Delete A Message

Guide to deleting messages using the CometChat iOS SDK with soft delete behavior and real-time deletion events.

Quick Reference for AI Agents & Developers

• Delete message: CometChat.delete(messageId:onSuccess:onError:)
• Behavior: Soft delete — message marked as deleted, not removed from server
• Listen for deletions: onMessageDeleted(_:) in message listener delegate
• Missed deletions: Use MessagesRequest with appropriate filters
• Related: Edit Message · Send Message · Messaging Overview

While deleting a Message is straightforward, receiving events for deleted messages with CometChat has two parts:

1. Adding a listener to receive real-time message deletes when your app is running.
2. Calling a method to retrieve missed message deletes when your app was not running.

Delete a Message

In other words, as a sender, how do I delete a message?

In case you have to delete a message, you can use the deleteMessage() method. This method takes the message ID of the message to be deleted.

Swift

CometChat.delete(messageId: 12345, onSuccess: { (message) in
    print("Message deleted: \(message)")
}, onError: { (error) in
    print("Error: \(error.errorDescription)")
})

Once the message is deleted, In the onSuccess() callback, you get an object of the BaseMessage class, with the deletedAt field set with the timestamp of the time the message was deleted. Also, the deletedBy field is set. These two fields can be used to identify if the message is deleted while iterating through a list of messages.

This is a SOFT DELETE - message content is still available. Check deletedAt > 0 to identify deleted messages.

Sample Payloads

Request

Method: CometChat.delete(messageId:)

Parameter	Type	Value
messageId	Int	12345

Success Response

Object Type: BaseMessage

Base Message Properties:

Parameter	Type	Value
id	Int	12345
muid	String	"1640000000000-abc123"
conversationId	String	"cometchat-uid-1_user_cometchat-uid-2"
senderUid	String	"cometchat-uid-1"
receiverUid	String	"cometchat-uid-2"
receiverType	CometChat.ReceiverType	0 (.user)
messageCategory	CometChat.MessageCategory	0 (.message)
sentAt	Int	1640000000

Delete-Specific Properties:

Parameter	Type	Value
deletedAt	Double	1640001000
deletedBy	String	"cometchat-uid-1"
updatedAt	Double	1640001000

Original Message (still available - soft delete):

Parameter	Type	Value
text	String	"Original message text"
tags	[String]	[]

Error Response

Object Type: CometChatException

Parameter	Type	Value
errorCode	String	"ERR_PERMISSION_DENIED"
errorDescription	String	"You do not have permission to delete this message"

By default, CometChat allows certain roles to delete a message.

User Role	Conversation Type	Deletion Capabilities
Message Sender	One-on-one	Own messages only
Message Sender	Group	Own messages only
Group Admin	Group	All messages
Group Moderator	Group	All messages

---

Real-time Message Delete Events

In other words, as a recipient, how do I know when someone deletes a message when my app is running?

To receive real-time delete events, implement CometChatMessageDelegate:

Swift

extension YourViewController: CometChatMessageDelegate {
    
    func onMessageDeleted(message: BaseMessage) {
        print("Message deleted: \(message.id)")
        print("Deleted at: \(message.deletedAt)")
        print("Deleted by: \(message.deletedBy ?? "")")
        
        // Original content is still available (soft delete)
        if let textMessage = message as? TextMessage {
            print("Original text: \(textMessage.text)")
        }
    }
}

// Register the delegate:
CometChat.messagedelegate = self

Sample Payloads - onMessageDeleted

Callback Payload

Method: onMessageDeleted(message:)

Object Type: BaseMessage

Parameter	Type	Description
message	BaseMessage	The deleted message object
message.id	Int	Message ID
message.deletedAt	Double	Unix timestamp when deleted
message.deletedBy	String?	UID of user who deleted
message.text	String	Original text (still available)

---

Missed Message Delete Events

In other words, as a recipient, how do I know if someone deleted a message when my app was not running?

When you retrieve the list of previous messages, for the messages that were deleted, the deletedAt and the deletedBy fields will be set. Also, for example, the total number of messages for a conversation are 100, and the message with message ID 50 was deleted. Now the message with id 50 will have the deletedAt and the deletedBy fields set whenever it is pulled from the history. Also, the 101st message will be an Action message informing you that the message with id 50 has been deleted.

When your app was not running, deleted messages appear in two ways:

1. Deleted Message in History: The message object has deletedAt and deletedBy fields set. Original content is still available (soft delete).
2. Action Message: An ActionMessage is added to history indicating the deletion.

Swift

// Detect deleted messages in history
for message in messages {
    // Method 1: Check deletedAt field
    if message.deletedAt > 0 {
        print("Message \(message.id) was deleted at \(message.deletedAt)")
        print("Deleted by: \(message.deletedBy ?? "unknown")")
        
        // Original content still available
        if let textMsg = message as? TextMessage {
            print("Original text: \(textMsg.text)")
        }
    }
    
    // Method 2: Check for ActionMessage
    if let actionMessage = message as? ActionMessage {
        if actionMessage.action == .messageDeleted {
            print("Delete action detected")
            if let deletedMsg = actionMessage.actionOn as? BaseMessage {
                print("Deleted message ID: \(deletedMsg.id)")
            }
        }
    }
}

Sample Payloads - Action Message for Delete

Action Message Payload

Object Type: ActionMessage

Parameter	Type	Description
action	String	"deleted"
actionOn	BaseMessage	The deleted message object
actionBy	User	User who deleted the message
actionFor	AppEntity	Receiver (User or Group)

In order to edit or delete a message, you need to be either the sender of the message or the admin/moderator of the group in which the message was sent.

---

Success & Failure Responses

Delete Message Success Response

When delete() is successful, the onSuccess callback returns the deleted BaseMessage object:

Swift

CometChat.delete(messageId: messageId, onSuccess: { (message) in
    // message: BaseMessage - The deleted message object
    print("Message ID: \(message.id)")                 // Int - Message ID
    print("Deleted At: \(message.deletedAt)")          // Double - Deletion timestamp
    print("Deleted By: \(message.deletedBy ?? "")")    // String? - UID of user who deleted
    print("Sender UID: \(message.senderUid)")          // String - Original sender
    print("Receiver UID: \(message.receiverUid)")      // String - Receiver UID/GUID
    print("Sent At: \(message.sentAt)")                // Int - Original send timestamp
    
    // Check message type - original content still available
    if let textMessage = message as? TextMessage {
        print("Original Text: \(textMessage.text)")    // Text is still available
    }
}, onError: { (error) in
    // Handle error
})

Delete Message Failure Response

When delete() fails, the onError callback returns a CometChatException:

Swift

CometChat.delete(messageId: messageId, onSuccess: { (message) in
    // Success
}, onError: { (error) in
    print("Error Code: \(error.errorCode)")
    print("Error Description: \(error.errorDescription)")
    
    // Handle specific errors
    switch error.errorCode {
    case "ERR_NOT_LOGGED_IN":
        // User is not logged in
        break
    case "ERR_MESSAGE_NOT_FOUND":
        // Message with specified ID does not exist
        break
    case "ERR_PERMISSION_DENIED":
        // User doesn't have permission to delete this message
        break
    case "ERR_MESSAGE_ALREADY_DELETED":
        // Message has already been deleted
        break
    default:
        break
    }
})

---

Deleted Message Properties

When a message is deleted, these properties are set:

Property	Type	Description
deletedAt	Double	Unix timestamp when message was deleted
deletedBy	String?	UID of user who deleted the message
updatedAt	Double	Same as deletedAt for deleted messages

---

Common Error Codes

Error Code	Description	Resolution
ERR_NOT_LOGGED_IN	User is not logged in	Login first using CometChat.login()
ERR_MESSAGE_NOT_FOUND	Message does not exist	Verify the message ID is correct
ERR_PERMISSION_DENIED	No permission to delete	Only sender or group admin/moderator can delete
ERR_MESSAGE_ALREADY_DELETED	Message already deleted	No action needed