Working with messaging in your Android and iOS SDKs

Tip: This article applies to accounts started after November 2, 2021. If you created your account prior to that date, see Enabling messaging.

You can add messaging functionality to your Android or iOS app.

This article includes the following topics:

• About messaging for Android and iOS
• Creating a new Android or iOS channel for messaging
• Customizing and configuring the Zendesk SDK for Android and iOS
• Obtaining the Channel ID for installation

About messaging for Android and iOS

On Zendesk mobile apps, messaging functionality is provided through new Android and iOS SDKs. You can customize and configure an SDK’s appearance and other settings via Admin Center, then provide your developer with a Channel ID that they will need to complete the integration following this official developer documentation.

Creating a new Android or iOS channel for messaging

If you want to configure the Android or iOS SDKs you’ll need to create an Android or iOS channel in the Zendesk Admin Center and assign it to a brand before you can customize and configure it, as described below.

To create a new Android/iOS channel

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Messaging and social > Messaging.
2. Click the Add Channel button, then select Android or iOS.
3. On the Add Android/iOS page, configure each of the sections:
   • Start with the basics: Enter a channel name, then use the dropdown to select a brand. Click Next.
   • Install in your app: You will be presented with the Channel ID that you or your development team can use to install the Android or iOS SDK into your app. You will also be provided with a link to detailed instructions that you and your development team can use to complete the installation. Click Next.
   • Make it your own: Select a Primary color by entering a hexadecimal number or using the picker. You can refine your color selections later, in the Basics tab. Click Next.
   Click Finish. The channel's edit page opens, where you can continue configuring the SDK, or leave it as-is.

Customizing and configuring the Zendesk SDKs for Android and iOS

The Zendesk SDK includes multiple components that you can customize to best represent your business.

To configure messaging for Android or iOS

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Messaging and social > Messaging.
2. Hover your cursor over the brand you want to update, click the options icon (), then click Edit.
3. Click the tab with the components you want to customize. Follow the links below for more detailed information on the options for that tab:
   • Basics (channel name)
   • Style (SDK appearance)
   • Responses (Business hours and bot enablement)
   • Notifications (Push notification settings)
   • Authentication (Security settings)
   • Installation (Channel ID and help center embed)

The Basics tab

The Basics tab includes an editable Channel name field, and a link to the SDK's Flow Builder configuration page.

The Channel name field is automatically populated with the brand name. To make it easier to find in your channels list, you may want to update it to something more unique.

Click the Save settings button after making any updates.

The Style tab

The Style tab includes the appearance-related components of the SDK for Android or iOS.

In the Frame section, you can update the following:

• Primary color , the main color of the launcher button and SDK header. Enter a hexadecimal number, or click the color swatch to open a color picker.
• Message color, the color of the bubble around customer messages. Enter a hexadecimal number, or click the color swatch to open a color picker.
• Action color, the color of any buttons or tappable elements in the conversation, such as Quick Reply messages. Enter a hexadecimal number, or click the color swatch to open a color picker.
• Title, text which appears at the top of the SDK's conversation screen – usually your business or brand name.
• Description (optional) a short piece of text under the title. This can be information you want to share, or a tagline, for example. Enter the description in the text box.

The Responses tab

The Responses tab allows you to customize the default messaging response, which greets your customers when they initiate a Web Widget interaction. Here, you can apply a support schedule to create separate responses for your working hours, customize automated responses, and enable a conversation bot.

Applying Support schedules to the channel

When you apply an established Support schedule to your mobile channel, you can create different responses for customers based on whether they contact you during your set office hours, or outside of those hours. You can apply any of your Support schedules to the responses.

If you do not apply a Support schedule, customers receive the same response, regardless of the time or day they launch the channel.

Note: Support schedules are not available on all Suite plans. If your plan does not offer schedules, you can use out of office triggers to manage basic responses.

To apply a business hours schedule to your mobile channel

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Messaging and social > Messaging.
2. Click the name of the channel you want to edit. The Edit channel page opens.
3. Click the Responses tab.
4. Expand the Business hours section, and use the dropdown to select a saved Support schedule. If you have not created a Support schedule, skip to step 5.
5. Expand the Response during business hours section and update as described in Customizing the default messaging response. Repeat for the Response outside of business hours section, if applicable.
6. Click Save settings.

If you remove the business hours schedule, the Response during business hours settings are applied.

Customizing the default messaging response

Whether you are using the business hours option or not, you can customize the response your customers receive when they launch a conversation.

To customize your automated response

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Messaging and social > Messaging.
2. Click the name of the channel you want to edit. The Edit channel page opens.
3. Click the Responses tab.
4. Expand the Response during business hours section. The default messaging response information is displayed in the text boxes.
5. Update the following:
   • First message: Enter the text that appears when a customer launches the Web Widget.
   • Customer details: Use the drop-down to select the information (Name and/or Email) you want to request from the customer before handing them off to an agent. Customers must enter information into these fields before behind handed off to an agent.
     Note: These settings may be impacted by your end-user authentication configuration.
   • Follow-up message: Enter the text that appears after the customer submits their details, if enabled.
6. If using business hours, expand the Response outside of business hours section and update the information as described in the previous step.
7. Click Save settings.

Enabling a messaging bot

At the bottom of the tab, you have the option to add a bot to your messaging configuration, which allows you to offer highly customized and automated conversation bots to your customers.

See Using a messaging bot for web or mobile channel.

If you have already enabled a messaging bot, you have the option of disabling it and returning to the default messaging response.

The Notifications tab

The Notifications tab is where you can set up push notifications for the Zendesk SDK for Android or iOS.

For Android, provide Firebase Cloud Messaging "Key" and "Sender ID":

For iOS, upload the .p12 file from APNs. You'll also be asked for the certificate password:

To generate the .p12 file, you must be logged in to your Apple Developer account. If you don’t have a developer account yet, you can enroll here.

1. Log in to Apple Developer Member Center, and navigate to the certificates list.
2. Click the + button at the top of the page to create a new certificate, and select Apple Push Notification service SSL (Sandbox & Production).
3. Select your app ID from the dropdown and click continue.
4. Follow the instructions to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) using Keychain Access, and upload it to generate your certificate.
5. Once the certificate is ready, download it to your computer and double-click it to open it in Keychain Access.
6. Right click on the certificate you created, and select Export "Apple Push Services: {your-app-id}".
7. Choose a password, if desired, and save the .p12 file to your computer.

To fully enable push notifications, you developers also need to complete a series of instructions. You can find these instructions in our official developer documentation for Android and iOS.

The Authetication tab

See Authenticating end users in messaging.

Obtaining the Channel ID for installation

To install messaging on your mobile app, your you'll need to provide your developers with a Channel key. You can find the Channel key, along with a link to the official Zendesk developer documentation, in the Installation tab.

To obtain the Channel ID

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Messaging and social > Messaging.
2. Hover your cursor over the brand you want to update, click the options icon (), then click Edit.
3. Click the Installation tab.
4. Under Channel ID, click the Copy button to copy the key to your clipboard, and send this information to your developers.