Message Privately

Start private one-to-one chats from CometChat Android UI Kit group conversations with message options, user lookup, and navigation.

AI Integration Quick Reference

Field	Value
Package	com.cometchat:chat-uikit-android
Key components	CometChatMessageList, CometChatMessageComposer, CometChatMessageHeader, CometChat.sendMessage()
Purpose	Allow users to start a private one-on-one chat from a user profile or list screen.
Related	Message List, Message Composer, Message Header, All Guides

Allow users to initiate a private one-on-one chat from another user’s profile or list screen using CometChat’s Android UI Kit.

Overview

The Message Privately feature streamlines direct messaging by enabling:

• Quick entry into a one-on-one conversation from a user context.
• Automatic conversation creation if none exists.
• Optional initial message send to surface the chat in lists.

Users tap Message Privately → launch MessagesActivity with the target user’s UID → chat UI loads.

Prerequisites

• Android Studio project with CometChat Android UI Kit v5 (com.cometchat:chat-uikit-android) added to build.gradle.
• Valid CometChat App ID, Auth Key, and Region initialized.
• <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/> in AndroidManifest.xml.
• Users created in your CometChat app.
• User must be logged in via CometChatUIKit.login() before invoking this feature.
• Existing MessagesActivity capable of handling one-on-one chats.

Components

Component / Class	Responsibility
UserDetailsActivity	Shows user profile UI and Message Privately button.
MessagesActivity	Chat screen for one-on-one conversation with a User.
MainActivity	(Optional) entry point for sending initial message programmatically.
CometChatUIKit.login()	Authenticates the current user session.
CometChat.sendMessage()	Sends a dummy text message to initialize conversation.

Integration Steps

1. Launch One-on-One Chat from Profile

Navigate from UserDetailsActivity to MessagesActivity with the selected user.

Kotlin

// In UserDetailsActivity.kt
binding.messagePrivatelyBtn.setOnClickListener {
    val intent = Intent(this, MessagesActivity::class.java)
    intent.putExtra(getString(R.string.app_user), Gson().toJson(user))
    startActivity(intent)
}

Java

// In UserDetailsActivity.java
binding.messagePrivatelyBtn.setOnClickListener(v -> {
  Intent intent = new Intent(this, MessagesActivity.class);
  intent.putExtra(getString(R.string.app_user), new Gson().toJson(user));
  startActivity(intent);
});

File reference:
UserDetailsActivity.java

2. Handle Incoming Intent in Chat Screen

Deserialize the User JSON extra and configure the chat UI.

Kotlin

// In MessagesActivity.kt
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_messages)

    val userJson = intent.getStringExtra(getString(R.string.app_user))
    if (userJson != null) {
        val user = Gson().fromJson(userJson, User::class.java)
        messageHeader.setUser(user)
        messageList.setUser(user)
        composer.setUser(user)
    }
}

Java

// In MessagesActivity.java
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
  super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
  setContentView(R.layout.activity_messages);

  String userJson = getIntent().getStringExtra(getString(R.string.app_user));
  if (userJson != null) {
    User user = new Gson().fromJson(userJson, User.class);
    messageHeader.setUser(user);
    messageList.setUser(user);
    composer.setUser(user);
  }
}

File reference:
MessagesActivity.java

3. (Optional) Programmatically Create Conversation

Send an initial greeting to ensure the chat appears in conversation lists.

Kotlin

// In MainActivity.kt
val txtMessage = TextMessage(
    "cometchat-uid-2",
    "👋",
    CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER
)
CometChat.sendMessage(txtMessage, object : CometChat.CallbackListener<BaseMessage>() {
    override fun onSuccess(msg: BaseMessage) {
        Log.d("SendMsg", "Initial message sent.")
    }
    override fun onError(e: CometChatException?) {
        Log.e("SendMsg", e?.message ?: "Error sending message")
    }
})

Java

// In MainActivity.java
txtMessage = new TextMessage(
  "cometchat-uid-2",
  "👋",
  CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER
);
CometChat.sendMessage(txtMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<BaseMessage>() {
  @Override public void onSuccess(BaseMessage msg) {
    Log.d("SendMsg", "Initial message sent.");
  }
  @Override public void onError(CometChatException e) {
    Log.e("SendMsg", e.getMessage());
  }
});

File reference:
MainActivity.java

Implementation Flow

Step	Action	Location
1	Tap Message Privately button	UserDetailsActivity.java
2	Launch MessagesActivity with user JSON extra	UserDetailsActivity onClick listener
3	Deserialize and bind User to UI Kit components	MessagesActivity.onCreate()
4	(Optional) Send initial message to surface chat list	MainActivity.sendInitialMessage()

Customization Options

• Button Text & Style: Update messagePrivatelyBtn in activity_user_details.xml.
• Intent Extras Key: Use a custom key instead of R.string.app_user.
• Dummy Message: Customize initial message content or omit step if undesired.

Edge Cases

Condition	Behavior
User never chatted before	The conversation appears after the first message is sent.
Target user blocked	Composer hidden; consider showing unblock prompt.
Invalid user data	Guard against null JSON and show error UI or fallback.
Missing JSON extra	Do not initialize chat; optionally close screen with warning.

Summary / Feature Matrix

Feature	Component / Method
Launch private chat	Intent from messagePrivatelyBtn
Initialize chat UI	messageHeader.setUser(), messageList.setUser()
Create conversation	CometChat.sendMessage() optional

Android Sample App (Java)

Explore this feature in the CometChat SampleApp: GitHub → SampleApp

Android Sample App (Kotlin)

Explore this feature in the CometChat SampleApp: GitHub → SampleApp