Group Management - CometChat Docs

Enable seven core group-management features in your Android app using CometChat UIKit v5:

Create Group
Join Group
View Members
Add Member
Ban Member
Change Member Scope
Transfer Ownership

These moderation tools transform a static chat into a dynamic, manageable experience, all accessible via a clean UI.

Overview

A user can create or join a group, then open a dialog to:

View current members.
Add or ban participants.
Change member roles (e.g., member, moderator).
Delegate group ownership.

Typically, a FloatingActionButton (FAB) or menu item launches the group-management dialog, which uses CometChat Core SDK calls under the hood.

Prerequisites

Android Studio project with cometchat/cometchat-uikit-android and cometchat/chat-sdk-android in build.gradle.
Internet permission in AndroidManifest.xml.
Valid CometChat App ID, Region, and Auth Key configured via UIKitSettings.
User logged in with CometChatUIKit.login().
A MessagesActivity (or ConversationActivity) and an optional GroupDetailsActivity in your flow.

Components

Component / Class	Role
`FloatingActionButton`	Triggers the group-management options dialog.
`GroupMembersRequest`	Fetches current group members.
`UsersRequest`	Fetches all app users for the “Add Member” list.
`CometChat.createGroup(...)`	Creates a new public or private group.
`CometChat.joinGroup(...)`	Joins an existing group by GUID.
`CometChat.addMembersToGroup(...)`	Adds selected users to the group.
`CometChat.banGroupMember(...)`	Bans a member from the group.
`CometChat.updateGroupMemberScope(...)`	Changes a member’s role (scope).
`CometChat.transferGroupOwnership(...)`	Delegates group ownership to another member.

Integration Steps

1. Layout/UI Setup

Add a FAB to launch the group-management dialog.

<!-- activity_message.xml -->
<com.google.android.material.floatingactionbutton.FloatingActionButton
  android:id="@+id/fab_group_actions"
  android:layout_width="wrap_content"
  android:layout_height="wrap_content"
  android:layout_gravity="end|bottom"
  android:src="@drawable/ic_group_actions" />

File reference:
activity_messages.xml

2. Wiring UI in Activity

Initialize UIKit views and respond to FAB clicks.

// In MessagesActivity.java
FloatingActionButton fab = findViewById(R.id.fab_group_actions);
fab.setOnClickListener(v -> showGroupActionsDialog());

private void showGroupActionsDialog() {
  // Present options: Create, Join, View Members, etc.
}

File reference:
MessagesActivity.java

3. Create & Join Group

Allow users to create or join a group via Core SDK.

// Create Group
CometChat.createGroup(new Group(
  groupGuid,
  groupName,
  CometChatConstants.GROUP_TYPE_PUBLIC,
  "" // password if needed
), new CometChat.CallbackListener<Group>() {
  // handle success/error
});

// Join Group
CometChat.joinGroup(
  groupGuid,
  CometChatConstants.GROUP_TYPE_PUBLIC,
  "",
  new CometChat.CallbackListener<Group>() {
    // handle success/error
  }
);

File reference:
GroupDetailsActivity.java

4. View Group Members

Fetch and display the current member list.

GroupMembersRequest membersRequest = new GroupMembersRequest.Builder(groupGuid).setLimit(50).build();
membersRequest.fetchNext(new CometChat.CallbackListener<List<GroupMember>>() {
  @Override
  public void onSuccess(List<GroupMember> members) {
    showMembersDialog(members);
  }
  @Override
  public void onError(CometChatException e) {}
});

File reference:
GroupDetailsActivity.java

5. Add Member

Select users not in the group and add them.

UsersRequest usersRequest = new UsersRequest.UsersRequestBuilder().setLimit(50).build();
usersRequest.fetchNext(new CometChat.CallbackListener<List<User>>() {
  public void onSuccess(List<User> allUsers) {
    // filter out existing members, show selection dialog
  }
});
// On selection:
CometChat.addMembersToGroup(
  groupGuid,
  selectedUids,
  CometChatConstants.SCOPE_PARTICIPANT,
  new CometChat.CallbackListener<HashMap<String, String>>() {
    // handle result
  }
);

File reference:
GroupDetailsActivity.java

6. Ban Member, Change Scope & Transfer Ownership

Perform moderation actions on selected members.

// Ban Member
CometChat.banGroupMember(
  uid,
  groupGuid,
  new CometChat.CallbackListener<String>() { /*...*/ }
);

// Change Scope
CometChat.updateGroupMemberScope(
  uid,
  groupGuid,
  CometChatConstants.SCOPE_MODERATOR,
  new CometChat.CallbackListener<String>() { /*...*/ }
);

// Transfer Ownership
CometChat.transferGroupOwnership(
  uid,
  groupGuid,
  new CometChat.CallbackListener<String>() { /*...*/ }
);

File reference:
GroupDetailsActivity.java

Implementation Flow Summary

Step	Action
1	User taps FAB → `showGroupActionsDialog()`
2	Select operation (e.g., View Members)
3	Fetch data via `GroupMembersRequest`
4	Call Core SDK method for chosen operation
5	Show success or error feedback

Customization Options

Use a BottomSheetDialog instead of a standard dialog.
Implement multi-select for bulk actions (e.g., add multiple members).
Replace default dialogs with custom RecyclerView lists.
Control permissions: show options only to admins or owners.

Error Handling & Edge Cases

Not in Group: Disable join option if user is already member.
Permission Denied: Only show ban/transfer options to group admins.
Empty Lists: Display an empty-state view if no members or users.
Pagination: Implement fetchNext() in scroll listeners for large groups.

Feature Matrix

Feature	SDK Method	Selection Source
Create Group	`CometChat.createGroup()`	Dialog input
Join Group	`CometChat.joinGroup()`	Dialog input
View Members	`GroupMembersRequest.fetchNext()`	Group members list
Add Member	`CometChat.addMembersToGroup()`	App users list
Ban Member	`CometChat.banGroupMember()`	Group members list
Change Member Scope	`CometChat.updateGroupMemberScope()`	Group members list
Transfer Ownership	`CometChat.transferGroupOwnership()`	Group members list

Android Sample App (Java)

Explore this feature in the CometChat SampleApp: GitHub → SampleApp

Android Sample App (Kotlin)

Explore this feature in the CometChat SampleApp: GitHub → SampleApp

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Components

​Integration Steps

​1. Layout/UI Setup

​2. Wiring UI in Activity

​3. Create & Join Group

​4. View Group Members

​5. Add Member

​6. Ban Member, Change Scope & Transfer Ownership

​Implementation Flow Summary

​Customization Options

​Error Handling & Edge Cases

​Feature Matrix

Android Sample App (Java)

Android Sample App (Kotlin)

Overview

Prerequisites

Components

Integration Steps

1. Layout/UI Setup

2. Wiring UI in Activity

3. Create & Join Group

4. View Group Members

5. Add Member

6. Ban Member, Change Scope & Transfer Ownership

Implementation Flow Summary

Customization Options

Error Handling & Edge Cases

Feature Matrix