Upgrading to v9

Version 9 of the Stream Chat React Native SDK is a ground-up redesign of the entire UI layer. Every visual component has been rethought to deliver a modern, polished chat experience out of the box — backed by a new design token system, a slot-based composition architecture for the message input, a centralized state store system, and a brand-new base UI component library.

If you are upgrading from V8, expect to touch theme overrides, component imports, and any code that customizes the message input, attachment picker, channel preview, or overlay system. This guide walks through every breaking change, highlights what replaced what, and ends with a concrete checklist you can follow.

React Native New Architecture Required

V9 supports the React Native New Architecture only. The old architecture (Paper renderer and the legacy bridge) is no longer supported. Before upgrading to V9, ensure that:

1. Your project is running on React Native 0.76+ (or an Expo SDK version that defaults to the New Architecture).
2. The New Architecture is enabled in your project configuration.
3. All other third-party native modules you depend on are New Architecture compatible.

If your project is still on the old architecture, you must migrate to the New Architecture first. Refer to the React Native New Architecture guide for instructions.

New Peer Dependencies

V9 introduces one new required peer dependency and one optional one:

# Required
yarn add react-native-teleport

# Optional — install for improved keyboard handling
yarn add react-native-keyboard-controller

react-native-keyboard-controller is entirely optional. The SDK works without it, but when installed it provides smoother keyboard animations and more reliable keyboard height tracking. You can add it at any time.

Expo users: Both packages ship with config plugins. Run npx expo prebuild after installing.

Keyboard Handling Changes

V9 refactors the built-in KeyboardCompatibleView so chat screens work correctly with the current edge-to-edge layout expectations. If you previously carried keyboard workarounds forward from older SDK versions, review them carefully during migration.

Remove Old Android IME Workarounds

If you previously added manual Android IME padding, extra bottom spacing, or similar layout hacks to keep the composer above the keyboard, remove them in V9. The refactored KeyboardCompatibleView should now handle those cases itself.

This also applies if you were following older troubleshooting advice from the V8 docs around incorrect input positioning on Android:

• V8 troubleshooting: Incorrect input position

Use disableKeyboardCompatibleView only as an escape hatch if your app already owns keyboard avoidance or if a specific Android window configuration still reports incorrect measurements.

Use Header Height for keyboardVerticalOffset

Set keyboardVerticalOffset to your navigation header height on both Android and iOS. Keep the value consistent anywhere the same chat layout is rendered.

If you previously used Android-only values such as keyboardVerticalOffset={-300} or other artificial negative offsets, remove them in V9. The KeyboardCompatibleView should handle keyboard movement for you, so negative offsets should no longer be necessary.

Do Not Wrap MessageComposer in SafeAreaView

Do not wrap MessageComposer in an extra SafeAreaView just to fix bottom spacing. In V9, the composer handles its own safe-area behavior correctly, and additional wrapping can introduce double-padding or incorrect keyboard positioning.

Dependency Version Bumps

Design Token System

V8 used ad-hoc color values and scattered style constants. V9 replaces all of this with a layered design token system that makes theming consistent and predictable.

The New theme/ Module

The SDK now exports a theme/ module with four layers:

The defaultTheme object now exposes a top-level semantics property alongside the existing colors:

const theme = useTheme();
const { semantics, colors } = theme;

// Semantic tokens are named by purpose, not by hue
const bgColor = semantics.backgroundElevationElevation1;
const borderColor = semantics.borderCoreDefault;
const textColor = semantics.textPrimary;

Migration tip: Wherever you were using raw colors.* values (e.g. colors.grey, colors.white_snow), prefer the equivalent semantics.* token. Semantic tokens automatically adapt across light, dark, and high-contrast themes.

Color Changes

The colors type no longer includes an index signature ({ [key: string]: string }). If you were storing custom color keys on the colors object, move them to the semantics object or extend the theme type.

Semantic Token Renames

If your app reads semantic tokens directly, note these contract-level renames introduced by the recent token update:

The token update also added new semantic tokens such as borderCoreOnInverse, borderCoreOnSurface, borderUtilityDisabledOnSurface, controlChipBorder, and controlChipText.

Default Value Changes

New Base UI Component Library

V9 introduces a ui/ component library that provides standardized, token-driven UI primitives. These replace the older ad-hoc components and give you building blocks that are consistent with the SDK's new design language.

Avatar

The Avatar and GroupAvatar components have been moved from components/Avatar/ to components/ui/Avatar/. The old exports are removed.

V8:

import { Avatar, GroupAvatar } from "stream-chat-react-native";
// Props: image, name, online, presenceIndicator, size (number)

V9:

import { Avatar } from "stream-chat-react-native";
// Props: size ('2xl' | 'xl' | 'lg' | 'md' | 'sm' | 'xs'),
//        imageUrl, placeholder, showBorder, backgroundColor, style

Button

A new standardized Button component with variant, type, and size props:

import { Button } from "stream-chat-react-native";

<Button
  variant="primary" // 'primary' | 'secondary' | 'destructive'
  type="solid" // 'solid' | 'outline' | 'ghost' | 'liquidGlass'
  size="md" // 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg'
  LeadingIcon={SendRight}
  label="Send"
  disabled={false}
/>;

Badge Components

Other New Primitives

MessageComposer — Complete Redesign

The message composer underwent the most significant transformation in V9. It moves from a flat, prop-heavy component to a slot-based composition architecture that is easier to customize and extend.

Architecture Change

V8: A single component with many inline conditional renders. Buttons (Send, AudioRecord, Cooldown, Commands, MoreOptions) were rendered directly in the component body and customized via individual component props.

V9: A slotted layout with clearly defined regions that you can replace independently:

MessageComposer
├── MessageComposerLeadingView    ← wraps InputButtons (attach, etc.)
├── Main Input Area
│   ├── MessageInputHeaderView    ← reply preview, edit header, attachments, link previews
│   ├── AudioRecordingPreview / AudioRecordingInProgress / InputView
├── MessageInputTrailingView      ← wraps OutputButtons (send, edit, cooldown, audio)
├── MessageComposerTrailingView   ← empty slot for your own custom content
├── AutoCompleteSuggestionList
└── Poll Creation Modal

New useMessageComposer Hook

V9 exposes a useMessageComposer() hook that gives you direct access to the composer's internal state without going through context:

const messageComposer = useMessageComposer();
const { attachmentManager, textComposer, editedMessage, channel, hasCommands } =
  messageComposer;

New Slot Props

These composition slot components can be passed to the Channel component to customize regions of the input:

Removed Props

The following props are removed from Channel and MessageInputContext:

New Upload Indicator Components

The single AttachmentUploadProgressIndicator is replaced by six specific components, giving you finer control over each upload state:

OutputButtons Component

A new OutputButtons component manages the trailing action buttons using priority-based rendering with animated transitions (ZoomIn/ZoomOut, 200ms):

Component Path Changes

New MessageComposer Components

MessageInputContext Changes

Removed Values

Added Values

Modified Values

Voice recording send behavior

asyncMessagesMultiSendEnabled has been removed and replaced with audioRecordingSendOnComplete on Channel, MessageComposer, and useMessageInputContext().

This is not a straight rename; the meaning is inverted:

• V8: asyncMessagesMultiSendEnabled={true} meant recordings were not sent immediately and instead stayed in the composer.
• V9: audioRecordingSendOnComplete={true} means recordings are sent immediately after upload.
• Set audioRecordingSendOnComplete={false} when you want recordings to stay in the composer so users can add text, attachments, or more recordings before sending.

The default behavior also changed:

• Before: asyncMessagesMultiSendEnabled defaulted to true, so recordings did not send immediately.
• Now: audioRecordingSendOnComplete defaults to true, so recordings do send immediately.

Advanced integrations should also update any direct uploadVoiceRecording(...) calls from useMessageInputContext(). The callback now takes sendOnComplete semantics instead of multiSendEnabled semantics.

AudioAttachment Changes

The audio playback system has been rewritten to use a centralized player model.

Removed Props

Added Props

Hook Rename

MessageList Changes

New Props

Removed Props

Modified Props

The FlatList item type changed from LocalMessage to MessageListItemWithNeighbours. Each item now carries references to its preceding and following messages, enabling smarter grouping and rendering.

New Sub-Components

MessagesContext Changes

Removed Values

Added Values

Modified Values

Note: MessageHeader is now a required value in the context. If you were relying on it being optional, make sure your custom provider supplies a component.

MessageSimple → MessageItemView

MessageSimple has been renamed to MessageItemView. This is a breaking rename across the component name, exported prop types, Channel override, MessagesContext slot, source path, and theme namespace.

• MessageSimple → MessageItemView
• MessageSimpleProps → MessageItemViewProps
• MessageSimplePropsWithContext → MessageItemViewPropsWithContext
• <Channel MessageSimple={...} /> → <Channel MessageItemView={...} />
• messagesContext.MessageSimple → messagesContext.MessageItemView
• messageSimple theme key → messageItemView
• message-simple-wrapper test ID → message-item-view-wrapper
• Message/MessageSimple/... → Message/MessageItemView/...

Before:

<Channel MessageSimple={CustomMessageSimple} />;

import { MessageSimple } from "stream-chat-react-native";

const theme = {
  messageSimple: {
    content: {
      container: {},
    },
  },
};

After:

<Channel MessageItemView={CustomMessageItemView} />;

import { MessageItemView } from "stream-chat-react-native";

const theme = {
  messageItemView: {
    content: {
      container: {},
    },
  },
};

If your old MessageSimple override only added spacing or lightweight decoration around the message body, prefer the new MessageSpacer, MessageContentTopView, MessageContentBottomView, MessageContentLeadingView, and MessageContentTrailingView slots over replacing MessageItemView wholesale. These are optional override slots, not new built-in default components.

MessageAvatar → MessageAuthor

MessageAvatar has been renamed to MessageAuthor. This is a breaking rename across the component name, prop types, Channel override, MessagesContext slot, source path, and the messageItemView.authorWrapper theme surface.

• MessageAvatar → MessageAuthor
• MessageAvatarProps → MessageAuthorProps
• MessageAvatarPropsWithContext → MessageAuthorPropsWithContext
• <Channel MessageAvatar={...} /> → <Channel MessageAuthor={...} />
• messagesContext.MessageAvatar → messagesContext.MessageAuthor
• messageItemView.avatarWrapper → messageItemView.authorWrapper
• message-avatar test ID → message-author
• Message/MessageSimple/MessageAvatar → Message/MessageItemView/MessageAuthor

Before:

import { MessageAvatar } from "stream-chat-react-native";

<Channel MessageAvatar={CustomMessageAvatar} />;

const theme = {
  messageItemView: {
    avatarWrapper: {
      container: {},
    },
  },
};

After:

import { MessageAuthor } from "stream-chat-react-native";

<Channel MessageAuthor={CustomMessageAuthor} />;

const theme = {
  messageItemView: {
    authorWrapper: {
      container: {},
    },
  },
};

MessageInput → MessageComposer

MessageInput has been renamed to MessageComposer. If you were rendering the input directly inside Channel, importing its prop types, customizing the thread input through Thread, or overriding its theme namespace, update those references to MessageComposer.

• MessageInput → MessageComposer
• MessageInputProps → MessageComposerProps
• <MessageInput /> → <MessageComposer />
• import { MessageInput } from 'stream-chat-react-native' → import { MessageComposer } from 'stream-chat-react-native'
• theme.messageInput → theme.messageComposer
• Thread.MessageInput → Thread.MessageComposer
• additionalMessageInputProps → additionalMessageComposerProps
• MessageInput/MessageInput → MessageComposer/MessageComposer

Before:

import { MessageInput } from "stream-chat-react-native";

const theme = {
  messageInput: {
    sendButton: {},
  },
};

<Channel>
  <MessageInput />
</Channel>;

<Thread
  MessageInput={CustomMessageInput}
  additionalMessageInputProps={{ autoFocus: true }}
/>;

After:

import { MessageComposer } from "stream-chat-react-native";

const theme = {
  messageComposer: {
    sendButton: {},
  },
};

<Channel>
  <MessageComposer />
</Channel>;

<Thread
  MessageComposer={CustomMessageComposer}
  additionalMessageComposerProps={{ autoFocus: true }}
/>;

This rename does not include MessageInputContext, the MessageInput folder name, or helper component names such as MessageInputHeaderView, MessageInputFooterView, MessageInputLeadingView, and MessageInputTrailingView.

ChannelListMessenger → ChannelListView

ChannelListMessenger has been renamed to ChannelListView. If you imported the default channel list UI directly, referenced its prop types, or customized theme styles under channelListMessenger, update those references to ChannelListView and channelListView.

• ChannelListMessenger → ChannelListView
• ChannelListMessengerProps → ChannelListViewProps
• ChannelListMessengerPropsWithContext → ChannelListViewPropsWithContext
• import { ChannelListMessenger } from 'stream-chat-react-native' → import { ChannelListView } from 'stream-chat-react-native'
• theme.channelListMessenger → theme.channelListView
• channel-list-messenger test ID → channel-list-view
• ChannelList/ChannelListMessenger → ChannelList/ChannelListView

Before:

import { ChannelListMessenger } from "stream-chat-react-native";

const theme = {
  channelListMessenger: {
    flatList: {},
    flatListContent: {},
  },
};

<ChannelList List={ChannelListMessenger} />;

After:

import { ChannelListView } from "stream-chat-react-native";

const theme = {
  channelListView: {
    flatList: {},
    flatListContent: {},
  },
};

<ChannelList List={ChannelListView} />;

ChannelPreviewMessenger → ChannelPreviewView

ChannelPreviewMessenger has been renamed to ChannelPreviewView. If you imported the default channel preview row directly, referenced its prop types, or passed it into ChannelList as a custom preview component, update those references to ChannelPreviewView. This also affects the typed Preview slot in ChannelsContext. The source path has moved from ChannelPreview/ChannelPreviewMessenger to ChannelPreview/ChannelPreviewView.

• ChannelPreviewMessenger → ChannelPreviewView
• ChannelPreviewMessengerProps → ChannelPreviewViewProps
• ChannelPreviewMessengerPropsWithContext → ChannelPreviewViewPropsWithContext
• import { ChannelPreviewMessenger } from 'stream-chat-react-native' → import { ChannelPreviewView } from 'stream-chat-react-native'
• <ChannelList Preview={ChannelPreviewMessenger} /> → <ChannelList Preview={ChannelPreviewView} />
• ChannelPreview/ChannelPreviewMessenger → ChannelPreview/ChannelPreviewView

Before:

import { ChannelPreviewMessenger } from "stream-chat-react-native";

<ChannelList Preview={ChannelPreviewMessenger} />;

After:

import { ChannelPreviewView } from "stream-chat-react-native";

<ChannelList Preview={ChannelPreviewView} />;

The channelPreview theme namespace remains unchanged. Subcomponents such as ChannelPreviewStatus, ChannelPreviewTitle, and ChannelPreviewMessage were not renamed in this pass, and the existing channel-preview-button test ID is unchanged.

MessageHeader redesign

In v8, MessageSimple passed a richer runtime prop bag into custom headers, including alignment, date, isDeleted, lastGroupMessage, members, message, MessageStatus, otherAttachments, and showMessageStatus.

In v9, the public prop surface is limited to message?, and the default MessageHeader reads its data and subcomponents from useMessageContext() and useMessagesContext() instead. If you customized MessageHeader, move that logic into hooks rather than relying on the old explicit props.

If your old customization was only about pinned, reminder, saved-for-later, or sent-to-channel header UI, prefer overriding MessagePinnedHeader, MessageReminderHeader, MessageSavedForLaterHeader, or SentToChannelHeader directly.

Swipe-to-reply boundary and width prop removal

MessageBubble is no longer the swipe-to-reply boundary. Swipe-to-reply now wraps the full MessageItemView, so the entire rendered message row participates in the swipe interaction instead of only the inner bubble.

The swipe gesture behavior itself is otherwise unchanged:

• The same messageSwipeToReplyHitSlop handling still applies.
• Horizontal activation, thresholds, haptics, MessageSwipeContent, and spring-back behavior are unchanged.
• Deleted messages are still not swipeable.
• When enableSwipeToReply is false, no swipe wrapper is mounted.

In addition, messageContentWidth and setMessageContentWidth have been removed from the message rendering stack. If you were using custom MessageContent, MessageBubble, or ReactionListTop implementations that referenced these props, remove that logic and any related test mocks.

• MessageBubble is no longer the swipe boundary; MessageItemView is.
• messageContentWidth was removed from ReactionListTop.
• setMessageContentWidth was removed from MessageContent.
• The underlying MessageBubble / MessageItemView chain no longer passes width-tracking state through.

Before:

const CustomMessageContent = (props) => {
  props.setMessageContentWidth?.(100);
  return <MessageContent {...props} />;
};

After:

const CustomMessageContent = (props) => {
  return <MessageContent {...props} />;
};

Channel Component Changes

New Props

All the MessageComposer*View and MessageInput*View slot props from the MessageComposer section are also available on Channel.

Removed Props

Modified Default Values

Action required: If your UI depends on 'text' rendering before 'attachments', explicitly pass the V8 order array to messageContentOrder.

ChannelPreview Changes

The default preview row has been renamed to ChannelPreviewView, and the channel preview components have been redesigned with new hooks and a restructured layout.

Key API Change: latestMessagePreview → lastMessage

In V8, ChannelPreview exposed a latestMessagePreview object with pre-formatted preview data. In V9, this is replaced with lastMessage — the raw last message object — and specialized hooks for formatting:

// V8
const { latestMessagePreview } = useChannelPreviewContext();
const previewText = latestMessagePreview?.messageObject?.text;

// V9
const { lastMessage } = useChannelPreviewContext();
const previewText = lastMessage?.text;

New Components

Removed Components

New Props

New Hooks

Hook Export Changes

Individual hook exports from ChannelPreview/hooks/, ChannelList/hooks/, and Chat/hooks/ are consolidated into barrel exports. The hooks themselves are still available, but you import from the barrel:

// V8
import { useChannelPreviewDisplayName } from "stream-chat-react-native/ChannelPreview/hooks/useChannelPreviewDisplayName";

// V9
import { useChannelPreviewDisplayName } from "stream-chat-react-native";

Hook Rename

Attachment Components

Renamed Components

Removed Components

New Components

AttachmentPicker Overhaul

The attachment picker has been completely redesigned with a simpler, more extensible architecture.

Removed:

• AttachmentPickerBottomSheetHandle
• AttachmentPickerError / AttachmentPickerErrorImage
• CameraSelectorIcon / FileSelectorIcon / ImageSelectorIcon / VideoRecorderSelectorIcon
• AttachmentPickerIOSSelectMorePhotos
• AttachmentPickerItem

Added:

OverlayProvider Changes

The overlay system has been rearchitected to use a portal-based approach powered by react-native-teleport. This eliminates the need for complex z-index management and provides smoother overlay animations.

New Architecture

The OverlayProvider now wraps its children with a PortalProvider and renders a MessageOverlayHostLayer for the new portal-based message overlay. This means message context menus and reaction pickers render in a true overlay portal rather than within the component tree.

New Props

Removed Props

Image Gallery Customization — Flattened

The nested imageGalleryCustomComponents object is replaced by direct component props for simpler customization:

V8:

<OverlayProvider
  imageGalleryCustomComponents={{
    footer: { Component: CustomFooter },
    header: { Component: CustomHeader },
    grid: { Component: CustomGrid },
    gridHandle: { Component: CustomGridHandle },
  }}
>

V9:

<OverlayProvider
  ImageGalleryHeader={CustomHeader}
  ImageGalleryFooter={CustomFooter}
  ImageGalleryVideoControls={CustomVideoControls}
  ImageGalleryGrid={CustomGrid}
>

New Context Value

OverlayContextValue now includes overlayOpacity (SharedValue<number>) — a Reanimated shared value you can use to drive custom overlay animations.

ImageGallery Changes

The image gallery has been refactored to use a centralized state store instead of in-component state.

State Store

A new ImageGalleryStateStore replaces in-component state management:

• ImageGalleryAsset type replaces the old Photo type.
• Gallery configuration (autoPlayVideo, giphyVersion) moves from props to ImageGalleryOptions in the state store.
• Three utility functions are exported: isViewableImageAttachment, isViewableVideoAttachment, isViewableGiphyAttachment.

// V8
<Gallery autoPlayVideo={true} giphyVersion="original" />;

// V9
const { imageGalleryStateStore } = useImageGalleryContext();
imageGalleryStateStore.openImageGallery(/* ... */);

Removed

Added

Message Components

New Components

Removed Components

MessagePinnedHeader still exists in v9. It is now rendered as part of the consolidated MessageHeader flow alongside reminder, saved-for-later, and sent-to-channel headers.

MessagePreview → Hooks

The MessagePreview component is removed in favor of composable hooks:

State Store Additions

V9 adds four new centralized state store modules that follow the same observable pattern used elsewhere in the SDK:

VideoPlayer

Mirrors the existing audio player architecture for video:

• VideoPlayer class with VideoPlayerState, VideoDescriptor, VideoPlayerOptions types
• DEFAULT_PLAYBACK_RATES and INITIAL_VIDEO_PLAYER_STATE constants

VideoPlayerPool

Pool management for multiple concurrent video players:

• VideoPlayerPool class with VideoPlayerPoolState type

ImageGalleryStateStore

Centralized state for the image gallery (replaces in-component state):

• ImageGalleryStateStore class
• ImageGalleryAsset, ImageGalleryState, ImageGalleryOptions types
• isViewableImageAttachment, isViewableVideoAttachment, isViewableGiphyAttachment utilities

MessageOverlayStore

Complete state management for the portal-based overlay system:

• Store instances: overlayStore, closingPortalLayoutsStore
• Lifecycle functions: openOverlay, closeOverlay, scheduleActionOnClose, finalizeCloseOverlay
• Layout management: setOverlayMessageH, setOverlayTopH, setOverlayBottomH, bumpOverlayLayoutRevision
• Portal management: createClosingPortalLayoutRegistrationId, setClosingPortalLayout, clearClosingPortalLayout
• Hooks: useOverlayController, useIsOverlayClosing, useIsOverlayActive, useClosingPortalHostBlacklistState, useShouldTeleportToClosingPortal, useClosingPortalHostBlacklist, useClosingPortalLayouts

New Hooks

Renamed Hooks

New Contexts

Icons Changes

V9 significantly overhauls the icon set. In addition to the visual refresh, some internal icon source files were renamed to match the current design export asset filenames. Those filename changes are only breaking if you were importing private paths such as package/src/icons/*.

For public SDK consumers, the important changes are:

• some icon component names were removed entirely
• some exports kept the same component name but now render different path data
• several new icon component names were added
• a few legacy names were explicitly renamed rather than removed

If you were importing icon files directly from package/src/icons/*, there is an additional breaking change in V9:

chevron-down.tsx was not part of the public barrel export, and chevron-up.tsx is also not barrel-exported, so this only affects direct file imports into internal icon paths.

Key Renames and Direct Replacements

New Icons

Additional new public icon exports in V9 include:

ArrowBoxLeft, ArrowUpRight, ChevronLeft, CircleBan, CircleMinus, Code, DotGrid, Exclamation, ExclamationCircle, EyeOpen, File, Giphy, ImageGrid, InfoTooltip, MapPin, MoreEmojis, OtherFileIcon, PeopleIcon, PhotoIcon, PollIcon, Presentation, ReplyConnectorLeft, ReplyConnectorRight, SpreadSheet, Tick, Unlock, and VideoIcon.

Icons With The Same Component Name but Updated Artwork

These exports still exist in V9, but the underlying icon artwork changed. Review them if you rely on screenshots, snapshots, or pixel-precise custom layouts:

Archive, ArrowUp, Audio, Camera, Check, CheckAll, Copy, CurveLineLeftUp, DOC, Delete, Down, Edit, Flag, GiphyIcon, Imgur, Lightning, Link, Loading, Lock, MenuPointHorizontal, MessageBubbleEmpty, MessageFlag, Mic, Mute, PDF, Pause, Picture, Pin, Play, PollThumbnail, Recorder, Reload, Resend, Search, SendRight, Share, Smile, Sound, Stop, ThreadReply, Time, Unpin, UnreadIndicator, UserAdd, UserDelete, Video, Warning, and ZIP.

If you were using private icon file imports rather than public SDK exports, note these additional visual-only changes:

• NewClose now renders the tighter xmark-small glyph, even though the component name is unchanged.
• CommandsIcon, File, Link, Pause, Plus, Stop, and ThreadReply were redrawn to match the latest icon export set without changing their import names.

Removed Icons

If you were importing any of these icons directly, you will need to provide your own icon components.

File type icons: CSV, DOCX, HTML, MD, ODT, PPT, PPTX, RAR, RTF, SEVEN_Z, TAR, TXT, XLS, XLSX

Reaction icons: LOLReaction, LoveReaction, ThumbsDownReaction, ThumbsUpReaction, WutReaction

Navigation / UI icons: ArrowLeft, ArrowRight, AtMentions, Attach, Back, ChatIcon, CheckSend, CircleClose, CirclePlus, CircleRight, Close, DownloadArrow, DownloadCloud, DragHandle, Error, Eye, Folder, GenericFile, GiphyLightning, Grid, Group, Logo, MailOpen, MenuPointVertical, MessageBubble, MessageIcon, Notification, PinHeader, Refresh, SendCheck, SendPoll, SendUp, ShareRightArrow, User, UserAdmin, UserMinus

Bespoke / Internal Notes

• ReplyConnectorLeft, ReplyConnectorRight, and Unknown were intentionally left bespoke rather than being part of the export-backed asset migration.
• EyeOpen is available in the V9 SDK icon set, but it remained a local/bespoke implementation rather than a renamed legacy export.
• NewClose and the private chevron-up.tsx file are not barrel-exported from package/src/icons/index.ts, so treat them as internal implementation details rather than stable public icon exports.

MessageMenu (Context Menu)

The message context menu has been rebuilt around the current overlay system and its dedicated reaction and action components.

ActionType Union

The ActionType union has been expanded with blockUser:

type ActionType =
  | "banUser"
  | "blockUser" // new in V9
  | "copyMessage"
  | "deleteMessage"
  | "deleteForMeMessage"
  | "editMessage"
  | "flagMessage"
  | "markUnread"
  | "muteUser"
  | "pinMessage"
  | "selectReaction"
  | "reply"
  | "retry"
  | "quotedReply"
  | "threadReply"
  | "unpinMessage";

MessageActionType Structure

Actions now include a type field that separates standard actions from destructive ones — the menu renders them in distinct groups with a visual separator:

type MessageActionType = {
  action: () => void;
  actionType: ActionType | string;
  title: string;
  icon?: React.ReactElement;
  titleStyle?: StyleProp<TextStyle>;
  type: "standard" | "destructive";
};

Reaction Picker Changes

• Emoji picker uses a 7-column grid layout.
• New EmojiViewerButton component for expanding the full emoji list.
• Reactions filter to isMain reactions by default.
• Haptic feedback on reaction selection.
• useHasOwnReaction hook for highlighting already-reacted emojis.

Theme Changes

The theme structure has undergone extensive changes across nearly every component. Below are the most impactful changes — review these carefully if you have custom theme overrides.

messageComposer Theme

Removed keys:

• attachmentSeparator, autoCompleteInputContainer, composerContainer
• commandInput (closeButton, container, text)
• commandsButton, moreOptionsButton, optionsContainer
• editingBoxContainer, editingBoxHeader, editingBoxHeaderTitle, editingStateHeader
• replyContainer
• searchIcon, sendRightIcon, sendUpIcon
• audioRecordingButton (container, micIcon)
• uploadProgressIndicator (container, indicatorColor, overlay)
• cooldownTimer.container (only text remains)
• imageUploadPreview.flatList

Added keys:

• Layout: wrapper, contentContainer, inputContainer, inputBoxWrapper
• Buttons: inputButtonsContainer, outputButtonsContainer, editButton, editButtonContainer, audioRecordingButtonContainer, cooldownButtonContainer
• Floating: floatingWrapper, inputFloatingContainer
• Upload indicators: fileUploadInProgressIndicator, fileUploadRetryIndicator, fileUploadNotSupportedIndicator, imageUploadInProgressIndicator, imageUploadRetryIndicator, imageUploadNotSupportedIndicator
• Link previews: linkPreviewList (with linkContainer, linkIcon, container, imageWrapper, dismissWrapper, thumbnail, wrapper, metadataContainer, text, titleText)

Modified keys:

• attachmentUploadPreviewList: from { filesFlatList, imagesFlatList, wrapper } to { flatList, itemSeparator }
• imageAttachmentUploadPreview: itemContainer → container, added wrapper
• videoAttachmentUploadPreview: from { recorderIconContainer, recorderIcon, itemContainer, upload } to { durationContainer, durationText }

messageList Theme

Added keys:

• inlineDateSeparatorContainer
• unreadUnderlayContainer
• scrollToBottomButtonContainer
• stickyHeaderContainer
• unreadMessagesNotificationContainer

Removed from scrollToBottomButton: touchable, wrapper, chevronColor

Modified unreadMessagesNotification:

• Removed: closeButtonContainer, closeIcon, text
• Added: leftButtonContainer, rightButtonContainer

messageItemView Theme

The old messageSimple section is renamed to messageItemView. This section has the most extensive changes.

content:

• container simplified from ViewStyle & { borderRadiusL, borderRadiusS } to ViewStyle
• Removed: deletedContainer, deletedContainerInner, deletedMetaText, deletedText, editedLabel, messageUser, metaContainer, receiverMessageBackgroundColor, senderMessageBackgroundColor
• Added: contentContainer

New sub-components:

• deleted — containerInner, deletedText, container
• footer — container, name, editedText
• bubbleWrapper, bubbleContentContainer, bubbleErrorContainer, bubbleReactionListTopContainer
• savedForLaterHeader — container, label
• reminderHeader — container, label, dot, time
• sentToChannelHeader — container, label, dot, link
• unsupportedAttachment — container, details, title
• contentContainer, leftAlignItems, rightAlignItems
• messageGroupedSingleStyles, messageGroupedBottomStyles, messageGroupedTopStyles, messageGroupedMiddleStyles

authorWrapper (renamed from avatarWrapper): Removed leftAlign, rightAlign

card → UrlPreview:

• Removed: authorName, authorNameContainer, authorNameFooter, authorNameFooterContainer, authorNameMask, noURI, playButtonStyle, playIcon
• Added: linkPreview, linkPreviewText
• New sub-component compactUrlPreview with wrapper, container, cardCover, cardFooter, title, description, linkPreview, linkPreviewText

giphy:

• Removed: buttonContainer, cancel, giphyHeaderTitle, selectionContainer, send, shuffle, title
• Added: actionButtonContainer, actionButton, actionButtonText, imageIndicatorContainer

reactionListBottom: Restructured from { contentContainer, item: { container, countText, filledBackgroundColor, icon, iconFillColor, iconSize, iconUnFillColor, unfilledBackgroundColor } } to { contentContainer, columnWrapper, rowSeparator }

New reaction list theme keys:

• reactionListItem — reactionCount, icon
• reactionListClustered — contentContainer, reactionCount, iconStyle, icon
• reactionListItemWrapper — wrapper, container

reactionListTop: Restructured from { container, item: { container, icon, iconFillColor, iconSize, iconUnFillColor, reactionSize }, position } to { container, contentContainer, list, position }. Default position changed from 16 to 8.

replies:

• Removed: avatar, avatarContainerMultiple, avatarContainerSingle, leftAvatarsContainer, leftCurve, rightAvatarsContainer, rightCurve, avatarSize
• Added: content, avatarStackContainer

status:

• Removed: readByCount, statusContainer
• Added: container

Gallery defaults changed:

channelPreview Theme

Removed: avatar, checkAllIcon, checkIcon, row, mutedStatus (old structure with height, iconStyle, width)

Added:

• messageDeliveryStatus — container, text, checkAllIcon, checkIcon, timeIcon
• lowerRow, upperRow, statusContainer, titleContainer, wrapper
• typingIndicatorPreview — container, text
• messagePreview — container, subtitle
• message expanded with subtitle, errorText, draftText

channelListSkeleton Theme

Completely restructured:

• Removed: background, gradientStart, gradientStop, height, maskFillColor
• Added: avatar, badge, content, headerRow, subtitle, textContainer, title
• animationTime changed from 1800 to 1000

reply Theme

Completely redesigned:

• Removed: fileAttachmentContainer, imageAttachment, markdownStyles, messageContainer, secondaryText, textContainer, videoThumbnail
• Added: audioIcon, dismissWrapper, fileIcon, leftContainer, locationIcon, linkIcon, photoIcon, pollIcon, rightContainer, title, subtitle, subtitleContainer, videoIcon, wrapper, messagePreview

threadListItem Theme

Completely restructured:

• Removed: boldText, contentRow, contentTextWrapper, headerRow, infoRow, parentMessagePreviewContainer, parentMessageText, touchableWrapper, unreadBubbleText
• Added: wrapper, container, content, channelName, lowerRow, messageRepliesText, messagePreview, messagePreviewDeliveryStatus

Other Theme Changes

• poll.answersList: buttonContainer → contentContainer
• poll.createContent: Added optionCardWrapper and expanded settings with description, optionCardContent, optionCardSwitch for addComment, anonymousPoll, multipleAnswers, suggestOption
• poll.message.option: Removed color strings (progressBarEmptyFill, progressBarVotedFill, etc.), added info, header, votesText, progressBarContainer
• progressControl: Removed filledColor
• typingIndicator: Added loadingDotsBubble, avatarStackContainer
• attachmentPicker: Removed errorButtonText, errorContainer, errorText; added content (container, infoContainer, text)
• audioAttachment: Added centerContainer, audioInfo
• threadListUnreadBanner: touchableWrapper renamed to container
• thread.newThread: Restructured to include container
• New top-level theme keys: channelDetailsMenu, threadListSkeleton

Migration Checklist

Follow these steps in order to migrate your project from V8 to V9:

1. Install New Dependencies

# Required
yarn add react-native-teleport

# Optional — for improved keyboard handling
yarn add react-native-keyboard-controller

Update stream-chat to ^9.36.0 and pin @gorhom/bottom-sheet to 5.1.8.

2. Update Avatar Usage

Replace Avatar with numeric size → new Avatar with string enum ('xs' through '2xl'). Rename image to imageUrl. Replace GroupAvatar with AvatarGroup or AvatarStack.

3. Update MessageComposer Customizations

Replace removed props with the new slot-based components:

4. Update Attachment Picker Customizations

Replace individual selector icons (CameraSelectorIcon, FileSelectorIcon, etc.) with AttachmentTypePickerButton. Remove references to AttachmentPickerBottomSheetHandle, AttachmentPickerError, and AttachmentPickerErrorImage.

5. Update Upload Progress Indicators

Replace AttachmentUploadProgressIndicator with the six granular indicators (FileUploadInProgressIndicator, FileUploadRetryIndicator, FileUploadNotSupportedIndicator, ImageUploadInProgressIndicator, ImageUploadRetryIndicator, ImageUploadNotSupportedIndicator).

6. Update URL Preview Customizations

Replace Card / CardProps with UrlPreview / URLPreviewProps. Use the urlPreviewType prop on Channel to switch between 'full' and 'compact' modes.

7. Update Audio Hooks and Props

• Rename useAudioController → useAudioRecorder.
• Rename useAudioPlayerControl → useAudioPlayer.
• Rename asyncMessagesMultiSendEnabled → audioRecordingSendOnComplete in Channel, MessageComposer, and any useMessageInputContext() consumers.
• Update the boolean semantics: audioRecordingSendOnComplete={true} now sends the recording immediately, while false keeps it in the composer.
• Update the default behavior in your UX assumptions: recordings now send immediately by default.
• Update any direct uploadVoiceRecording(...) calls from useMessageInputContext() to pass sendOnComplete semantics instead of multiSendEnabled.
• Remove onLoad, onPlayPause, onProgress callbacks from AudioAttachment — use the useAudioPlayer hook instead.

8. Update Image Gallery Customizations

Replace the imageGalleryCustomComponents nested object on OverlayProvider with direct component props (ImageGalleryHeader, ImageGalleryFooter, ImageGalleryVideoControls, ImageGalleryGrid).

9. Update ChannelPreview Customizations

• Replace latestMessagePreview with lastMessage in any custom PreviewStatus or PreviewMessage components.
• Rename ChannelPreviewMessenger → ChannelPreviewView in any direct imports, prop types, or ChannelList Preview={...} overrides.
• Replace ChannelAvatar usage with the new ChannelAvatar from ui/Avatar/.
• Rename useMutedUsers → useClientMutedUsers.
• Keep the channelPreview theme namespace and channel-preview-button test ID unchanged.

10. Update Swipe-to-Reply and Message Content Customizations

• Expect the full MessageItemView row, not only MessageBubble, to be swipeable when enableSwipeToReply is enabled.
• Remove any custom MessageContent, MessageBubble, or ReactionListTop logic or tests that reference messageContentWidth or setMessageContentWidth.
• Keep using messageSwipeToReplyHitSlop, customMessageSwipeAction, and MessageSwipeContent the same way; the gesture behavior itself is unchanged.
• If you customize MessageItemView, attach contextMenuAnchorRef from useMessageContext() to the subview that should anchor the long-press overlay; top and bottom overlay items now align to that anchor instead of the full row.

11. Update MessageHeader Customizations

• If you customized MessageHeader, stop relying on the old explicit prop bag from MessageSimple. In v9 beta, that row is now MessageItemView. Read data from useMessageContext() / useMessagesContext() instead, or override the dedicated header components (MessagePinnedHeader, MessageReminderHeader, MessageSavedForLaterHeader, SentToChannelHeader).

12. Update Theme Overrides

Review any custom theme overrides against the Theme Changes section. The most impacted areas are:

• messageComposer — renamed from messageInput and completely restructured layout keys
• messageItemView — new sub-components and flattened bubble keys (bubbleWrapper, bubbleContentContainer, bubbleErrorContainer, bubbleReactionListTopContainer)
• channelPreview — new layout keys (upperRow, lowerRow, etc.)
• reply — completely redesigned
• threadListItem — completely restructured

13. Migrate Colors to Semantic Tokens

Replace raw colors.* usage with semantics.* tokens where available. This ensures your customizations adapt correctly across light, dark, and high-contrast themes.

If you already use semantic tokens directly, update the renamed tokens as well:

• backgroundCoreSurface -> backgroundCoreSurfaceDefault
• badgeTextInverse -> badgeTextOnInverse
• textInverse -> textOnInverse
• remove any dependency on backgroundCoreElevation4, which no longer exists in the semantic token contract

14. Remove Legacy Keyboard Workarounds

• Set keyboardVerticalOffset to your header height on both Android and iOS.
• Keep the same keyboardVerticalOffset everywhere the same chat layout is rendered.
• Remove Android-specific negative offsets such as keyboardVerticalOffset={-300}.
• Remove custom Android IME padding hacks that were only there to push MessageComposer above the keyboard.
• Do not wrap MessageComposer in an extra SafeAreaView for bottom inset handling.
• If you were relying on older V8 troubleshooting workarounds, re-test without them first. The refactored KeyboardCompatibleView should handle modern edge-to-edge layouts correctly.

15. Update Icon Imports

Audit icon imports carefully. Some public names were renamed (CircleStop -> Stop, Refresh -> Reload), some were removed entirely (Close, User, MessageIcon, ArrowRight, and many legacy file-type icons), and some kept the same export name but changed visually. If you were importing private icon files, also replace chevron-down / ChevronTop with chevron-up / ChevronUp. See Icons Changes for the full list.

16. Update FlatList Types

If you use additionalFlatListProps or setFlatListRef, update your types from LocalMessage to MessageListItemWithNeighbours.

17. Review messageContentOrder

The default order now places 'attachments' before 'text'. If your UI depends on the V8 order, pass it explicitly:

<Channel
  messageContentOrder={['quoted_reply', 'gallery', 'files', 'poll', 'ai_text', 'text', 'attachments', 'location']}
>

18. Update Message Action Types

If you customize message actions, note the new 'blockUser' action type and the type: 'standard' | 'destructive' classification that controls visual grouping in the menu.