Delete Message - CometChat Docs

AI Integration Quick Reference

let messageId = "MESSAGE_ID";

// Delete a message
await CometChat.deleteMessage(messageId);

// Listen for real-time deletions
CometChat.addMessageListener("ID", new CometChat.MessageListener({
  onMessageDeleted: (message) => {
    console.log("Deleted:", message.getId(), message.getDeletedAt());
  }
}));

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.

Deleting a message is straightforward. Receiving delete events has two parts:

Adding a listener for real-time deletes when your app is running
Fetching missed deletes when your app was offline

Delete a Message

Use deleteMessage() with the message ID.

TypeScript
JavaScript

let messageId: number = 1;

CometChat.deleteMessage(messageId).then(
  (message: CometChat.BaseMessage) => {
      console.log("Message deleted", message);
  }, (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
      console.log("Message delete failed with error:", error);
  }
);

let messageId = "ID_OF_THE_MESSAGE_YOU_WANT_TO_DELETE";

CometChat.deleteMessage(messageId).then(
message => {
  console.log("Message deleted", message);
}, error => {
  console.log("Message delete failed with error:", error);
}
);

Alternatively, you can use the async/await syntax:

let messageId = "ID_OF_THE_MESSAGE_YOU_WANT_TO_DELETE";

try {
  const message = await CometChat.deleteMessage(messageId);
  console.log("Message deleted", message);
} catch (error) {
  console.log("Message delete failed with error:", error);
}

The deleted message object is returned with deletedAt (timestamp) and deletedBy (UID of deleter) fields set. The deleteMessage() method returns a BaseMessage object. Relevant fields to access on the returned message:

Field	Getter	Return Type	Description
deletedAt	`getDeletedAt()`	`number`	Timestamp when the message was deleted
deletedBy	`getDeletedBy()`	`string`	UID of the user who deleted the message

Message deletion in CometChat is controlled by -

User	Conversation Type	Deletion Capabilities
Message Sender	One-on-One Conversation	Messages they have sent.
Message Sender	Group Conversation	Messages they have sent.
Group Admin	Group Conversation	All the messages in the group.
Group Moderator	Group Conversation	All the messages in the group.

Real-time Message Delete Events

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

TypeScript
JavaScript

let listenerID: string = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";

CometChat.addMessageListener(
  listenerID,
  new CometChat.MessageListener({
      onMessageDeleted: (message: CometChat.BaseMessage) => {
          console.log("Deleted Message", message);
      }
  })
);

let listenerID = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";

CometChat.addMessageListener(
listenerID,
new CometChat.MessageListener({
  onMessageDeleted: message => {
    console.log("Deleted Message", message);
  }
})
);

The onMessageDeleted callback receives a BaseMessage object with the deletedAt and deletedBy fields set. Relevant fields to access on the returned message:

Field	Getter	Return Type	Description
deletedAt	`getDeletedAt()`	`number`	Timestamp when the message was deleted
deletedBy	`getDeletedBy()`	`string`	UID of the user who deleted the message

Missed Message Delete Events

When fetching message history, deleted messages have deletedAt and deletedBy fields set. Additionally, an Action message is created when a message is deleted. The Action object contains:

action — deleted
actionOn — Deleted message object
actionBy — User who deleted the message
actionFor — Receiver (User/Group)

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

Always remove message listeners when they’re no longer needed to prevent memory leaks.

Next Steps

Edit a Message

Edit sent messages in conversations

Send Messages

Send text, media, and custom messages

Receive Messages

Listen for incoming messages in real-time

Flag a Message

Report inappropriate messages

​Delete a Message

​Real-time Message Delete Events

​Missed Message Delete Events

​Next Steps

Edit a Message

Send Messages

Receive Messages

Flag a Message

Delete a Message

Real-time Message Delete Events

Missed Message Delete Events

Next Steps