Here's a question: How many times have you put off adding multi-language support to your app because it felt like opening Pandora's box?
You know the drill. Start with one translation file. Then another. Then you're juggling date formats that make sense in New York but look broken in Tokyo. Your fallback logic becomes a maze of conditionals. And don't even get started on what happens when users want to switch languages mid-session.
We've been there. And we built CometChat UI Kit v6 to fix it.
So what did we actually build?
The v6 update introduces a complete localization system that does the heavy lifting for you. Three main pieces make this work:
CometChatLocalize handles the entire localization lifecycle. Detecting languages, managing translations, and enabling runtime language switching without breaking a sweat.
19 language packs come ready to use right out of the box. We're talking English (US and UK), Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Malay, Swedish, Lithuanian, and Hungarian. No setup required.
CalendarObject takes care of date and time formatting so timestamps actually make sense to your users. "Today at 3:00 PM" in New York becomes "Aujourd'hui à 15h00" in Paris, automatically.
Here's why you should care
Let's be honest about what building multilingual apps usually looks like.
You start with good intentions. Maybe you use a library. Maybe you roll your own solution. Either way, you end up with translation strings scattered across your codebase, date formatting that only works in one time zone, and a nagging feeling that everything might fall apart when a user in Seoul switches their app to Korean.
CometChat UI Kits’ new localization system changes that equation entirely.
Language detection happens automatically based on browser or device settings. Users can switch languages at runtime without reloading anything. All your translations live in clean JSON files that are actually maintainable. And date formatting stays consistent across every component, no matter what language your user prefers.
This isn't just about checking a compliance box. It's about building apps that feel natural to people everywhere, without spending weeks fighting with i18n libraries.
Let's talk about how it actually works
The architecture here is deliberately simple because localization should be simple.
Set your global language preferences once. Every UI component picks them up automatically. Need to override something for a specific component? Go ahead. The system is flexible enough to handle exceptions without breaking the pattern.
You also get graceful degradation built in. Define fallback languages. Set up handlers for missing translation keys. Your UI stays stable even when translations are incomplete or a requested language isn't available.
And here's the part that saves you from future headaches: you can add or override translations at runtime. Found a better way to phrase something? Want to A/B test messaging in different markets? You can do it without touching source code or redeploying.
The technical bits that matter and will make your life easier
Under the hood, the localization framework separates concerns cleanly.
Language JSON files store your translations in a format that's easy to read, edit, and version control. No proprietary formats or complex tooling required.
CometChatLocalize provides straightforward APIs for everything localization-related like fetching strings, detecting languages, managing runtime updates. You don't need to learn a new paradigm or memorize dozens of methods.
CalendarObject ensures that every timestamp, every date picker, every relative time display stays consistent with user expectations. Configure it globally or override it per component. Either way, your users see dates and times that make sense in their context.
This modular approach means you can customize localization behavior without rewriting core functionality or maintaining fragile workarounds.
This brings in endless possibilities
Think about what becomes possible when localization just works.
Launch in multiple markets simultaneously instead of sequentially.
Let users choose their preferred language without rebuilding your UI.
Support customer service teams operating across regions and languages.
Build features that adapt to local conventions automatically.
Sounds amazing right!
The barriers to global expansion just got a lot lower.
Ready to try it out?
The full localization framework ships today. All 19 languages. All the formatting tools. All the flexibility you need to build for a global audience.
Check out the complete documentation, setup guides, and code examples here: CometChat Localization Guide
Whether you're adding your second language or your twentieth, the React UI Kit now makes it straightforward to deliver chat experiences that feel native to users everywhere.
Because your users shouldn't have to adapt to your app. Your app should adapt to them.
Shrinithi Vijayaraghavan
Creative Storytelling , CometChat