Overview - CometChat Docs

CometChat keeps users engaged when they are not in the app. CometChat listens for chat and call events, assembles payloads from your templates, and delivers via FCM or APNs so taps land in the right conversation or call screen.

How it works at a glance

Providers + tokens: Add FCM/APNs (and APNs VoIP) providers in the CometChat dashboard. Register device tokens in your app after login; unregister on logout.
Templates + payloads: Customize notification text and sounds per message/call type (see Templates & Sounds). CometChat builds the payload and ships it to your provider.
Delivery guardrails: Routing, retries, quiet hours, and DND/mutes are honored automatically; logs help you trace delivery.
Navigation: Deep links open the right user/group/thread; call pushes can surface native call UI on supported platforms.

Key capabilities

Multi-platform coverage: Android, iOS (APNs or FCM), Flutter, React Native, and Web.
Message and call notifications with grouping, inline replies (where supported), and native call surfaces via CallKit/ConnectionService.
Preferences: per-user/per-conversation mutes, quiet hours, and global DND.
Timezone-aware scheduling for delayed/quiet-hour delivery.
Logging and troubleshooting from the dashboard.

Common triggers

New messages (1:1 and group), thread replies, mentions, and reactions (if enabled).
Message edits/deletes and admin/moderation actions (when you include them in templates).
Group membership changes (join/leave/ban).
Call invites, missed calls, and ongoing call updates.

Before you integrate

Dashboard setup: Enable Push Notifications, add providers (FCM for Android/iOS, APNs + optional APNs VoIP for iOS), and copy Provider IDs.
Credentials: Keep App ID, Region, Auth Key handy. Upload the Firebase service account JSON and APNs .p8 key (Team ID + Key ID).
Client wiring: Register tokens after login and unregister on logout. Follow the platform guide below for Gradle/Info.plist/CallKeep specifics.