New Chat Feature: Custom User Events for Friend Requests, Dating Matches, & More

In social networking and dating applications, integrating chat functionality involves managing complex user interactions such as friend requests and dating matches, which may not always result in communication. To address this, software teams can use Stream Chat's API, which has introduced updates to Custom Events to better handle these scenarios. New Custom User Events allow chat channel creation to be delayed until both parties agree to connect, simplifying the process for interactions like friend requests or dating matches. Custom events can be directed to a channel or a user, with channel events being visible to all users within it, suitable for live chat situations like customer support, and user events being more efficient for private notifications. Stream Chat offers a comprehensive solution with additional features like message reactions and moderation tools, allowing developers to provide a high-performance messaging experience without building the infrastructure from scratch.