Convert 1:1 Chat to Group Chat (Add Participants to Existing Conversation)

Description

Currently, CometChat treats 1:1 (direct) chats and group chats as separate entities. To include additional participants in an ongoing 1:1 conversation, a new group must be created manually, which results in losing the existing conversation context and history.

We would like to request a native feature that allows converting an existing 1:1 chat into a group chat by adding more participants — similar to how platforms like LinkedIn allow users to expand an ongoing conversation.

Expected Behavior

• Ability to add one or more users to an existing 1:1 chat.

• The conversation should seamlessly transition into a group chat.

• Existing message history should remain intact and visible to all participants (with proper permissions).

• System message indicating when users are added (e.g., “Rohit added John to the conversation”).

Use Cases

• Customer support workflows where a manager or specialist needs to be added mid-conversation.

• Collaboration tools where discussions organically grow from 1:1 to multi-user.

• Sales or onboarding flows where stakeholders join an ongoing thread.

Why This Matters

This feature is critical for collaboration and support scenarios. Without it:

• Developers must create a new group and manually migrate context.

• Users lose conversational continuity.

• The experience feels fragmented compared to modern messaging platforms.

Requested Scope

• Should be available via:

  • Core SDKs (REST + Mobile/Web SDKs)

  • UI Kits (prebuilt UI support)

Optional Enhancements

• Ability to choose whether past history is visible to newly added users.

• API method like:
  convertDirectChatToGroup(conversationId, userIds[])