attachment(file);
mediaMessage.setAttachment(attachment);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.MediaMessage) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "UID";
let messageType = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE;
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER;
let mediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
  receiverID,
  "",
  messageType,
  receiverType
);

let file = {
  name: "mario",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png",
};

let attachment = new CometChat.Attachment(file);
mediaMessage.setAttachment(attachment);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID: string = "GUID",
  messageType: string = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE,
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP,
  mediaMessage: CometChat.MediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
    receiverID,
    "",
    messageType,
    receiverType
  );

let file: Object = {
  name: "mario",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png",
};

let attachment: CometChat.Attachment = new CometChat.Attachment(file);
mediaMessage.setAttachment(attachment);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.MediaMessage) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "GUID";
let messageType = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE;
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP;
let mediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
  receiverID,
  "",
  messageType,
  receiverType
);

let file = {
  name: "mario",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png",
};

let attachment = new CometChat.Attachment(file);
mediaMessage.setAttachment(attachment);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

The MediaMessage class constructor takes the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Required
`receiverID`	UID of the user or GUID of the group	Yes
`file`	File object to upload, or empty string if using URL	Yes
`messageType`	`CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE`, `VIDEO`, `AUDIO`, or `FILE`	Yes
`receiverType`	`CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER` or `GROUP`	Yes

On success, sendMediaMessage() returns a MediaMessage object.

Add Caption

Add text along with the media:

mediaMessage.setCaption("Check out this photo!");

Add Metadata and Tags

mediaMessage.setMetadata({ location: "Paris" });
mediaMessage.setTags(["vacation"]);
mediaMessage.setQuotedMessageId(10);

Multiple Attachments in a Media Message

Starting version 3.0.9 & above, the SDK supports sending multiple attachments in a single media message. There are two ways:

By providing an array of files — Pass an array of file objects and CometChat uploads them automatically.
By providing URLs — Use the Attachment class with multiple URLs.

Upload Multiple Files

TypeScript (User)
JavaScript (User)
TypeScript (Group)
JavaScript (Group)

let receiverID: string = "UID",
  messageType: string = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.FILE,
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER,
  mediaMessage: CometChat.MediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
    receiverID,
    files,
    messageType,
    receiverType
  );

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.MediaMessage) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "UID";
let messageType = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.FILE;
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER;
let mediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
  receiverID,
  files,
  messageType,
  receiverType
);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID: string = "GUID",
  messageType: string = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.FILE,
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP,
  mediaMessage: CometChat.MediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
    receiverID,
    files,
    messageType,
    receiverType
  );

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.MediaMessage) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "GUID";
let messageType = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.FILE;
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP;
let mediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
  receiverID,
  files,
  messageType,
  receiverType
);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

Send Multiple URLs

TypeScript (User)
JavaScript (User)
TypeScript (Group)
JavaScript (Group)

let receiverID: string = "UID",
  messageType: string = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE,
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER,
  mediaMessage: CometChat.MediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
    receiverID,
    "",
    messageType,
    receiverType
  );

let attachment1: Object = {
  name: "mario",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png",
};

let attachment2: Object = {
  name: "jaguar",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/jaguar/jaguar_PNG20759.png",
};

let attachments: Array<CometChat.Attachment> = [];
attachments.push(new CometChat.Attachment(attachment1));
attachments.push(new CometChat.Attachment(attachment2));

mediaMessage.setAttachments(attachments);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.MediaMessage) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "UID";
let messageType = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE;
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER;
let mediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
  receiverID,
  "",
  messageType,
  receiverType
);

let attachment1 = {
  name: "mario",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png",
};

let attachment2 = {
  name: "jaguar",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/jaguar/jaguar_PNG20759.png",
};

let attachments = [];
attachments.push(new CometChat.Attachment(attachment1));
attachments.push(new CometChat.Attachment(attachment2));

mediaMessage.setAttachments(attachments);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID: string = "GUID",
  messageType: string = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE,
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP,
  mediaMessage: CometChat.MediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
    receiverID,
    "",
    messageType,
    receiverType
  );

let attachment1: Object = {
  name: "mario",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png",
};

let attachment2: Object = {
  name: "jaguar",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/jaguar/jaguar_PNG20759.png",
};

let attachments: Array<CometChat.Attachment> = [];
attachments.push(new CometChat.Attachment(attachment1));
attachments.push(new CometChat.Attachment(attachment2));

mediaMessage.setAttachments(attachments);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.MediaMessage) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "GUID";
let messageType = CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE;
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP;
let mediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
  receiverID,
  "",
  messageType,
  receiverType
);

let attachment1 = {
  name: "mario",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/mario/mario_PNG125.png",
};

let attachment2 = {
  name: "jaguar",
  extension: "png",
  mimeType: "image/png",
  url: "https://pngimg.com/uploads/jaguar/jaguar_PNG20759.png",
};

let attachments = [];
attachments.push(new CometChat.Attachment(attachment1));
attachments.push(new CometChat.Attachment(attachment2));

mediaMessage.setAttachments(attachments);

CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Media message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Media message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

Custom Message

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

TypeScript (User)
JavaScript (User)
TypeScript (Group)
JavaScript (Group)

let receiverID: string = "UID",
  customData: Object = {
    latitude: "50.6192171633316",
    longitude: "-72.68182268750002",
  },
  customType: string = "location",
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER,
  customMessage: CometChat.CustomMessage = new CometChat.CustomMessage(
    receiverID,
    receiverType,
    customType,
    customData
  );

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.CustomMessage) => {
    console.log("Custom message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Custom message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "UID";
let customData = {
  latitude: "50.6192171633316",
  longitude: "-72.68182268750002",
};
let customType = "location";
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER;

let customMessage = new CometChat.CustomMessage(
  receiverID,
  receiverType,
  customType,
  customData
);

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Custom message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Custom message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID: string = "GUID",
  customData: Object = {
    latitude: "50.6192171633316",
    longitude: "-72.68182268750002",
  },
  customType: string = "location",
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP,
  customMessage: CometChat.CustomMessage = new CometChat.CustomMessage(
    receiverID,
    receiverType,
    customType,
    customData
  );

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.CustomMessage) => {
    console.log("Custom message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Custom message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

let receiverID = "GUID";
let customData = {
  latitude: "50.6192171633316",
  longitude: "-72.68182268750002",
};
let customType = "location";
let receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP;

let customMessage = new CometChat.CustomMessage(
  receiverID,
  receiverType,
  customType,
  customData
);

CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage).then(
  (message) => {
    console.log("Custom message sent successfully", message);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Custom message sending failed with error", error);
  }
);

The CustomMessage class constructor takes the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Required
`receiverID`	UID of the user or GUID of the group	Yes
`receiverType`	`CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER` or `GROUP`	Yes
`customType`	Your custom type string (e.g., `"location"`, `"poll"`)	Yes
`customData`	JSON object with your custom data	Yes

On success, sendCustomMessage() returns a CustomMessage object.

Add Tags

customMessage.setTags(["starredMessage"]);

Quote a Message

customMessage.setQuotedMessageId(10);

Control Conversation Update

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

customMessage.shouldUpdateConversation(false);

Custom Notification Text

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

customMessage.setConversationText("Shared a location");

Next Steps

Receive Messages

Listen for incoming messages in real-time

Edit Message

Edit previously sent messages

Delete Message

Delete sent messages

​Text Message

​Media Message

​Upload a File

​Send a URL

​Add Caption

​Add Metadata and Tags

​Multiple Attachments in a Media Message

​Upload Multiple Files

​Send Multiple URLs

​Custom Message

​Add Tags

​Quote a Message

​Control Conversation Update

​Custom Notification Text

​Next Steps