How to Build an Android Chat UI Visually with the CometChat UI Kit Builder

Building chat functionality in a native Android app can become complex quickly.

What begins as a simple message list and input box soon expands into typing indicators, delivery receipts, media attachments, notifications, and user presence updates. Implementing these features from scratch requires significant UI work along with real-time backend coordination.

Android UI kits help reduce the effort, but developers still need to wire components together, manage state, and configure features before the interface feels complete.

The CometChat UI Kit Builder for Android simplifies this workflow.

Instead of assembling chat components manually, you can design the chat interface visually, configure messaging features, customize themes, and export ready-to-use code for your Android app.

What is the CometChat UI Kit Builder for Android?

The CometChat UI Kit Builder for Android is a visual configuration tool that helps developers create chat interfaces quickly using prebuilt native components.

It works alongside the CometChat Android UI Kit, which provides production-ready messaging components built specifically for Android applications.

Instead of manually assembling UI components, you configure the chat experience through the Builder and export the generated code and settings directly into your Android project.

With the Builder, you can:

This allows Android developers to focus on product functionality rather than building chat UI from scratch.

Why Use the Android UI Kit Builder?

Many Android teams build chat UI using a traditional workflow:

While this approach works, it often takes time before the chat experience becomes fully usable.

The Builder simplifies this process.

Instead of configuring UI components across your codebase, you define the chat experience visually and export those settings into your Android project.

This offers several benefits:

In practice, teams can move from UI concept to a working Android chat interface in a few hours.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure your environment includes:

Step 1: Configure Your Chat UI in the Builder

Start by opening the CometChat UI Kit Builder.

The Builder provides a visual interface where you can configure your chat experience without editing UI code.

Here, you can define:

• Chat layout

• Messaging features

• Engagement tools

• Theme styling

As you make changes, you can preview how the chat interface behaves before integrating it into your Android app.

This makes it easy to experiment with different configurations and finalize your UI upfront.

Step 2: Configure Messaging Features

Inside the Builder interface, you can toggle the features that power your messaging experience.

Core messaging capabilities include:

• 1:1 conversations

• Group messaging

• Typing indicators

• Read and delivery receipts

• Message reactions

• Media sharing

• Mentions and tagging

You can also enable engagement features such as:

• Polls and surveys

• Message translation

• Notifications

• Additional UI components

These features can be enabled or disabled directly through the Builder, without modifying Android UI code.

Step 3: Customize Theme and UI Styling

The Builder also allows you to customize the visual style of your chat interface.

You can configure:

These options help ensure the chat interface fits seamlessly with the design language of your Android app.

Step 4: Export the Builder Code and Configuration

Once your chat interface is configured, you can export the generated code and configuration from the Builder.

The exported package typically includes:

• UI configuration files

• Theme settings

• Chat feature toggles

• Native Android UI components

Because these components are built on top of the Android UI Kit, they’re designed to integrate directly into your project with minimal setup.

Step 5: Integrate the Builder into Your Android App

After exporting the configuration, you can integrate it into your Android project using one of two methods.

Option 1 (Recommended): Integrate via Gradle Plugin

The Builder can generate configuration files that plug directly into your project using a Gradle-based setup.

This allows you to:

• Load the Builder configuration

• Apply themes automatically

• Enable messaging features without manual wiring

Option 2: Import the Sample Module

Alternatively, you can import the preconfigured sample module into your Android project.

This provides a plug-and-play chat experience that you can customize and extend as needed.

Initialize the CometChat SDK

Before running the chat interface, initialize the CometChat SDK inside your Android application.

Once initialized, the chat UI components can communicate with CometChat’s messaging infrastructure.

After integration, your app will have access to the configured chat components.

Because the UI and features were defined through the Builder, the chat interface automatically reflects your selected layout, theme, and messaging capabilities.

At this point, you can run the app on your emulator or device and start sending messages.

Build Native Chat Experiences Faster

Building a native chat interface for Android typically involves assembling UI components, configuring messaging logic, and managing styling across multiple layers.

The CometChat UI Kit Builder simplifies this process.

• Instead of wiring everything manually, you can:

• Design the chat interface visually

• Configure messaging features

• Customize themes and layouts

• Export ready-to-use code

The result is a faster, more streamlined workflow for Android teams building messaging experiences.

You still retain full control over the UI and SDK when deeper customization is needed — but you start with a working, production-ready chat interface from the beginning.

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Shrinithi Vijayaraghavan

Creative Storytelling , CometChat

Shrinithi is a creative storyteller at CometChat who loves integrating technology and writing and sharing stories with the world. Shrinithi is excited to explore the endless possibilities of technology and storytelling combined together that can captivate and intrigue the audience.