Delivery & Read Receipts

Learn how to mark messages as delivered, read, or unread and listen for real-time receipt events using the CometChat React Native SDK.

Quick Reference - Mark messages and listen for receipts:

// Mark as delivered
CometChat.markAsDelivered(message);

// Mark as read
CometChat.markAsRead(message);

// Listen for receipts
CometChat.addMessageListener("LISTENER_ID", new CometChat.MessageListener({
  onMessagesDelivered: (receipt) => console.log("Delivered", receipt),
  onMessagesRead: (receipt) => console.log("Read", receipt),
}));

Available via: SDK | REST API | UI Kits

Mark Messages as Delivered

In other words, as a recipient, how do I inform the sender that I’ve received a message?

You can mark the messages for a particular conversation as read using the markAsDelivered() method. This method takes the below parameters as input:

Parameter	Information
messageId	The ID of the message above which all the messages for a particular conversation are to be marked as read.
receiverId	In case of one to one conversation message’s sender UID will be the receipt’s receiver Id. In case of group conversation message’s receiver Id will be the receipt’s receiver Id.
receiverType	Type of the receiver. Could be either of the two values( user or group).
senderId	The UID of the sender of the message.

Messages for both user & group conversations can be marked as read using this method.

Ideally, you would like to mark all the messages as delivered for any conversation when the user opens the chat window for that conversation. This includes two scenarios:

1. When the list of messages for the conversation is fetched: In this case you need to obtain the last message in the list of messages and pass the message ID of that message to the markAsDelivered() method.
2. When the user is on the chat window and a real-time message is received: In this case you need to obtain the message ID of the message and pass it to the markAsDelivered() method.

To User

var messageId = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId = "MESSAGE_RECEIVER_UID";
var receiverType = "user";
var senderId = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsDelivered(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId);

To Group

var messageId = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId = "MESSAGE_RECEIVER_GUID";
var receiverType = "group";
var senderId = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsDelivered(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId);

TypeScript (User)

var messageId: string = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId: string = "MESSAGE_RECEIVER_UID";
var receiverType: string = "user";
var senderId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsDelivered(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId);

TypeScript (Group)

var messageId: string = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId: string = "MESSAGE_RECEIVER_GUID";
var receiverType: string = "group";
var senderId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsDelivered(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId);

This method will mark all the messages before the messageId specified, for the conversation with receiverId and receiverType(user/group) as delivered.

In case you would like to be notified of an error if the receipts fail to go through you can use .then(successCallback, failureCallback) of the markAsDelivered method.

To User

CometChat.markAsDelivered(
  message.getId(),
  message.getSender().getUid(),
  "user",
  message.getSender().getUid()
).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as delivered success.");
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log(
      "An error occurred when marking the message as delivered.",
      error
    );
  }
);

To Group

CometChat.markAsDelivered(
  message.getId(),
  message.getReceiverUid(),
  "group",
  message.getSender().getUid()
).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as delivered success.");
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log(
      "An error occurred when marking the message as delivered.",
      error
    );
  }
);

TypeScript (User)

var messageId: string = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
var receiverType: string = "user";
var senderId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsDelivered(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as delivered success.");
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log(
      "An error occurred when marking the message as delivered.",
      error
    );
  }
);

TypeScript (Group)

var messageId: string = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId: string = "MESSAGE_RECEIVER_GUID";
var receiverType: string = "group";
var senderId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsDelivered(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as delivered success.");
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log(
      "An error occurred when marking the message as delivered.",
      error
    );
  }
);

Another option the CometChat SDK provides is to pass the entire message object to the markAsDelivered() method.

JavaScript

CometChat.markAsDelivered(message);

TypeScript

let message: CometChat.BaseMessage;
CometChat.markAsDelivered(message);

In case you would like to be notified of an error if the receipts fail to go through you can use .then(successCallback, failureCallback) of the markAsDelivered method.

JavaScript

CometChat.markAsDelivered(message).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as delivered success.");
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log(
      "An error occurred when marking the message as delivered.",
      error
    );
  }
);

TypeScript

let message: CometChat.BaseMessage;
CometChat.markAsDelivered(message).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as delivered success.");
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log(
      "An error occurred when marking the message as delivered.",
      error
    );
  }
);

Mark Messages as Read

In other words, as a recipient, how do I inform the sender I’ve read a message?

You can mark the messages for a particular conversation as read using the markAsRead() method. This method takes the below parameters as input:

Parameter	Information
messageId	The ID of the message above which all the messages for a particular conversation are to be marked as read.
receiverId	In case of one to one conversation message’s sender UID will be the receipt’s receiver Id. In case of group conversation message’s receiver Id will be the receipt’s receiver Id
receiverType	Type of the receiver. Could be either of the two values( user or group)
senderId	The UID of the sender of the message.

Messages for both user and group conversations can be marked as read using this method.

Ideally, you would like to mark all the messages as read for any conversation when the user opens the chat window for that conversation. This includes two scenarios:

1. When the list of messages for the conversation is fetched: In this case you need to obtain the last message in the list of messages and pass the message ID of that message to the markAsRead() method.
2. When the user is on the chat window and a real-time message is received: In this case you need to obtain the message ID of the message and pass it to the markAsRead() method

To User

var messageId = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
var receiverType = "user";
var senderId = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsRead(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId);

To Group

var messageId = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId = "MESSAGE_RECEIVER_GUID";
var receiverType = "group";
var senderId = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsRead(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId);

TypeScript (User)

var messageId: string = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
var receiverType: string = "user";
var senderId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsRead(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId);

TypeScript (Group)

var messageId: string = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId: string = "MESSAGE_RECEIVER_GUID";
var receiverType: string = "group";
var senderId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsRead(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId);

This method will mark all the messages before the messageId specified, for the conversation with receiverId and receiverType(user/group) as read.

In case you would like to be notified of an error if the receipts fail to go through you can use .then(successCallback, failureCallback) of the markAsDelivered method.

To User

CometChat.markAsRead(
  message.getId(),
  message.getSender().getUid(),
  "user",
  message.getSender().getUid()
).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as read success.");
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("An error occurred when marking the message as read.", error);
  }
);

To Group

CometChat.markAsRead(
  message.getId(),
  message.getReceiverUid(),
  "group",
  message.getSender().getUid()
).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as read success.");
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("An error occurred when marking the message as read.", error);
  }
);

TypeScript (User)

var messageId: string = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
var receiverType: string = "user";
var senderId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsRead(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as read success.");
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("An error occurred when marking the message as read.", error);
  }
);

TypeScript (Group)

var messageId: string = "MESSAGE_ID";
var receiverId: string = "MESSAGE_RECEIVER_GUID";
var receiverType: string = "group";
var senderId: string = "MESSAGE_SENDER_UID";
CometChat.markAsRead(messageId, receiverId, receiverType, senderId).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as read success.");
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("An error occurred when marking the message as read.", error);
  }
);

Another option the CometChat SDK provides is to pass the entire message object to the markAsRead() method.If the message object is the last message, the entire conversation will be marked as read.

JavaScript

CometChat.markAsRead(message);

TypeScript

let message: CometChat.BaseMessage;
CometChat.markAsRead(message);

In case you would like to be notified of an error if the receipts fail to go through you can use .then(successCallback, failureCallback) of the markAsDelivered method.

JavaScript

CometChat.markAsRead(message).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as read success.");
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("An error occurred when marking the message as read.", error);
  }
);

TypeScript

let message: CometChat.BaseMessage;
CometChat.markAsRead(message).then(
  () => {
    console.log("mark as read success.");
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("An error occurred when marking the message as read.", error);
  }
);

Mark Messages as Unread

The Mark as Unread feature allows users to designate specific messages or conversations as unread, even if they have been previously viewed.

This feature is valuable for users who want to revisit and respond to important messages or conversations later, ensuring they don’t forget or overlook them.

In other words, how I can mark a message as unread?

You can mark the messages for a particular conversation as unread using the markAsUnread() method. This method takes the below parameters as input:

Parameter

Information

message

To mark a message as unread, pass a non-null BaseMessage instance to the markMessageAsUnread() function. All messages below that message in the conversation will contribute to the unread messages count. Example: When User B sends User A a total of 10 messages, and User A invokes the markMessageAsUnread() method on the fifth message, all messages located below the fifth message within the conversation list will be designated as unread. This results in a notification indicating there are 5 unread messages in the conversation list.

You cannot mark your own messages as unread. This method only works for messages received from other users.

JavaScript

CometChat.markMessageAsUnread(message);

TypeScript

let message: CometChat.BaseMessage;
CometChat.markMessageAsUnread(message);

In case you would like to be notified of an error if the receipts fail to go through you can use .then(successCallback, failureCallback). On success, this method returns an updated Conversation object with the updated unread message count and other conversation data.

JavaScript

CometChat.markMessageAsUnread(message).then(
  (conversation) => {
    console.log("mark messages as unread success.", conversation);
    console.log("Unread message count:", conversation.getUnreadMessageCount());
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("An error occurred when marking the message as unread.", error);
  }
);

TypeScript

let message: CometChat.BaseMessage;
CometChat.markMessageAsUnread(message).then(
  (conversation: CometChat.Conversation) => {
    console.log("mark messages as unread success.", conversation);
    console.log("Unread message count:", conversation.getUnreadMessageCount());
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("An error occurred when marking the message as unread.", error);
  }
);

Receive Delivery & Read Receipts

In other words, as a recipient, how do I know when a message I sent has been delivered or read by someone?

Real-time events

1. onMessagesDelivered() - This event is triggered when a message is delivered to a user.
2. onMessagesRead() - This event is triggered when a message is read by a user.
3. onMessagesDeliveredToAll() - This event is triggered when a group message is delivered to all members of the group. This event is only for Group conversations.
4. onMessagesReadByAll() - This event is triggered when a group message is read by all members of the group. This event is only for Group conversations.

JavaScript

let listenerId = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";

CometChat.addMessageListener(
  "listenerId",
  new CometChat.MessageListener({
    onMessagesDelivered: (messageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message is delivered to a user: ", { messageReceipt });
    },
    onMessagesRead: (messageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message is read by a user: ", { messageReceipt });
    },
    /** This event is only for Group Conversation. */
    onMessagesDeliveredToAll: (messageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message delivered to all members of group: ", {
        messageReceipt,
      });
    },
    /** This event is only for Group Conversation. */
    onMessagesReadByAll: (messageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message read by all members of group: ", { messageReceipt });
    },
  })
);

TypeScript

let listenerId: string = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";

CometChat.addMessageListener(
  listenerId,
  new CometChat.MessageListener({
    onMessagesDelivered: (messageReceipt: CometChat.MessageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message is delivered to a user: ", { messageReceipt });
    },
    onMessagesRead: (messageReceipt: CometChat.MessageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message is read by a user: ", { messageReceipt });
    },
    /** This event is only for Group Conversation. */
    onMessagesDeliveredToAll: (messageReceipt: CometChat.MessageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message delivered to all members of group: ", {
        messageReceipt,
      });
    },
    /** This event is only for Group Conversation. */
    onMessagesReadByAll: (messageReceipt: CometChat.MessageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message read by all members of group: ", { messageReceipt });
    },
  })
);

Listener Cleanup Required — Always remove your message listener when the component unmounts or the listener is no longer needed to avoid memory leaks and duplicate event handling:

CometChat.removeMessageListener("UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID");

In React Native, place this in a cleanup function inside useEffect or in componentWillUnmount.

You will receive events in the form of MessageReceipt objects. The message receipt contains the below parameters:

Parameter	Information
messageId	The Id of the message prior to which all the messages for that particular conversation have been marked as read.
sender	User object containing the details of the user who has marked the message as read. System User for deliveredToAll & readByAll events.
receiverId	Id of the receiver whose conversation has been marked as read.
receiverType	type of the receiver (user/group)
receiptType	Type of the receipt (read/delivered)
deliveredAt	The timestamp of the time when the message was delivered. This will only be present if the receiptType is delivered.
readAt	The timestamp of the time when the message was read. This will only be present when the receiptType is read.

Missed Receipts

You will receive message receipts when you load offline messages. While fetching messages in bulk, the message object will have two fields i.e. deliveredAt and readAt which hold the timestamp for the time the message was delivered and read respectively. Using these two variables, the delivery and read status for a message can be obtained.

However, for a group message, if you wish to fetch the deliveredAt and readAt fields of individual member of the group you can use the below-described method.

Receipt History for a Single Message

To fetch the message receipts, you can use the getMessageReceipts() method.

JavaScript

let messageId = msgId;
CometChat.getMessageReceipts(messageId).then(
  (receipts) => {
    console.log("Message details fetched:", receipts);
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Error in getting messag details ", error);
  }
);

TypeScript

let messageId: number = 1;
CometChat.getMessageReceipts(messageId).then(
  (receipts: CometChat.MessageReceipt[]) => {
    console.log("Message details fetched:", receipts);
  },
  (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
    console.log("Error in getting messag details ", error);
  }
);

You will receive a list of MessageReceipt objects.

The following features will be available only if the Enhanced Messaging Status feature is enabled for your app.

• onMessagesDeliveredToAll event,
• onMessagesReadByAll event,
• deliveredAt field in a group message,
• readAt field in a group message.
• markMessageAsUnread method.

Best Practices

When to mark messages as delivered vs. read

Mark messages as delivered as soon as they are received by the device — typically when fetching messages or receiving a real-time message while the app is open. Mark messages as read only when the user actually views the conversation or message. This distinction gives senders accurate insight into whether their message reached the device versus was actually seen.

Batch delivery receipts efficiently

Rather than calling markAsDelivered() for every individual message, pass the last message in a fetched list. The SDK marks all prior messages in that conversation as delivered automatically, reducing unnecessary API calls.

Always clean up message listeners

Remove message listeners when a component unmounts using CometChat.removeMessageListener(listenerId). Failing to do so can cause memory leaks, duplicate callbacks, and unexpected behavior — especially in React Native navigation flows where screens may mount and unmount frequently.

Use the message object overload when possible

Prefer passing the full BaseMessage object to markAsDelivered() and markAsRead() instead of individual parameters. This is simpler, less error-prone, and ensures the SDK has all the context it needs.

Troubleshooting

Receipts are not being received in real-time

Ensure you have registered a MessageListener with CometChat.addMessageListener() before the receipt events are dispatched. Verify the listener ID is unique and that you haven’t accidentally removed the listener elsewhere. Also confirm the user is logged in and the WebSocket connection is active.

markAsRead or markAsDelivered calls are failing

Check that you are passing valid parameters — messageId, receiverId, receiverType, and senderId must all be correct. For group messages, receiverId should be the group GUID, not a user UID. Use the .then() error callback to inspect the CometChatException for details.

onMessagesDeliveredToAll or onMessagesReadByAll not firing

These events require the Enhanced Messaging Status feature to be enabled for your app in the CometChat Dashboard. Verify this setting is turned on if you rely on group-level delivery and read tracking.

markMessageAsUnread is not working

You cannot mark your own messages as unread — this method only works for messages received from other users. Additionally, the markMessageAsUnread method requires the Enhanced Messaging Status feature to be enabled.

Next Steps

Send a Message

Learn how to send text, media, and custom messages to users and groups.

Receive Messages

Set up real-time message listeners and fetch missed messages.

Retrieve Conversations

Fetch and display the user’s conversation list with unread counts.

Typing Indicators

Show real-time typing status in one-on-one and group chats.