Setup

Install, configure, and initialize the CometChat iOS SDK in your application.

AI Integration Quick Reference

// CocoaPods
pod 'CometChatSDK', '4.1.0'

// Swift Package Manager
// https://github.com/cometchat/chat-sdk-ios.git

import CometChatSDK

let appSettings = AppSettings.AppSettingsBuilder()
  .setRegion(region: "APP_REGION")
  .subscribePresenceForAllUsers()
  .autoEstablishSocketConnection(true)
  .build()

CometChat.init(appId: "APP_ID", appSettings: appSettings, onSuccess: { _ in
  print("CometChat initialized")
}, onError: { error in
  print("Init failed: \(error.errorDescription)")
})

Prerequisites: Xcode 12+, iOS 11+, credentials from CometChat Dashboard

Prerequisites

Requirement	Version
Xcode	12 or above
iOS	11 or higher

Get your credentials from the CometChat Dashboard:

• App ID
• Region
• Auth Key (for development)

Auth Key is for development/testing only. In production, generate Auth Tokens on your server using the REST API. Never expose Auth Keys in production client code.

Installation

CocoaPods

Create a Podfile in your project directory:

$ pod init

Add the CometChat SDK to your Podfile:

platform :ios, '11.0'
use_frameworks!

target 'MyApp' do
  pod 'CometChatSDK', '4.1.0'
end

Install the dependency:

$ pod install

To update to the latest version:

$ pod update CometChatSDK

CometChatSDK includes video calling components. We suggest you run on physical devices to avoid errors.

Swift Package Manager

1. Open Xcode, go to the project’s General settings tab and select the project under Project in the left column.
2. Go to the Swift packages tab and click on the + button.

3. Enter the repository URL https://github.com/cometchat/chat-sdk-ios.git, set dependency rule to Up to Next Major Version with version 4.1.0, and click Add Package.

4. Ensure CometChatSDK is checked in the Package Product column and click Add Package.

Request Authorization

Add justification strings to your app’s Info.plist for camera, microphone, and photo library access:

<key>NSAppTransportSecurity</key>
  <dict>
    <key>NSAllowsArbitraryLoads</key>
    <true/>
  </dict>
<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
  <string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) need access to the camera in order to update your avatar</string>
<key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
  <string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) need access to the Photo Library in order to send Media Messages</string>
<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
  <string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) need access to the Microphone in order to connect Audio/Video call</string>

Setup Bitcode

Set Enable Bitcode to YES in your target’s build settings.

Swift Standard Libraries

Set "Always Embed Swift Standard Libraries" to Yes in your target’s build settings:

Set Header Search Path

Set Header Search Paths to $SDKROOT/usr/include/libxml2.

Initialization

The init() method initializes the SDK and must be called before any other CometChat method. Call it once at app startup, typically in didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: of your AppDelegate.

Swift

import CometChatSDK

class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {

  var window: UIWindow?
  let appId: String = "APP_ID"
  let region: String = "APP_REGION"

  func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {

    let mySettings = AppSettings.AppSettingsBuilder()
      .subscribePresenceForAllUsers()
      .setRegion(region: region)
      .autoEstablishSocketConnection(true)
      .build()

    CometChat.init(appId: appId, appSettings: mySettings, onSuccess: { (isSuccess) in
      if (isSuccess) {
        print("CometChat SDK initialized successfully.")
      }
    }) { (error) in
      print("CometChat SDK failed to initialize with error: \(error.errorDescription)")
    }
    return true
  }
}

Objective-C

#import <CometChatSDK_CometChatSDK-Swift.h>

@implementation AppDelegate

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions {

  NSString *region = @"APP_REGION";
  NSString *appID = @"APP_ID";

  AppSettingsBuilder *appSettingBuilder = [[AppSettingsBuilder alloc] init];
  AppSettings *appSettings = [[[appSettingBuilder subscribePresenceForAllUsers] setRegionWithRegion:region] build];

  [[CometChat alloc] initWithAppId:appID appSettings:appSettings onSuccess:^(BOOL isSuccess) {
    NSLog(isSuccess ? @"CometChat Initialize Success" : @"CometChat Initialize Failed");
  } onError:^(CometChatException * error) {
    NSLog(@"Error %@", [error errorDescription]);
  }];
  return YES;
}

@end

Replace APP_ID and APP_REGION with your credentials from the Dashboard.

CometChat.init() must be called before any other SDK method. Calling login(), sendMessage(), or registering listeners before init() will fail.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
appId	String	Your CometChat App ID
appSettings	AppSettings	Configuration object built with AppSettingsBuilder

AppSettings Options

Method	Description	Default
setRegion(region:)	Region where your app was created (us, eu, in)	Required
subscribePresenceForAllUsers()	Subscribe to presence events for all users	—
subscribePresenceForRoles(roles:)	Subscribe to presence for specific roles	—
subscribePresenceForFriends()	Subscribe to presence for friends only	—
autoEstablishSocketConnection(_:)	Let SDK manage WebSocket connections	true
overrideAdminHost(adminHost:)	Custom admin URL (dedicated deployment)	—
overrideClientHost(clientHost:)	Custom client URL (dedicated deployment)	—

Presence Subscription

Choose how to subscribe to user presence (online/offline status):

// All users
AppSettings.AppSettingsBuilder()
  .subscribePresenceForAllUsers()
  .setRegion(region: region)
  .build()

// Specific roles
AppSettings.AppSettingsBuilder()
  .subscribePresenceForRoles(roles: ["admin", "moderator"])
  .setRegion(region: region)
  .build()

// Friends only
AppSettings.AppSettingsBuilder()
  .subscribePresenceForFriends()
  .setRegion(region: region)
  .build()

See User Presence for more details.

WebSocket Connection

By default, the SDK manages WebSocket connections automatically. To manage them manually:

let mySettings = AppSettings.AppSettingsBuilder()
  .setRegion(region: region)
  .autoEstablishSocketConnection(false)
  .build()

See Managing WebSocket Connections for manual control.

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Next Steps

Authentication

Log in users with Auth Key or Auth Token

Send Messages

Send your first message