Conversations

Scrollable list of recent one-on-one and group conversations for the logged-in user.

AI Agent Component Spec

{
  "component": "CometChatConversations",
  "package": "com.cometchat.chatuikit.conversations",
  "xmlElement": "<com.cometchat.chatuikit.conversations.CometChatConversations />",
  "description": "Scrollable list of recent one-on-one and group conversations for the logged-in user.",
  "primaryOutput": {
    "method": "setOnItemClick",
    "type": "OnItemClick<Conversation>"
  },
  "methods": {
    "data": {
      "setConversationsRequestBuilder": {
        "type": "ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder",
        "default": "SDK default (30 per page)",
        "note": "Pass the builder, not the result of .build()"
      },
      "setDateTimeFormatter": {
        "type": "DateTimeFormatterCallback",
        "default": "Component default (hh:mm a today, Yesterday, dd MMM yyyy)"
      },
      "setDateFormat": {
        "type": "SimpleDateFormat",
        "default": "Component default"
      }
    },
    "callbacks": {
      "setOnItemClick": "OnItemClick<Conversation>",
      "setOnItemLongClick": "OnItemLongClick<Conversation>",
      "setOnBackPressListener": "OnBackPress",
      "setOnSelect": "OnSelection<Conversation>",
      "setOnError": "OnError",
      "setOnLoad": "OnLoad<Conversation>",
      "setOnEmpty": "OnEmpty",
      "setOnSearchClickListener": "OnSearchClick"
    },
    "visibility": {
      "setBackIconVisibility": { "type": "int (View.VISIBLE | View.GONE)", "default": "View.GONE" },
      "setToolbarVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setLoadingStateVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setErrorStateVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setEmptyStateVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setSeparatorVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setUserStatusVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setGroupTypeVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setReceiptsVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setSearchBoxVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" }
    },
    "sound": {
      "disableSoundForMessages": { "type": "boolean", "default": false },
      "setCustomSoundForMessages": { "type": "@RawRes int", "default": "built-in" }
    },
    "selection": {
      "setSelectionMode": {
        "type": "UIKitConstants.SelectionMode",
        "values": ["NONE", "SINGLE", "MULTIPLE"],
        "default": "NONE"
      }
    },
    "viewSlots": {
      "setItemView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — entire list item row",
      "setLeadingView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — avatar / left section",
      "setTitleView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — name / title text",
      "setSubtitleView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — last message preview",
      "setTrailingView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — timestamp / badge / right section",
      "setLoadingView": "@LayoutRes int — loading spinner",
      "setEmptyView": "@LayoutRes int — empty state",
      "setErrorView": "@LayoutRes int — error state",
      "setOverflowMenu": "View — toolbar menu",
      "setOptions": "Function2<Context, Conversation, List<MenuItem>> — long-press context menu (replaces defaults)",
      "addOptions": "Function2<Context, Conversation, List<MenuItem>> — long-press context menu (appends to defaults)"
    },
    "formatting": {
      "setTextFormatters": {
        "type": "List<CometChatTextFormatter>",
        "default": "default formatters from data source"
      }
    },
    "advanced": {
      "selectConversation": "Conversation, SelectionMode — programmatic selection",
      "clearSelection": "void — clears all selected conversations",
      "getSelectedConversations": "List<Conversation> — returns selected items",
      "getRecyclerView": "RecyclerView — internal RecyclerView access",
      "getViewModel": "ConversationsViewModel — internal ViewModel access",
      "getConversationsAdapter": "ConversationsAdapter — internal adapter access",
      "setAdapter": "ConversationsAdapter — replace the default adapter",
      "getBinding": "CometchatConversationsListViewBinding — root ViewBinding",
      "hideReceipts": "boolean — hide/show read receipts at adapter level",
      "setMentionAllLabelId": "String id, String label — mention-all label"
    },
    "style": {
      "setStyle": {
        "type": "@StyleRes int",
        "parent": "CometChatConversationsStyle"
      }
    }
  },
  "events": [
    {
      "name": "CometChatConversationEvents.ccConversationDeleted",
      "payload": "Conversation",
      "description": "Conversation deleted from list"
    }
  ],
  "sdkListeners": [
    "onTextMessageReceived",
    "onMediaMessageReceived",
    "onCustomMessageReceived",
    "onTypingStarted",
    "onTypingEnded",
    "onMessagesDelivered",
    "onMessagesRead",
    "onMessagesDeliveredToAll",
    "onMessagesReadByAll",
    "onUserOnline",
    "onUserOffline",
    "onGroupMemberJoined",
    "onGroupMemberLeft",
    "onGroupMemberKicked",
    "onGroupMemberBanned",
    "onMemberAddedToGroup"
  ],
  "compositionExample": {
    "description": "Sidebar conversations wired to message view",
    "components": [
      "CometChatConversations",
      "CometChatMessageHeader",
      "CometChatMessageList",
      "CometChatMessageComposer"
    ],
    "flow": "setOnItemClick emits Conversation -> extract User/Group via getConversationWith() -> pass to MessageHeader, MessageList, MessageComposer"
  }
}

Where It Fits

CometChatConversations is a list component. It renders recent conversations and emits the selected Conversation via setOnItemClick. Wire it to CometChatMessageHeader, CometChatMessageList, and CometChatMessageComposer to build a standard chat layout.

Kotlin

ChatActivity.kt

class ChatActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var conversations: CometChatConversations
    private lateinit var messageHeader: CometChatMessageHeader
    private lateinit var messageList: CometChatMessageList
    private lateinit var messageComposer: CometChatMessageComposer

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_chat)

        conversations = findViewById(R.id.conversations)
        messageHeader = findViewById(R.id.message_header)
        messageList = findViewById(R.id.message_list)
        messageComposer = findViewById(R.id.message_composer)

        conversations.setOnItemClick { view, position, conversation ->
            if (conversation.conversationType == CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER) {
                val user = conversation.conversationWith as User
                messageHeader.setUser(user)
                messageList.setUser(user)
                messageComposer.setUser(user)
            } else {
                val group = conversation.conversationWith as Group
                messageHeader.setGroup(group)
                messageList.setGroup(group)
                messageComposer.setGroup(group)
            }
        }
    }
}

Java

ChatActivity.java

public class ChatActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private CometChatConversations conversations;
    private CometChatMessageHeader messageHeader;
    private CometChatMessageList messageList;
    private CometChatMessageComposer messageComposer;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_chat);

        conversations = findViewById(R.id.conversations);
        messageHeader = findViewById(R.id.message_header);
        messageList = findViewById(R.id.message_list);
        messageComposer = findViewById(R.id.message_composer);

        conversations.setOnItemClick((view, position, conversation) -> {
            if (CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER.equals(conversation.getConversationType())) {
                User user = (User) conversation.getConversationWith();
                messageHeader.setUser(user);
                messageList.setUser(user);
                messageComposer.setUser(user);
            } else {
                Group group = (Group) conversation.getConversationWith();
                messageHeader.setGroup(group);
                messageList.setGroup(group);
                messageComposer.setGroup(group);
            }
        });
    }
}

XML

activity_chat.xml

<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:orientation="horizontal">

    <!-- Conversation sidebar -->
    <com.cometchat.chatuikit.conversations.CometChatConversations
        android:id="@+id/conversations"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:layout_weight="1" />

    <!-- Message panel -->
    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:layout_weight="2"
        android:orientation="vertical">

        <com.cometchat.chatuikit.messageheader.CometChatMessageHeader
            android:id="@+id/message_header"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content" />

        <com.cometchat.chatuikit.messagelist.CometChatMessageList
            android:id="@+id/message_list"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="0dp"
            android:layout_weight="1" />

        <com.cometchat.chatuikit.messagecomposer.CometChatMessageComposer
            android:id="@+id/message_composer"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content" />

    </LinearLayout>

</LinearLayout>

On phones, you’d typically use separate Activities instead of a side-by-side layout — see the Conversation List + Message View getting started guide.

Quick Start

Add the component to your layout XML:

layout_activity.xml

<com.cometchat.chatuikit.conversations.CometChatConversations
        android:id="@+id/conversation"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent" />

Prerequisites: CometChat SDK initialized with CometChatUIKit.init(), a user logged in, and the cometchat-chat-uikit-android dependency added.

To add programmatically in an Activity:

Kotlin

YourActivity.kt

 override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
    setContentView(CometChatConversations(this))
}

Java

YourActivity.java

 @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
       setContentView(new CometChatConversations(this));
    }

Or in a Fragment:

Kotlin

YourFragment.kt

 override fun onCreateView(inflater: LayoutInflater,container: ViewGroup?,savedInstanceState: Bundle?): View {
    return CometChatConversations(requireContext())
}

Java

YourFragment.java

@Override
    public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
                             Bundle savedInstanceState) {
       return new CometChatConversations(getContext());
    }

Filtering Conversations

Pass a ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder to setConversationsRequestBuilder. Pass the builder instance — not the result of .build().

Kotlin

val builder = ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder()
    builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER)
    builder.setLimit(50)

cometChatConversations.setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder)

Java

ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder builder = new ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder();
            builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER);
            builder.setLimit(50);

cometChatConversations.setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder);

Filter Recipes

Recipe	Code
Only user conversations	builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER)
Only group conversations	builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_GROUP)
Limit to 10 per page	builder.setLimit(10)
With specific tags	builder.setTags(Arrays.asList("vip"))
Filter by user tags	builder.withUserAndGroupTags(true); builder.setUserTags(Arrays.asList("premium"))
Filter by group tags	builder.withUserAndGroupTags(true); builder.setGroupTags(Arrays.asList("support"))

Default page size is 30. The component uses infinite scroll — the next page loads as the user scrolls to the bottom. Refer to ConversationsRequestBuilder for the full builder API.

Actions and Events

Callback Methods

setOnItemClick

Fires when a conversation row is tapped. Primary navigation hook — set the active conversation and render the message view.

Kotlin

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.onItemClick = OnItemClick { view, position, conversation ->
            
    }

Java

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnItemClick((view1, position, conversation) -> {
            
    });

What this does: Replaces the default item-click behavior. When a user taps a conversation, your custom lambda executes instead of the built-in navigation.

setOnItemLongClick

Fires when a conversation row is long-pressed. Use for additional actions like delete or select.

Kotlin

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.onItemLongClick = OnItemLongClick({ view, position, conversation ->
            
    })

Java

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnItemLongClick((view1, position, conversation) -> {

    });

What this does: Replaces the default long-press behavior. When a user long-presses a conversation, your custom lambda executes.

setOnBackPressListener

Fires when the user presses the back button in the app bar. Default: navigates to the previous activity.

Kotlin

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.onBackPressListener = OnBackPress {

    }

Java

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnBackPressListener(() -> {
            
    });

What this does: Overrides the default back-press navigation. When the user taps the back button, your custom logic runs instead.

setOnSelect

Fires when a conversation is checked/unchecked in multi-select mode. Requires setSelectionMode to be set.

Kotlin

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnSelect(object : OnSelection<Conversation?> {
        override fun onSelection(t: MutableList<Conversation?>?) {
                
        }
    })

Java

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnSelect(t -> {

    });

What this does: Registers a callback that fires when the user selects one or more conversations. The callback receives the list of selected Conversation objects.

setOnError

Fires on internal errors (network failure, auth issue, SDK exception).

Kotlin

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnError {

    }

Java

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnError(cometchatException -> {

    });

What this does: Registers an error listener. If the component encounters an error (e.g., network failure), your callback receives the CometChatException.

setOnLoad

Fires when the list is successfully fetched and loaded.

Kotlin

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnLoad(object : OnLoad<Conversation?> {
    override fun onLoad(list: MutableList<Conversation?>?) {

    }
})

Java

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnLoad(list -> {

});

What this does: Registers a callback that fires after the conversation list is fetched and rendered. The callback receives the list of loaded Conversation objects.

setOnEmpty

Fires when the list is empty, enabling custom handling such as showing a placeholder.

Kotlin

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnEmpty{
            
    }

Java

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnEmpty(() -> {
            
    });

What this does: Registers a callback that fires when the conversation list has no items. Use this to show a custom empty-state message or trigger other logic.

setOnSearchClickListener

Fires when the user taps the search icon in the toolbar.

Kotlin

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnSearchClickListener {

    }

Java

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnSearchClickListener(() -> {

    });

What this does: Overrides the default search icon tap behavior. When the user taps the search icon, your custom logic runs instead.

• Verify: After setting an action callback, trigger the corresponding user interaction (tap, long-press, back, select, search) and confirm your custom logic executes instead of the default behavior.

Global UI Events

CometChatConversationEvents emits events subscribable from anywhere in the application. Add a listener and remove it when no longer needed.

Event	Fires when	Payload
ccConversationDeleted	A conversation is deleted from the list	Conversation

Kotlin

Add Listener

CometChatConversationEvents.addListener("LISTENER_TAG", object : CometChatConversationEvents() {
    override fun ccConversationDeleted(conversation: Conversation) {
        super.ccConversationDeleted(conversation)
    }
})

Remove Listener

 CometChatConversationEvents.removeListener("LISTENER_TAG");

Java

Add Listener

CometChatConversationEvents.addListener("YOUR_LISTENER_TAG", new CometChatConversationEvents() {
    @Override
    public void ccConversationDeleted(Conversation conversation) {
        super.ccConversationDeleted(conversation);
    }
});

Remove Listener

CometChatConversationEvents.removeListener("YOUR_LISTENER_TAG");

SDK Events (Real-Time, Automatic)

The component listens to these SDK events internally. No manual attachment needed unless additional side effects are required.

SDK Listener	Internal behavior
onTextMessageReceived / onMediaMessageReceived / onCustomMessageReceived	Moves conversation to top, updates last message preview and unread count
onTypingStarted / onTypingEnded	Shows/hides typing indicator in the subtitle
onMessagesDelivered / onMessagesRead / onMessagesDeliveredToAll / onMessagesReadByAll	Updates receipt ticks (unless setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE))
onUserOnline / onUserOffline	Updates online/offline status dot (unless setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE))
onGroupMemberJoined / onGroupMemberLeft / onGroupMemberKicked / onGroupMemberBanned / onMemberAddedToGroup	Updates group conversation metadata

Automatic: new messages, typing indicators, receipts, user presence, group membership changes. Manual: deleting a conversation via the SDK directly (not through the component’s context menu) requires emitting CometChatConversationEvents.ccConversationDeleted for the UI to update.

Functionality

Small functional customizations such as toggling visibility of UI elements, setting custom sounds, and configuring selection modes.

Methods	Description	Code
setBackIconVisibility	Toggles visibility for the back button in the app bar	.setBackIconVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
setToolbarVisibility	Toggles visibility for the toolbar in the app bar	.setToolbarVisibility(View.GONE);
setLoadingStateVisibility	Hides the loading state while fetching conversations	.setLoadingStateVisibility(View.GONE);
setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility	Toggles visibility for the delete option on long press	.setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(View.GONE);
setErrorStateVisibility	Hides the error state on fetching conversations	.setErrorStateVisibility(View.GONE);
setEmptyStateVisibility	Hides the empty state on fetching conversations	.setEmptyStateVisibility(View.GONE);
setSeparatorVisibility	Controls visibility of separators in the list view	.setSeparatorVisibility(View.GONE);
setUserStatusVisibility	Controls visibility of the online status indicator	.setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE);
setGroupTypeVisibility	Controls visibility of the group type indicator	.setGroupTypeVisibility(View.GONE);
setReceiptsVisibility	Hides receipts shown in the subtitle without disabling read/delivered marking	.setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE);
setSearchBoxVisibility	Controls visibility of the search box in the toolbar	.setSearchBoxVisibility(View.GONE);
setSearchInputEndIconVisibility	Controls visibility of the end icon in the search bar	.setSearchInputEndIconVisibility(View.GONE);
hideReceipts	Hides read receipts in the conversation list (adapter-level)	.hideReceipts(true);
disableSoundForMessages	Disables sound notifications for incoming messages	.disableSoundForMessages(true);
setCustomSoundForMessages	Sets a custom sound file for incoming message notifications	.setCustomSoundForMessages(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.raw.cometchat_beep2);
setSelectionMode	Determines the selection mode (single or multiple)	.setSelectionMode(UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.MULTIPLE);
setSearchInputText	Sets the text in the search input field	.setSearchInputText("Sample Text");
setSearchPlaceholderText	Sets the placeholder text for the search input field	.setSearchPlaceholderText("Enter search term");

• Verify: After calling a visibility method, confirm the corresponding UI element is shown or hidden. After calling disableSoundForMessages(true), confirm no sound plays on incoming messages.

Custom View Slots

Each slot replaces a section of the default UI. Slots that accept a Conversation parameter receive the conversation object for that row via the ConversationsViewHolderListener pattern (createView + bindView).

Slot	Method	Replaces
Leading view	setLeadingView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	Avatar / left section
Title view	setTitleView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	Name / title text
Subtitle view	setSubtitleView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	Last message preview
Trailing view	setTrailingView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	Timestamp / badge / right section
Item view	setItemView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	Entire list item row
Loading view	setLoadingView(@LayoutRes int)	Loading spinner
Empty view	setEmptyView(@LayoutRes int)	Empty state
Error view	setErrorView(@LayoutRes int)	Error state
Overflow menu	setOverflowMenu(View)	Toolbar menu
Options (replace)	setOptions(Function2)	Long-press context menu (replaces defaults)
Options (append)	addOptions(Function2)	Long-press context menu (appends to defaults)

setLeadingView

Replace the avatar / left section. Typing-aware avatar example.

Kotlin

        cometchatConversations.setLeadingView(object :
            ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(
                context: Context?,
                listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
            ): View? {
                return null
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
            }
        })

Java

        cometchatConversations.setLeadingView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return null;
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

            }
        });

What this does: Registers a ConversationsViewHolderListener that provides a custom view for the leading (left) area of each conversation item. createView inflates your layout, and bindView populates it with conversation data.

The following example shows a custom leading view with a chat-dots icon for typing indicators and an avatar with status indicator:

drawable/chat_dots.xml

<vector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:width="48dp"
    android:height="48dp"
    android:viewportWidth="48"
    android:viewportHeight="48">
  <path
      android:pathData="M5,15.5C5,11.358 8.358,8 12.5,8H36C40.142,8 43.5,11.358 43.5,15.5V26.535C43.5,30.677 40.142,34.035 36,34.035H16.149C15.47,34.035 14.82,34.311 14.349,34.8L8.44,40.931C7.191,42.227 5,41.342 5,39.543V15.5Z"
      android:strokeLineJoin="round"
      android:strokeWidth="2.5"
      android:fillColor="#DCD7F6"
      android:strokeColor="#141414"/>
  <path
      android:pathData="M18.25,22.75C19.078,22.75 19.75,22.078 19.75,21.25C19.75,20.421 19.078,19.75 18.25,19.75C17.421,19.75 16.75,20.421 16.75,21.25C16.75,22.078 17.421,22.75 18.25,22.75ZM24.5,22.75C25.329,22.75 26,22.078 26,21.25C26,20.421 25.329,19.75 24.5,19.75C23.671,19.75 23,20.421 23,21.25C23,22.078 23.671,22.75 24.5,22.75ZM31,22.75C31.829,22.75 32.5,22.078 32.5,21.25C32.5,20.421 31.829,19.75 31,19.75C30.171,19.75 29.5,20.421 29.5,21.25C29.5,22.078 30.171,22.75 31,22.75Z"
      android:strokeWidth="0.5"
      android:fillColor="#141414"
      android:strokeColor="#141414"/>
</vector>

What this does: Defines a vector drawable of a chat bubble with three dots, used as a typing indicator icon in the custom leading view.

Create a leading_view.xml custom layout:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:orientation="vertical">

    <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
        android:id="@+id/conversation_leading_view"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_centerVertical="true">

        <ImageView
            android:id="@+id/leading_iv"
            android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
            android:src="@drawable/chat_dots"
            android:visibility="gone"
            tools:ignore="MissingConstraints" />

        <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
            android:id="@+id/leading_view"
            android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
            tools:ignore="MissingConstraints">

            <com.cometchat.chatuikit.shared.views.avatar.CometChatAvatar
                android:id="@+id/conversations_avatar"
                android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
                android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_48dp" />

            <com.cometchat.chatuikit.shared.views.statusindicator.CometChatStatusIndicator
                android:id="@+id/status_and_type_indicator"
                android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_15dp"
                android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_15dp"
                app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
                app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" />
        </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

    </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

</LinearLayout>

Inflate and bind with typing indicator tracking:

Kotlin

        val typingIndicatorHashMap = HashMap<String, Boolean>()
        CometChat.addMessageListener(System.currentTimeMillis().toString() + "", object : MessageListener() {
            override fun onTypingStarted(typingIndicator: TypingIndicator) {
                if (typingIndicator.receiverType == CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER) {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(typingIndicator.sender.uid)) {
                        return
                    }
                    typingIndicatorHashMap[typingIndicator.sender.uid] = true
                } else {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(typingIndicator.receiverId)) {
                        return
                    }
                    typingIndicatorHashMap[typingIndicator.receiverId] = true
                }
            }

            override fun onTypingEnded(typingIndicator: TypingIndicator) {
                if (typingIndicator.receiverType == CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER) {
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.remove(typingIndicator.sender.uid)
                } else {
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.remove(typingIndicator.receiverId)
                }
            }
        })

        binding.cometchatConversations.setLeadingView(object : ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(context: Context?, listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?): View {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.leading_view, null)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val imageView = createdView.findViewById<ImageView>(R.id.leading_iv)
                val constraintLayout = createdView.findViewById<ConstraintLayout>(R.id.leading_view)
                val avatar = createdView.findViewById<CometChatAvatar>(R.id.conversations_avatar)
                val statusIndicator = createdView.findViewById<CometChatStatusIndicator>(R.id.status_and_type_indicator)

                avatar.setAvatar(ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation), ConversationsUtils.getConversationAvatar(conversation))

                if (conversation.conversationType == CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER) {
                    if ((conversation.conversationWith as User).status.equals(CometChatConstants.USER_STATUS_ONLINE, ignoreCase = true)) {
                        if (!Utils.isBlocked((conversation.conversationWith as User))) {
                            statusIndicator.statusIndicator = StatusIndicator.ONLINE
                        } else {
                            statusIndicator.statusIndicator = StatusIndicator.OFFLINE
                        }
                    } else {
                        statusIndicator.statusIndicator = StatusIndicator.OFFLINE
                    }
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey((conversation.conversationWith as User).uid)) {
                        imageView.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                        constraintLayout.visibility = View.GONE
                    } else {
                        imageView.visibility = View.GONE
                        constraintLayout.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                    }
                } else {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey((conversation.conversationWith as Group).guid)) {
                        imageView.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                        constraintLayout.visibility = View.GONE
                    } else {
                        imageView.visibility = View.GONE
                        constraintLayout.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                    }
                }
            }
        })

Java

HashMap<String, Boolean> typingIndicatorHashMap = new HashMap<>();
CometChat.addMessageListener(System.currentTimeMillis() + "", new CometChat.MessageListener() {
            @Override
            public void onTypingStarted(TypingIndicator typingIndicator) {
                if (typingIndicator.getReceiverType().equals(CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)) {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(typingIndicator.getSender().getUid())) {
                        return;
                    }
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.put(typingIndicator.getSender().getUid(), true);
                } else {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(typingIndicator.getReceiverId())) {
                        return;
                    }
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.put(typingIndicator.getReceiverId(), true);
                }
            }

            @Override
            public void onTypingEnded(TypingIndicator typingIndicator) {
                if (typingIndicator.getReceiverType().equals(CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)) {
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.remove(typingIndicator.getSender().getUid());
                } else {
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.remove(typingIndicator.getReceiverId());
                }
            }
        });

cometchatConversations.setLeadingView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.leading_view, null);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context,
                                 View createdView,
                                 Conversation conversation,
                                 RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder,
                                 List<Conversation> conversationList,
                                 int position) {

                ImageView imageView = createdView.findViewById(R.id.leading_iv);
                ConstraintLayout constraintLayout = createdView.findViewById(R.id.leading_view);
                CometChatAvatar avatar = createdView.findViewById(R.id.conversations_avatar);
                CometChatStatusIndicator statusIndicator = createdView.findViewById(R.id.status_and_type_indicator);

                avatar.setAvatar(ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation), ConversationsUtils.getConversationAvatar(conversation));

                if (conversation.getConversationType().equals(CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)) {
                    if (((User) conversation.getConversationWith()).getStatus().equalsIgnoreCase(CometChatConstants.USER_STATUS_ONLINE)) {
                        if (!Utils.isBlocked(((User) conversation.getConversationWith()))) {
                            statusIndicator.setStatusIndicator(StatusIndicator.ONLINE);
                        } else {
                            statusIndicator.setStatusIndicator(StatusIndicator.OFFLINE);
                        }
                    } else {
                        statusIndicator.setStatusIndicator(StatusIndicator.OFFLINE);
                    }
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(((User) conversation.getConversationWith()).getUid())) {
                        imageView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                        constraintLayout.setVisibility(GONE);
                    } else {
                        imageView.setVisibility(GONE);
                        constraintLayout.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                    }
                } else {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(((Group) conversation.getConversationWith()).getGuid())) {
                        imageView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                        constraintLayout.setVisibility(GONE);
                    } else {
                        imageView.setVisibility(GONE);
                        constraintLayout.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                    }
                }
            }
        });

setTrailingView

Replace the timestamp / badge / right section.

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setTrailingView(object :
    ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    override fun createView(
        context: Context?,
        listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
    ): View? {
        return null
    }

    override fun bindView(
        context: Context,
        createdView: View,
        conversation: Conversation,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
        conversationList: List<Conversation>,
        position: Int
    ) {
    }
})

Java

cometchatConversations.setTrailingView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    @Override
    public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

    }
});

Relative time badge example:

Create a custom_tail_view.xml custom layout file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content">

    <com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView
        android:id="@+id/card"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:elevation="@dimen/cometchat_0dp"
        app:cardCornerRadius="@dimen/cometchat_6dp"
        app:cardElevation="@dimen/cometchat_0dp">

        <LinearLayout
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:orientation="vertical"
            android:padding="@dimen/cometchat_5dp">

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/hours"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
                android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceHeading4Bold" />

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/time_title"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceHeading4Bold" />

        </LinearLayout>

    </com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView>

</LinearLayout>

What this does: Defines a custom trailing view layout with a MaterialCardView containing two TextView elements for displaying the time value and unit (e.g., “5” and “Min ago”).

Inflate and bind with color-coded time badges:

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setTrailingView(object : ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(context: Context?, listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?): View {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_tail_view, null)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val card = createdView.findViewById<MaterialCardView>(R.id.card)
                val tvHours = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.hours)
                val tvMessage = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.time_title)

                var timestamp = conversation.updatedAt * 1000

                if (timestamp.toString().length == 10) {
                    timestamp *= 1000
                }

                val now = Calendar.getInstance()
                val lastSeen = Calendar.getInstance()
                lastSeen.timeInMillis = timestamp

                val diffInMillis = now.timeInMillis - lastSeen.timeInMillis
                val diffInMinutes = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toMinutes(diffInMillis)
                val diffInHours = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toHours(diffInMillis)

                if (diffInMinutes == 0L) {
                    tvHours.text = "1"
                    tvMessage.text = "Min ago"
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.applyColorWithAlphaValue(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"), 40))
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"))
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"))
                } else if (diffInMinutes < 60) {
                    tvHours.text = diffInMinutes.toString()
                    tvMessage.text = "Min ago"
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"), 40))
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"))
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"))
                } else if (diffInHours < 10) {
                    tvHours.text = diffInHours.toString()
                    tvMessage.text = "Hr ago"
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"))
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"))
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"), 40))
                } else if (diffInHours < 1000) {
                    tvHours.text = diffInHours.toString()
                    tvMessage.text = "Hr ago"
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#F44649"))
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#F44649"))
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#F44649"), 40))
                }
            }
        })

Java

cometchatConversations.setTrailingView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_tail_view, null);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context,
                                 View createdView,
                                 Conversation conversation,
                                 RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder,
                                 List<Conversation> conversationList,
                                 int position) {

                MaterialCardView card = createdView.findViewById(R.id.card);
                TextView tvHours = createdView.findViewById(R.id.hours);
                TextView tvMessage = createdView.findViewById(R.id.time_title);

                long timestamp = conversation.getUpdatedAt() * 1000;

                if (String.valueOf(timestamp).length() == 10) {
                    timestamp *= 1000;
                }

                Calendar now = Calendar.getInstance();
                Calendar lastSeen = Calendar.getInstance();
                lastSeen.setTimeInMillis(timestamp);

                long diffInMillis = now.getTimeInMillis() - lastSeen.getTimeInMillis();
                long diffInMinutes = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toMinutes(diffInMillis);
                long diffInHours = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toHours(diffInMillis);

                if (diffInMinutes == 0) {
                    tvHours.setText("1");
                    tvMessage.setText("Min ago");
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.applyColorWithAlphaValue(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"), 40));
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"));
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"));
                } else if (diffInMinutes < 60) {
                    tvHours.setText(diffInMinutes + "");
                    tvMessage.setText("Min ago");
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"), 40));
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"));
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"));
                } else if (diffInHours < 10) {
                    tvHours.setText(diffInHours + "");
                    tvMessage.setText("Hr ago");
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"));
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"));
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"), 40));
                } else if (diffInHours < 1000) {
                    tvHours.setText(diffInHours + "");
                    tvMessage.setText("Hr ago");
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#F44649"));
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#F44649"));
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#F44649"), 40));
                }
            }
        });

setTitleView

Replace the name / title text.

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setTitleView(object :
    ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    override fun createView(
        context: Context?,
        listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
    ): View? {
        return null
    }

    override fun bindView(
        context: Context,
        createdView: View,
        conversation: Conversation,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
        conversationList: List<Conversation>,
        position: Int
    ) {
    }
})

Java

cometchatConversations.setTitleView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    @Override
    public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

    }
});

Inline user status example:

Create a custom_title_view.xml layout:

custom_title_view.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:orientation="horizontal"
    android:gravity="center_vertical">

    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/name"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceHeading4Bold"
        android:maxLines="1"
        android:ellipsize="end" />

    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/status"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginStart="4dp"
        android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceCaption1Regular"
        android:textColor="?attr/cometchatTextColorSecondary"
        android:maxLines="1"
        android:ellipsize="end"
        android:visibility="gone" />

</LinearLayout>

What this does: Defines a custom title layout with the conversation name and an inline user status message.

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setTitleView(object : ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(context: Context?, listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?): View {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_title_view, null)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val name = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.name)
                val status = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.status)

                name.text = ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation)
                if (conversation.conversationType == CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER) {
                    status.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                    status.text = "• " + (conversation.conversationWith as User).statusMessage
                } else {
                    status.visibility = View.GONE
                }
            }
        })

Java

cometchatConversations.setTitleView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_title_view, null);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context,
                                 View createdView,
                                 Conversation conversation,
                                 RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder,
                                 List<Conversation> conversationList,
                                 int position) {

                TextView name = createdView.findViewById(R.id.name);
                TextView status = createdView.findViewById(R.id.status);

                name.setText(ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation));
                if (conversation.getConversationType().equals(CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)) {
                    status.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                    status.setText("• " + ((User) conversation.getConversationWith()).getStatusMessage());
                } else {
                    status.setVisibility(View.GONE);
                }
            }
        });

What this does: Registers a ConversationsViewHolderListener that provides a custom title view for each conversation item. The example inflates a layout with the conversation name and an inline user status message. For group conversations, the status is hidden.

setSubtitleView

Replace the last message preview text.

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setSubtitleView(object :
    ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    override fun createView(
        context: Context?,
        listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
    ): View? {
        return null
    }

    override fun bindView(
        context: Context,
        createdView: View,
        conversation: Conversation,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
        conversationList: List<Conversation>,
        position: Int
    ) {
    }
})

Java

cometchatConversations.setSubtitleView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    @Override
    public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

    }
});

Example with last-active timestamp:

Kotlin

    cometchatConversations.setSubtitleView(object :
            ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(
                context: Context?,
                listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
            ): View {
                return TextView(context)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val tvSubtitle = createdView as TextView
                tvSubtitle.text =
                    "Last Active at: " + SimpleDateFormat("dd/MM/yyyy, HH:mm:ss").format(
                        conversation.updatedAt * 1000
                    )
                tvSubtitle.setTextColor(Color.BLACK)
            }
        })

Java

YourActivity.java

    cometchatConversations.setSubtitleView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return new TextView(context);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {
                TextView tvSubtitle = (TextView) createdView;
                tvSubtitle.setText("Last Active at: "+new SimpleDateFormat("dd/MM/yyyy, HH:mm:ss").format(conversation.getUpdatedAt() * 1000));
                tvSubtitle.setTextColor(Color.BLACK);
            }
        });

What this does: Registers a ConversationsViewHolderListener that provides a custom subtitle view for each conversation item. The example creates a TextView showing the last active timestamp formatted as “dd/MM/yyyy, HH:mm:ss”.

setItemView

Replace the entire list item row.

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setItemView(object :
    ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    override fun createView(
        context: Context?,
        listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
    ): View? {
        return null
    }

    override fun bindView(
        context: Context,
        createdView: View,
        conversation: Conversation,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
        conversationList: List<Conversation>,
        position: Int
    ) {
    }
})

Java

cometchatConversations.setItemView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    @Override
    public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

    }
});

Example with compact layout:

Create an item_converation_list.xml custom layout file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:orientation="vertical">

    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
        android:layout_marginBottom="@dimen/cometchat_padding_3"
        android:layout_marginEnd="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
        android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/cometchat_padding_3"
        android:gravity="center_vertical"
        android:orientation="horizontal">

        <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
            android:id="@+id/conversation_leading_view"
            android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_45dp"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_45dp">

            <com.cometchat.chatuikit.shared.views.avatar.CometChatAvatar
                android:id="@+id/custom_avatar"
                android:layout_width="match_parent"
                android:layout_height="match_parent"
                app:cometchatAvatarPlaceHolderTextAppearance="@style/CometChatTextAppearanceHeading4.Bold"
                app:cometchatAvatarStrokeRadius="@dimen/cometchat_8dp" />

            <com.cometchat.chatuikit.shared.views.statusindicator.CometChatStatusIndicator
                android:id="@+id/status_and_type_indicator"
                android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_12dp"
                android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_12dp"
                app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
                app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" />

        </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tvName"
            android:layout_width="0dp"
            android:textAppearance="@style/CometChatTextAppearanceHeading4.Medium"
            android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/cometchat_margin_3"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_weight="1" />

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tvDate"
            android:textAppearance="@style/CometChatTextAppearanceCaption1.Regular"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
    </LinearLayout>

    <View
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="1dp"
        android:background="?attr/cometchatStrokeColorLight" />

</LinearLayout>

What this does: Defines a custom list item layout with a CometChatAvatar, status indicator, conversation name, and date — providing a compact, single-line conversation item design.

Inflate the XML and bind:

Kotlin

        cometchatConversations.setItemView(object :
            ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(
                context: Context?,
                listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
            ): View {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context)
                    .inflate(R.layout.custom_list_item_view, null, false)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val avatar = createdView.findViewById<CometChatAvatar>(R.id.custom_avatar)
                val title = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.tvName)
                val tvDate = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.tvDate)

                val name = ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation)
                title.text = name
                avatar.setStyle(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.style.CometChatAvatarStyle)
                avatar.avatarPlaceHolderTextAppearance =
                    com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.style.CometChatTextAppearanceHeading4_Bold
                avatar.setAvatar(name, ConversationsUtils.getConversationAvatar(conversation))
                val simpleDateFormat = SimpleDateFormat("hh:mm a")
                val date = simpleDateFormat.format(conversation.updatedAt * 1000)
                tvDate.text = date
            }
        })

Java

YourActivity.java

        cometchatConversations.setItemView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_list_item_view, null, false);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {
                CometChatAvatar avatar = createdView.findViewById(R.id.custom_avatar);
                TextView title = createdView.findViewById(R.id.tvName);
                TextView tvDate = createdView.findViewById(R.id.tvDate);

                String name = ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation);
                title.setText(name);
                avatar.setStyle(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.style.CometChatAvatarStyle);
                avatar.setAvatarPlaceHolderTextAppearance(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.style.CometChatTextAppearanceHeading4_Bold);
                avatar.setAvatar(name, ConversationsUtils.getConversationAvatar(conversation));
                SimpleDateFormat simpleDateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("hh:mm a");
                String date = simpleDateFormat.format(conversation.getUpdatedAt() * 1000);
                tvDate.setText(date);
            }
        });

What this does: Registers a ConversationsViewHolderListener that replaces the entire list item row. The example inflates a compact layout with an avatar, name, and date — replacing the default multi-line conversation item.

setDateTimeFormatter

Custom date/time formatting for conversation timestamps. Implement the DateTimeFormatterCallback interface to control how each time range is displayed:

Method	Called when
time(long timestamp)	Custom full timestamp format
today(long timestamp)	Message is from today
yesterday(long timestamp)	Message is from yesterday
lastWeek(long timestamp)	Message is from the past week
otherDays(long timestamp)	Message is older than a week
minute(long timestamp)	Exactly 1 minute ago
minutes(long diffInMinutesFromNow, long timestamp)	Multiple minutes ago (e.g., “5 minutes ago”)
hour(long timestamp)	Exactly 1 hour ago
hours(long diffInHourFromNow, long timestamp)	Multiple hours ago (e.g., “2 hours ago”)

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setDateTimeFormatter(object : DateTimeFormatterCallback {

        private val fullTimeFormatter = SimpleDateFormat("hh:mm a", Locale.getDefault())
        private val dateFormatter = SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM yyyy", Locale.getDefault())

        override fun time(timestamp: Long): String {
            return fullTimeFormatter.format(Date(timestamp))
        }

        override fun today(timestamp: Long): String {
            return "Today"
        }

        override fun yesterday(timestamp: Long): String {
            return "Yesterday"
        }

        override fun lastWeek(timestamp: Long): String {
            return "Last Week"
        }

        override fun otherDays(timestamp: Long): String {
            return dateFormatter.format(Date(timestamp))
        }

        override fun minutes(diffInMinutesFromNow: Long, timestamp: Long): String {
            return "$diffInMinutesFromNow mins ago"
        }

        override fun hours(diffInHourFromNow: Long, timestamp: Long): String {
            return "$diffInHourFromNow hrs ago"
        }
    })

Java

cometchatConversations.setDateTimeFormatter(new DateTimeFormatterCallback() {

        private final SimpleDateFormat fullTimeFormatter = new SimpleDateFormat("hh:mm a", Locale.getDefault());
        private final SimpleDateFormat dateFormatter = new SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM yyyy", Locale.getDefault());

        @Override
        public String time(long timestamp) {
            return fullTimeFormatter.format(new Date(timestamp));
        }

        @Override
        public String today(long timestamp) {
            return "Today";
        }

        @Override
        public String yesterday(long timestamp) {
            return "Yesterday";
        }

        @Override
        public String lastWeek(long timestamp) {
            return "Last Week";
        }

        @Override
        public String otherDays(long timestamp) {
            return dateFormatter.format(new Date(timestamp));
        }

        @Override
        public String minutes(long diffInMinutesFromNow, long timestamp) {
            return diffInMinutesFromNow + " mins ago";
        }

        @Override
        public String hours(long diffInHourFromNow, long timestamp) {
            return diffInHourFromNow + " hrs ago";
        }
    });

setOptions

Replace the long-press context menu entirely.

Generic signature:

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setOptions { context, conversation -> emptyList<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem?>() }

Java

cometchatConversations.setOptions((context, conversation) -> Collections.emptyList());

Example with a custom delete option:

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setOptions { context, conversation ->
            val optionsArrayList: MutableList<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> =
                ArrayList()
            optionsArrayList.add(
                CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
                    UIKitConstants.ConversationOption.DELETE,
                    "Delete",
                    ResourcesCompat. getDrawable(resources,com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.drawable.cometchat_ic_delete, getContext()?.theme),
                    null,
                    CometChatTheme.getErrorColor(context),
                    0,
                    CometChatTheme.getErrorColor(context),
                    CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context)
                ) {
                    Toast.makeText(context, "Delete", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
                }
            )
            optionsArrayList
        }

Java

cometchatConversations.setOptions((context, conversation) -> {
List<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> optionsArrayList = new ArrayList<>();
optionsArrayList.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(UIKitConstants.ConversationOption.DELETE,
                                                                 "Delete",
                                                                 getResources().getDrawable(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.drawable.cometchat_ic_delete),
                                                                 null,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getErrorColor(context),
                                                                 0,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getErrorColor(context),
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context),
                                                                 () -> {
                                                                     Toast.makeText(context, "Delete", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
                                                                 }));
            return optionsArrayList;
        });

addOptions

Append to the long-press context menu without removing defaults.

Generic signature:

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.addOptions { context, conversation -> emptyList<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem?>() }

Java

cometchatConversations.addOptions((context, conversation) -> Collections.emptyList());

Example with archive, pin, and mark-as-read options:

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.addOptions { context, conversation ->
            val optionsArrayList: MutableList<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> = ArrayList()
            optionsArrayList.add(
                CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
                    "ARCHIVE", "Archive",
                    resources.getDrawable(R.drawable.archive), null,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context), 0,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                    CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context)
                ) { Toast.makeText(context, "Archive", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show() }
            )
            optionsArrayList.add(
                CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
                    "PIN", "Pin",
                    resources.getDrawable(R.drawable.pin), null,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context), 0,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                    CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context)
                ) { Toast.makeText(context, "Pin", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show() }
            )
            optionsArrayList.add(
                CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
                    "MARKASREAD", "Mark as read",
                    resources.getDrawable(R.drawable.mark_as_read), null,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context), 0,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                    CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context)
                ) { Toast.makeText(context, "Mark as read", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show() }
            )
            optionsArrayList
        }

Java

cometchatConversations.addOptions((context, conversation) -> {
            List<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> optionsArrayList = new ArrayList<>();
            optionsArrayList.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem("ARCHIVE",
                                                                 "Archive",
                                                                 getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.archive),
                                                                 null,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 0,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context),
                                                                 () -> Toast.makeText(context, "Archive", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()));
            optionsArrayList.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem("PIN",
                                                                 "Pin",
                                                                 getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.pin),
                                                                 null,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 0,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context),
                                                                 () -> Toast.makeText(context, "Pin", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()));
            optionsArrayList.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem("MARKASREAD",
                                                                 "Mark as read",
                                                                 getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.mark_as_read),
                                                                 null,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 0,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context),
                                                                 () -> Toast.makeText(context, "Mark as read", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()));
            return optionsArrayList;
        });

setTextFormatters

Custom text formatters for the conversation subtitle. See the MentionsFormatter Guide for details.

themes.xml

<style name="CustomConversationsMentionsStyle" parent="CometChatConversationsMentionsStyle">
    <item name="cometchatMentionTextAppearance">?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular</item>
    <item name="cometchatMentionTextColor">#D6409F</item>
    <item name="cometchatMentionBackgroundColor">#D6409F</item>
    <item name="cometchatSelfMentionTextColor">#30A46C</item>
    <item name="cometchatSelfMentionTextAppearance">?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular</item>
    <item name="cometchatSelfMentionBackgroundColor">#30A46C</item>
</style>

Kotlin

val mentionFormatter = CometChatMentionsFormatter(context)
mentionFormatter.setConversationsMentionTextStyle(context, R.style.CustomConversationsMentionsStyle)

val textFormatters: MutableList<CometChatTextFormatter> = ArrayList()
textFormatters.add(mentionFormatter)
cometChatConversations.setTextFormatters(textFormatters)

Java

CometChatMentionsFormatter mentionFormatter = new CometChatMentionsFormatter(context);
mentionFormatter.setConversationsMentionTextStyle(context, R.style.CustomConversationsMentionsStyle);

List<CometChatTextFormatter> textFormatters = new ArrayList<>();
textFormatters.add(mentionFormatter);
cometChatConversations.setTextFormatters(textFormatters);

setLoadingView

Sets a custom loading view displayed when data is being fetched.

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.loadingView = R.layout.your_loading_view

Java

cometchatConversations.setLoadingView(R.layout.your_loading_view);

What this does: Replaces the default loading spinner with your custom layout resource. The custom view displays while conversations are being fetched.

setEmptyView

Configures a custom view displayed when there are no conversations in the list.

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.emptyView = R.layout.your_empty_view

Java

cometchatConversations.setEmptyView(R.layout.your_empty_view);

What this does: Replaces the default empty state with your custom layout resource. The custom view displays when the conversation list has no items.

setErrorView

Defines a custom error state view that appears when an issue occurs while loading conversations.

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.errorView = R.layout.your_error_view

Java

cometchatConversations.setErrorView(R.layout.your_error_view);

What this does: Replaces the default error state with your custom layout resource. The custom view displays when the component encounters an error during data fetching.

setDateFormat

Customizes the date format used for displaying timestamps in conversations.

Generic signature:

Kotlin

cometChatConversations.setDateFormat(SimpleDateFormat)

Java

cometChatConversations.setDateFormat(SimpleDateFormat);

Example:

Kotlin

cometchatConversations.setDateFormat(SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM, hh:mm a",Locale.getDefault()))

Java

cometchatConversations.setDateFormat(new SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM, hh:mm a",Locale.getDefault()));

What this does: Sets the conversation date format to “dd MMM, hh:mm a” (e.g., “10 Jul, 02:30 PM”) using the device’s default locale.

setOverflowMenu

Replace the toolbar overflow menu.

Generic signature:

Kotlin

cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(view)

Java

cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(View v);

Example with a user profile popup menu:

Create a user_profile_popup_menu_layout.xml custom view file:

user_profile_popup_menu_layout.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_30dp"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_gravity="end"
    android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/cometchat_margin_10"
    android:background="?attr/cometchatBackgroundColor1"
    android:padding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
    app:cardCornerRadius="@dimen/cometchat_radius_2"
    app:strokeColor="?attr/cometchatStrokeColorDefault"
    app:strokeWidth="@dimen/cometchat_1dp">

    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:orientation="vertical">

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tv_create_conversation"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:drawablePadding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:gravity="center_vertical"
            android:padding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:text="@string/app_create_conversation"
            android:textAppearance="?attr/textAppearanceSubtitle1"
            app:drawableStartCompat="@drawable/ic_start_conversation" />

        <View
            android:id="@+id/view_separator"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_1dp"
            android:layout_gravity="center"
            android:background="?attr/cometchatStrokeColorDefault" />

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tv_user_name"
            style="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:drawablePadding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:gravity="center_vertical"
            android:paddingStart="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:paddingTop="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:paddingEnd="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:paddingBottom="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:textAppearance="?attr/textAppearanceSubtitle1"
            android:textColor="?attr/cometchatTextColorPrimary"
            app:drawableStartCompat="@drawable/ic_user_profile" />

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tv_logout"
            style="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:drawablePadding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:gravity="center_vertical"
            android:paddingStart="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:paddingTop="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:paddingEnd="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:paddingBottom="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:text="@string/app_logout"
            android:textAppearance="?attr/textAppearanceSubtitle1"
            android:textColor="?attr/cometchatErrorColor"
            app:drawableStartCompat="@drawable/ic_logout" />

        <View
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_1dp"
            android:layout_gravity="center"
            android:background="?attr/cometchatStrokeColorDefault" />

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tv_version"
            style="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:gravity="center_vertical"
            android:padding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:textAppearance="?attr/textAppearanceCaption"
            android:textColor="?attr/cometchatTextColorSecondary" />

    </LinearLayout>

</com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView>

What this does: Defines a popup menu layout with options for creating a conversation, viewing the user profile, logging out, and displaying the app version.

Inflate the view and pass it to setOverflowMenu:

Kotlin

class YourActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    private lateinit var cometChatConversations: CometChatConversations

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
        cometChatConversations = findViewById(R.id.conversations)
        cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(logoutView)
    }

    private val logoutView: View?
        get() {
            val user = CometChatUIKit.getLoggedInUser()
            if (user != null) {
                val cometchatAvatar = CometChatAvatar(this)
                cometchatAvatar.setAvatar(user.name, user.avatar)
                val layoutParams = LinearLayout.LayoutParams(
                    resources.getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_40dp),
                    resources.getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_40dp))
                layoutParams.layoutDirection = Gravity.CENTER_VERTICAL
                cometchatAvatar.layoutParams = layoutParams
                cometchatAvatar.setOnClickListener {
                    showCustomMenu(cometChatConversations.binding.toolbarLayout)
                }
                return cometchatAvatar
            }
            return null
        }

    private fun showCustomMenu(anchorView: View) {
        val popupMenuBinding = UserProfilePopupMenuLayoutBinding.inflate(LayoutInflater.from(this))
        val popupWindow = PopupWindow(popupMenuBinding.root,
            resources.getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_250dp),
            LinearLayout.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT, true)

        popupMenuBinding.tvUserName.text = CometChatUIKit.getLoggedInUser().name
        val version = "V" + BuildConfig.VERSION_NAME + "(" + BuildConfig.VERSION_CODE + ")"
        popupMenuBinding.tvVersion.text = version

        popupMenuBinding.tvCreateConversation.setOnClickListener { popupWindow.dismiss() }
        popupMenuBinding.tvUserName.setOnClickListener { popupWindow.dismiss() }
        popupMenuBinding.tvLogout.setOnClickListener { popupWindow.dismiss() }

        popupWindow.elevation = 5f
        val endMargin = resources.getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_margin_2)
        val anchorWidth = anchorView.width
        val offsetX = anchorWidth - popupWindow.width - endMargin
        popupWindow.showAsDropDown(anchorView, offsetX, 0)
    }
}

Java

public class YourActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    private CometChatConversations cometChatConversations;
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        cometChatConversations = findViewById(R.id.conversations);
        cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(getLogoutView());
    }

    private View getLogoutView() {
        User user = CometChatUIKit.getLoggedInUser();
        if (user != null) {
            CometChatAvatar cometchatAvatar = new CometChatAvatar(this);
            cometchatAvatar.setAvatar(user.getName(), user.getAvatar());
            LinearLayout.LayoutParams layoutParams = new LinearLayout.LayoutParams(
                getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_40dp),
                getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_40dp));
            layoutParams.setLayoutDirection(Gravity.CENTER_VERTICAL);
            cometchatAvatar.setLayoutParams(layoutParams);
            cometchatAvatar.setOnClickListener(v -> {
                showCustomMenu(cometChatConversations.getBinding().toolbarLayout);
            });
            return cometchatAvatar;
        }
        return null;
    }

    private void showCustomMenu(View anchorView) {
        UserProfilePopupMenuLayoutBinding popupMenuBinding = UserProfilePopupMenuLayoutBinding.inflate(LayoutInflater.from(this));
        final PopupWindow popupWindow = new PopupWindow(popupMenuBinding.getRoot(),
            getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_250dp),
            LinearLayout.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT, true);

        popupMenuBinding.tvUserName.setText(CometChatUIKit.getLoggedInUser().getName());
        String version = "V" + BuildConfig.VERSION_NAME + "(" + BuildConfig.VERSION_CODE + ")";
        popupMenuBinding.tvVersion.setText(version);

        popupMenuBinding.tvCreateConversation.setOnClickListener(view -> popupWindow.dismiss());
        popupMenuBinding.tvUserName.setOnClickListener(view -> popupWindow.dismiss());
        popupMenuBinding.tvLogout.setOnClickListener(view -> popupWindow.dismiss());

        popupWindow.setElevation(5);
        int endMargin = getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_margin_2);
        int anchorWidth = anchorView.getWidth();
        int offsetX = anchorWidth - popupWindow.getWidth() - endMargin;
        popupWindow.showAsDropDown(anchorView, offsetX, 0);
    }
}

What this does: Creates a complete overflow menu implementation. An avatar of the logged-in user is set as the overflow menu view. When tapped, it shows a popup window with options for creating a conversation, viewing the user profile, logging out, and displaying the app version.

• Verify: After setting any custom view slot, confirm the custom view renders in the correct position within the conversation list item, and the data binding populates correctly for each conversation.

Common Patterns

Custom empty state with action button

layout/empty_conversations.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:gravity="center"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:padding="40dp">

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="No conversations yet"
        android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceHeading3Bold" />

    <Button
        android:id="@+id/btn_start_chat"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginTop="16dp"
        android:text="Start a conversation" />

</LinearLayout>

Kotlin

cometChatConversations.emptyView = R.layout.empty_conversations

Java

cometChatConversations.setEmptyView(R.layout.empty_conversations);

Hide all chrome — minimal list

Kotlin

cometChatConversations.setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE)
cometChatConversations.setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE)
cometChatConversations.setGroupTypeVisibility(View.GONE)
cometChatConversations.setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(View.GONE)
cometChatConversations.setToolbarVisibility(View.GONE)

Java

cometChatConversations.setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE);
cometChatConversations.setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE);
cometChatConversations.setGroupTypeVisibility(View.GONE);
cometChatConversations.setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(View.GONE);
cometChatConversations.setToolbarVisibility(View.GONE);

Filter to user conversations only

Kotlin

val builder = ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder()
    .setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER)
cometChatConversations.setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder)

Java

ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder builder = new ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder();
builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER);
cometChatConversations.setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder);

Advanced Methods

Programmatic Selection

selectConversation

Programmatically selects or deselects a conversation. Works with both SINGLE and MULTIPLE selection modes.

Kotlin

// Select a conversation in single-select mode
cometChatConversations.selectConversation(conversation, UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.SINGLE)

// Select a conversation in multi-select mode
cometChatConversations.selectConversation(conversation, UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.MULTIPLE)

Java

// Select a conversation in single-select mode
cometChatConversations.selectConversation(conversation, UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.SINGLE);

// Select a conversation in multi-select mode
cometChatConversations.selectConversation(conversation, UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.MULTIPLE);

In SINGLE mode, selecting a new conversation replaces the previous selection. In MULTIPLE mode, calling this on an already-selected conversation deselects it (toggle behavior).

clearSelection

Clears all selected conversations and resets the selection UI.

Kotlin

cometChatConversations.clearSelection()

Java

cometChatConversations.clearSelection();

getSelectedConversations

Returns the list of currently selected Conversation objects.

Kotlin

val selected = cometChatConversations.selectedConversations

Java

List<Conversation> selected = cometChatConversations.getSelectedConversations();

Selected Conversations List

When using multi-select mode, a horizontal list of selected conversations can be shown above the main list.

Method	Type	Description
setSelectedConversationsListVisibility	int (View.VISIBLE / View.GONE)	Show or hide the selected conversations strip
setSelectedConversationAvatarStyle	@StyleRes int	Avatar style for selected conversation chips
setSelectedConversationItemTextColor	@ColorInt int	Text color for selected conversation names
setSelectedConversationItemTextAppearance	@StyleRes int	Text appearance for selected conversation names
setSelectedConversationItemRemoveIcon	Drawable	Icon for the remove button on each chip
setSelectedConversationItemRemoveIconTint	@ColorInt int	Tint color for the remove icon

Search Input Customization

The built-in search box can be customized programmatically:

Method	Type	Description
setSearchInputText	String	Sets the search input text programmatically
setSearchPlaceholderText	String	Sets the placeholder text for the search input
setSearchInputTextColor	@ColorInt int	Text color of the search input
setSearchInputTextAppearance	@StyleRes int	Text appearance of the search input
setSearchInputPlaceHolderTextColor	@ColorInt int	Placeholder text color
setSearchInputPlaceHolderTextAppearance	@StyleRes int	Placeholder text appearance
setSearchInputStartIcon	Drawable	Leading icon in the search box
setSearchInputStartIconTint	@ColorInt int	Tint for the leading icon
setSearchInputEndIcon	Drawable	Trailing icon in the search box
setSearchInputEndIconTint	@ColorInt int	Tint for the trailing icon
setSearchInputEndIconVisibility	int	Visibility of the trailing icon
setSearchInputStrokeWidth	@Dimension int	Stroke width of the search box border
setSearchInputStrokeColor	@ColorInt int	Stroke color of the search box border
setSearchInputBackgroundColor	@ColorInt int	Background color of the search box
setSearchInputCornerRadius	@Dimension int	Corner radius of the search box

Internal Access

These methods provide direct access to internal components for advanced use cases.

Method	Returns	Description
getRecyclerView()	RecyclerView	The underlying RecyclerView displaying conversations
getViewModel()	ConversationsViewModel	The ViewModel managing conversation data and state
getConversationsAdapter()	ConversationsAdapter	The adapter powering the RecyclerView
setAdapter(ConversationsAdapter)	void	Replaces the default adapter with a custom one
getBinding()	CometchatConversationsListViewBinding	The ViewBinding for the component’s root layout

Use these only when the standard API is insufficient. Directly manipulating the adapter or ViewModel may conflict with the component’s internal state management.

Other Methods

Method	Type	Description
setMentionAllLabelId(String id, String mentionAllLabel)	void	Sets the label used for “mention all” in conversation subtitles
setDateStyle(@StyleRes int)	void	Sets the style for the date label in conversation items
setOptionListStyle(@StyleRes int)	void	Sets the style for the long-press popup menu

Style

The component uses XML theme styles. Define a custom style with parent CometChatConversationsStyle in themes.xml, then apply with setStyle().

themes.xml

    <style name="CustomAvatarStyle" parent="CometChatAvatarStyle">
        <item name="cometchatAvatarStrokeRadius">8dp</item>
        <item name="cometchatAvatarBackgroundColor">#FBAA75</item>
    </style>

    <style name="CustomBadgeCountStyle" parent="CometChatBadgeStyle">
        <item name="cometchatBadgeBackgroundColor">#F76808</item>
        <item name="cometchatBadgeTextColor">#FFFFFF</item>
    </style>

    <style name="CustomConversationsStyle" parent="CometChatConversationsStyle">
        <item name="cometchatConversationsAvatarStyle">@style/CustomAvatarStyle</item>
        <item name="cometchatConversationsBadgeStyle">@style/CustomBadgeCountStyle</item>
    </style>

Kotlin

cometChatConversations.setStyle(R.style.CustomConversationsStyle)

Java

cometChatConversations.setStyle(R.style.CustomConversationsStyle);

To know more such attributes, visit the attributes file.

Programmatic Style Properties

In addition to XML theme styles, the component exposes programmatic setters for fine-grained control:

Method	Type	Description
setBackgroundColor	@ColorInt int	Background color of the component
setBackIconTint	@ColorInt int	Tint color for the back icon
setBackIcon	Drawable	Custom back icon drawable
setTitleTextColor	@ColorInt int	Title text color in the toolbar
setTitleTextAppearance	@StyleRes int	Title text appearance in the toolbar
setItemTitleTextColor	@ColorInt int	Text color for conversation item titles
setItemTitleTextAppearance	@StyleRes int	Text appearance for conversation item titles
setItemSubtitleTextColor	@ColorInt int	Text color for conversation item subtitles
setItemSubtitleTextAppearance	@StyleRes int	Text appearance for conversation item subtitles
setItemMessageTypeIconTint	@ColorInt int	Tint for message type icons in subtitles
setSeparatorColor	@ColorInt int	Color of list item separators
setSeparatorHeight	@Dimension int	Height of list item separators
setStrokeColor	@ColorInt int	Stroke color of the component border
setStrokeWidth	@Dimension int	Stroke width of the component border
setCornerRadius	@Dimension int	Corner radius of the component
setEmptyStateTitleTextColor	@ColorInt int	Title text color for the empty state
setEmptyStateSubtitleTextColor	@ColorInt int	Subtitle text color for the empty state
setEmptyStateTextTitleAppearance	@StyleRes int	Title text appearance for the empty state
setEmptyStateTextSubtitleAppearance	@StyleRes int	Subtitle text appearance for the empty state
setErrorStateTitleTextColor	@ColorInt int	Title text color for the error state
setErrorStateSubtitleTextColor	@ColorInt int	Subtitle text color for the error state
setErrorStateTextTitleAppearance	@StyleRes int	Title text appearance for the error state
setErrorStateTextSubtitleAppearance	@StyleRes int	Subtitle text appearance for the error state
setDeleteOptionIcon	Drawable	Icon for the delete option in the context menu
setDeleteOptionIconTint	int	Tint for the delete option icon
setDeleteOptionTextColor	int	Text color for the delete option
setDeleteOptionTextAppearance	int	Text appearance for the delete option
setAvatarStyle	@StyleRes int	Style for conversation avatars
setStatusIndicatorStyle	@StyleRes int	Style for online/offline status indicators
setBadgeStyle	@StyleRes int	Style for unread badge counts
setReceiptStyle	@StyleRes int	Style for read/delivered receipt icons
setTypingIndicatorStyle	@StyleRes int	Style for typing indicator text
setMentionsStyle	@StyleRes int	Style for @mention text in subtitles
setItemBackgroundColor	@ColorInt int	Background color for list items
setItemSelectedBackgroundColor	@ColorInt int	Background color for selected list items

Checkbox Style Properties (Selection Mode)

When using SINGLE or MULTIPLE selection mode, checkboxes appear on each item:

Method	Type	Description
setCheckBoxStrokeWidth	@Dimension int	Stroke width of the checkbox border
setCheckBoxCornerRadius	@Dimension int	Corner radius of the checkbox
setCheckBoxStrokeColor	@ColorInt int	Stroke color of the checkbox border
setCheckBoxBackgroundColor	@ColorInt int	Background color of unchecked checkbox
setCheckBoxCheckedBackgroundColor	@ColorInt int	Background color of checked checkbox
setCheckBoxSelectIcon	Drawable	Icon shown when checkbox is checked
setCheckBoxSelectIconTint	@ColorInt int	Tint for the checkbox select icon
setDiscardSelectionIcon	Drawable	Icon for the discard selection button
setDiscardSelectionIconTint	@ColorInt int	Tint for the discard selection icon
setSubmitSelectionIcon	Drawable	Icon for the submit selection button
setSubmitSelectionIconTint	@ColorInt int	Tint for the submit selection icon

Customization Matrix

What to change	Where	Property/API	Example
Override behavior on user interaction	Activity/Fragment	setOn<Event> callbacks	setOnItemClick((v, pos, c) -> { ... })
Filter which conversations appear	Activity/Fragment	setConversationsRequestBuilder	setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder)
Toggle visibility of UI elements	Activity/Fragment	set<Feature>Visibility(int)	setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE)
Replace a section of the list item	Activity/Fragment	set<Slot>View	setLeadingView(listener)
Change colors, fonts, spacing	themes.xml	CometChatConversationsStyle	<item name="cometchatConversationsBadgeStyle">@style/...</item>
Avatar style (corner radius, background)	themes.xml	cometchatConversationsAvatarStyle	<item name="cometchatAvatarStrokeRadius">8dp</item>
Badge count style (background, text color)	themes.xml	cometchatConversationsBadgeStyle	<item name="cometchatBadgeBackgroundColor">#F76808</item>
Apply a custom style	Activity/Fragment	setStyle(int styleRes)	cometChatConversations.setStyle(R.style.CustomConversationsStyle);
Back button visibility	Activity/Fragment	setBackIconVisibility(int)	.setBackIconVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
Toolbar visibility	Activity/Fragment	setToolbarVisibility(int)	.setToolbarVisibility(View.GONE);
Loading state visibility	Activity/Fragment	setLoadingStateVisibility(int)	.setLoadingStateVisibility(View.GONE);
Delete option visibility on long press	Activity/Fragment	setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(int)	.setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(View.GONE);
Error state visibility	Activity/Fragment	setErrorStateVisibility(int)	.setErrorStateVisibility(View.GONE);
Empty state visibility	Activity/Fragment	setEmptyStateVisibility(int)	.setEmptyStateVisibility(View.GONE);
Separator visibility	Activity/Fragment	setSeparatorVisibility(int)	.setSeparatorVisibility(View.GONE);
User online status visibility	Activity/Fragment	setUserStatusVisibility(int)	.setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE);
Group type indicator visibility	Activity/Fragment	setGroupTypeVisibility(int)	.setGroupTypeVisibility(View.GONE);
Read/delivered receipts visibility	Activity/Fragment	setReceiptsVisibility(int)	.setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE);
Incoming message sound	Activity/Fragment	disableSoundForMessages(boolean)	.disableSoundForMessages(true);
Custom message sound	Activity/Fragment	setCustomSoundForMessages(int)	.setCustomSoundForMessages(R.raw.cometchat_beep2);
Selection mode (single/multiple)	Activity/Fragment	setSelectionMode(SelectionMode)	.setSelectionMode(UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.MULTIPLE);
Date/time formatting	Activity/Fragment	setDateTimeFormatter(DateTimeFormatterCallback)	See setDateTimeFormatter code above
Date format	Activity/Fragment	setDateFormat(SimpleDateFormat)	.setDateFormat(new SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM, hh:mm a", Locale.getDefault()));
Long-press options (replace)	Activity/Fragment	setOptions(Function2)	See setOptions code above
Long-press options (append)	Activity/Fragment	addOptions(Function2)	See addOptions code above
Loading view	Activity/Fragment	setLoadingView(int)	.setLoadingView(R.layout.your_loading_view);
Empty view	Activity/Fragment	setEmptyView(int)	.setEmptyView(R.layout.your_empty_view);
Error view	Activity/Fragment	setErrorView(int)	.setErrorView(R.layout.your_error_view);
Leading view (avatar area)	Activity/Fragment	setLeadingView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	See setLeadingView code above
Title view	Activity/Fragment	setTitleView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	See setTitleView code above
Trailing view	Activity/Fragment	setTrailingView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	See setTrailingView code above
Entire list item	Activity/Fragment	setItemView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	See setItemView code above
Subtitle view	Activity/Fragment	setSubtitleView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)	See setSubtitleView code above
Text formatters (mentions)	Activity/Fragment	setTextFormatters(List<CometChatTextFormatter>)	See setTextFormatters code above
Overflow menu	Activity/Fragment	setOverflowMenu(View)	cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(view);
Filter conversations	Activity/Fragment	setConversationsRequestBuilder(ConversationsRequestBuilder)	See Filters code above
Search box visibility	Activity/Fragment	setSearchBoxVisibility(int)	.setSearchBoxVisibility(View.GONE);
Search input text	Activity/Fragment	setSearchInputText(String)	.setSearchInputText("search term");
Search placeholder text	Activity/Fragment	setSearchPlaceholderText(String)	.setSearchPlaceholderText("Search...");
Search input colors	Activity/Fragment	setSearchInputTextColor, setSearchInputBackgroundColor	.setSearchInputTextColor(Color.BLACK);
Search input icons	Activity/Fragment	setSearchInputStartIcon, setSearchInputEndIcon	.setSearchInputStartIcon(drawable);
Hide receipts (adapter)	Activity/Fragment	hideReceipts(boolean)	.hideReceipts(true);
Programmatic selection	Activity/Fragment	selectConversation(Conversation, SelectionMode)	.selectConversation(conv, SelectionMode.SINGLE);
Clear selection	Activity/Fragment	clearSelection()	.clearSelection();
Selected conversations strip	Activity/Fragment	setSelectedConversationsListVisibility(int)	.setSelectedConversationsListVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
Selected conversation avatar style	Activity/Fragment	setSelectedConversationAvatarStyle(int)	.setSelectedConversationAvatarStyle(R.style.CustomAvatarStyle);
Internal adapter access	Activity/Fragment	getConversationsAdapter() / setAdapter()	Advanced use only
Internal ViewModel access	Activity/Fragment	getViewModel()	Advanced use only
Mention-all label	Activity/Fragment	setMentionAllLabelId(String, String)	.setMentionAllLabelId("all", "Everyone");

Accessibility

The component renders a scrollable RecyclerView of interactive conversation items. Each conversation row responds to tap and long-press gestures. The unread badge count is rendered as a TextView with the count as text content, accessible to TalkBack. Avatar images include the conversation name as content description.

For custom views provided via setLeadingView, setTitleView, setTrailingView, or setItemView, ensure you set android:contentDescription on visual-only elements (status indicators, icons) so TalkBack can announce them. The default views handle this automatically.

Group type indicators and online/offline status dots are visual-only by default. If screen reader descriptions are needed for these, provide them via a custom view with appropriate contentDescription attributes.

Next Steps

Users

Browse and search available users

Groups

Browse and search available groups

Message List

Display messages in a conversation

Message Composer

Rich input for sending messages