Modern conversations aren't linear anymore. They're parallel streams across platforms, with rapid-fire replies that can quickly turn into confusing message threads. Today's users expect chat experiences that feel intuitive and organized, not overwhelming.
What is this feature
We're introducing Swipe to Reply, a quoted reply feature that brings order to chaotic chat threads. This highly requested feature allows users to swipe on any message to create a contextual reply, making conversations more seamless and organized across both mobile and web platforms.
Why does this matter to me, as a developer?
Chat UX is notoriously challenging to get right. Users expect seamless interactions and intuitive ways to manage complex conversations without feeling overwhelmed. Swipe to Reply directly addresses several critical developer pain points:
Reduces conversation chaos
Keep multi-threaded discussions organized and easy to follow.
Improves user retention
Better UX means users stay engaged longer in your chat experiences.
Ensures platform consistency
Unified gesture behavior across web and mobile reduces development overhead.
Meets user expectations
Delivers the quoted reply functionality users actively request.
What are the key features and capabilities that I should know about this update?
Cross-Platform Gesture Support:
Mobile (iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter)
Natural swipe gesture on any message to instantly create a reply
Web (React)
Integrated Reply option in the message context menu for desktop users.
Enhanced Context and Navigation:
Quoted Messages
Replies automatically include the original message for clear context.
One-Tap Navigation
Users can click quoted messages to jump directly to the original in chat history
Cancellation Support
Users can undo reply actions with a single tap/click before sending.
Is there anything interesting about the tech behind this that I should be aware of?
The implementation leverages platform-native gesture recognition to ensure optimal performance and feel. On mobile, we're using native touch handlers that respect each platform's gesture conventions, while web implementation uses optimized mouse/touch event handling. The quoted message system maintains message relationships efficiently without duplicating data, and the navigation feature uses smart scrolling with position caching for instant jumps in long chat histories.
How do I get started with using this?
Quoted replies are available across all CometChat UI Kits for both web and mobile platforms. The feature is enabled by default in the latest SDK and UI Kits, no additional configuration required. Simply update to the latest SDKs and UI Kits version and your users will immediately have access to swipe-to-reply functionality.
Reference links
Nivedita Bharathy
Product Marketing Specialist , CometChat