Getting Started With CometChat Android UI Kit

Install, configure, and launch the CometChat Android UI Kit in your app — choose Kotlin (XML Views) or Jetpack Compose.

AI Integration Quick Reference

Field	Value
Kotlin (XML Views)	com.cometchat:chat-uikit-kotlin v5.x
Jetpack Compose	com.cometchat:chat-uikit-compose v5.x
Init	CometChatUIKit.init(context, UIKitSettings, callback) — must resolve before login()
Login	CometChatUIKit.login("UID", callback) — must resolve before rendering components
Order	init() → login() → render. Breaking this order = blank screen
Auth Key	Dev/testing only. Use Auth Token in production
Theme	Set CometChatTheme.DayNight as parent theme in themes.xml
Calling	Optional. Add com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android to enable voice/video
Min SDK	Android 7.0 (API 24)

This guide walks you through adding CometChat to an Android app. By the end you’ll have a working chat UI.

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Prerequisites

You need three things from the CometChat Dashboard:

Credential	Where to find it
App ID	Dashboard → Your App → Credentials
Auth Key	Dashboard → Your App → Credentials
Region	Dashboard → Your App → Credentials (e.g. us, eu, in)

You also need:

• Android Studio installed
• An Android emulator or physical device running Android 7.0 (API 24) or higher
• Java 8 or higher
• Gradle plugin 4.0.1 or later

Auth Key is for development only. In production, generate Auth Tokens server-side via the REST API and use loginWithAuthToken(). Never ship Auth Keys in client code.

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Step 1 — Create an Android Project

1. Open Android Studio and start a new project.
2. Choose Empty Activity as the project template.
3. Enter a project name and choose Kotlin as the language.
4. Set minimum API level to 24 or higher.

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Step 2 — Install Dependencies

Add the CometChat repository and dependencies to your Gradle configuration.

Add the CometChat Repository

Add the CometChat Maven repository to your project-level settings.gradle.kts file:

settings.gradle.kts

dependencyResolutionManagement {
    repositoriesMode.set(RepositoriesMode.FAIL_ON_PROJECT_REPOS)
    repositories {
        google()
        mavenCentral()
        maven("https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/cometchat/cometchat/maven/")
    }
}

Add the CometChat Dependency

Choose the module that matches your UI toolkit:

Version Catalog (libs.versions.toml)

Inside libs.versions.toml, add the versions:

libs.versions.toml

[versions]
cometchat-ui-kit = "5.2.9"
cometchat-calls-sdk = "4.3.3"

Define the libraries — pick the module for your UI toolkit:

Kotlin (XML Views)

libs.versions.toml

[libraries]
cometchat-ui-kit = { module = "com.cometchat:chat-uikit-kotlin", version.ref = "cometchat-ui-kit" }
cometchat-calls-sdk = { module = "com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android", version.ref = "cometchat-calls-sdk" }

Jetpack Compose

libs.versions.toml

[libraries]
cometchat-ui-kit = { module = "com.cometchat:chat-uikit-compose", version.ref = "cometchat-ui-kit" }
cometchat-calls-sdk = { module = "com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android", version.ref = "cometchat-calls-sdk" }

Now, in your app-level build.gradle.kts file:

build.gradle.kts

dependencies {
    implementation(libs.cometchat.ui.kit)

    // (Optional) Include if using voice/video calling features
    implementation(libs.cometchat.calls.sdk)
}

Gradle (build.gradle.kts)

Open the app-level build.gradle.kts file and add the dependency for your chosen UI toolkit:

Kotlin (XML Views)

build.gradle.kts

dependencies {
    implementation("com.cometchat:chat-uikit-kotlin:5.2.9")

    // (Optional) Include if using voice/video calling features
    implementation("com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android:4.3.3")
}

Jetpack Compose

build.gradle.kts

dependencies {
    implementation("com.cometchat:chat-uikit-compose:5.2.9")

    // (Optional) Include if using voice/video calling features
    implementation("com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android:4.3.3")
}

Add AndroidX Support

The Jetifier tool helps migrate legacy support libraries to AndroidX. Open gradle.properties and verify this line is present:

gradle.properties

android.enableJetifier=true

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Choose Your UI Toolkit

The remaining integration steps (initialization, login, theming, and rendering components) differ depending on your chosen UI toolkit. Follow the guide that matches your project:

Kotlin (XML Views)

Step-by-step integration using chatuikit-kotlin with XML layouts and ViewBinding

Jetpack Compose

Step-by-step integration using chatuikit-jetpack with Composables

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Build Your Own Chat Experience

Need full control over the UI? Use individual components, customize themes, and wire up your own layouts.

Sample App

Working reference app to compare against

Components

All prebuilt UI elements with customization options

Core Features

Messaging, real-time updates, and other capabilities

Theming

Colors, fonts, dark mode, and custom styling

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Next Steps

Components Overview

Browse all prebuilt UI components

Theming

Customize colors, fonts, and styles

Core Features

Chat features included out of the box

Troubleshooting

Common issues and fixes