--- schema_version: "1" id: dbb19cfd6e9c061366082b1501cbe5c8930d560182cc6f0c7e601b261b4c7b42 title: Manage Conversations collection: developer version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/developer/current/en-us/service-cloud/messaging-in-app/guides/ios-conversations.md canonical_url: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/service/messaging-in-app/guide/ios-conversations.html source_site: developer.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: d19727fb360ff9649496361c720aa004214c916d8827d3c17c5a81fb18501d38 products: - Enhanced In-App Chat - Service Cloud Developer Content --- # Manage Conversations This document provides implementation guidelines and best practices for developers on how to generate conversation IDs and use these IDs to create, close, and query conversations. ## Conversations A messaging conversation represents a communication exchange between a messaging user—also known as the customer—and a service rep, an Agentforce agent, an Einstein bot, or a combination of them. ### Lifetime of a Conversation The lifetime of a conversation is broken down into four stages: 1. **Creation**–A new messaging conversation between a messaging user and a service rep, Agentforce agent, or Einstein bot starts. 2. **Session**–One or more messaging sessions occur within that conversation. Ending a session does not end the conversation. For example, clicking the **End Chat** button ends only the current session; it doesn’t end the conversation. See the [Enhanced Chat and Messaging Glossary](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.miaw_glossary.htm) for precise definitions. 3. **Closing**–The messaging conversation is explicitly closed. When a conversation is closed, the status of the conversation changes to closed and no new messages can be sent. 4. **Persistence**–The conversation history is preserved, and the historical conversation data can be queried at any time for analysis using the [Conversation Query API](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/service/messaging-in-app/guide/%3Chttps://salesforce-async-messaging.github.io/messaging-in-app-ios/documentation/smiclientcore/coreclient/conversations(withlimit:sortedbyactivitydirection:completion:)/>). ## Conversation IDs Each conversation has a unique, randomly-generated ID that persists for the conversation’s entire lifetime and links all messages and participants in that thread. The Enhanced In-App SDK uses these conversation IDs to track and manage message conversations throughout their entire lifecycle. A valid conversation ID must be: - A randomly-generated (version 4\) universally unique identifier (UUID v4). - Completely independent of business logic or customer data. - Used only for conversation tracking and management. Never substitute conversation IDs with customer IDs or any other business identifiers. ### Conversation ID Limitations Consider the following limitations with conversation IDs: - Conversation IDs can’t be moved from a staging org to a production org. - Conversation IDs can’t be transferred between verified and unverified users. - Conversation IDs created in an unverified session can’t be migrated to another device. - Conversation IDs are tied to user verification; if the local database or app is deleted, unverified conversations become inaccessible. ### Generate Conversation IDs The Enhanced In-App SDK can generate UUIDs automatically, or you can manually generate the IDs yourself: ``` // Generate a new UUID for conversation let conversationId = UUID() ``` Follow these guidelines when generating conversation IDs: - The conversation ID must be a randomly-generated (version 4\) universally unique identifier (UUID v4) - The conversation ID must be generated with the system’s UUID mechanism. - The conversation ID must be unique across all conversations. - The conversation ID must be stored and managed by your application. ## Manage Conversations ### Persist a Single Conversation To keep one ongoing conversation, you need: - A valid and unique conversation ID (UUID). - Proper initialization of the conversation object. - Persistent storage for the ID. - Logic to manage conversation state. ### Manage Multiple Conversations Use the [Conversation Query API](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/service/messaging-in-app/guide/%3Chttps://salesforce-async-messaging.github.io/messaging-in-app-ios/documentation/smiclientcore/coreclient/conversations(withlimit:sortedbyactivitydirection:completion:)/>) to access and display multiple conversations. See Conversation Lists for more information. Follow these best practices when generating conversation IDs: - Store and retrieve conversation IDs systematically. - Use pagination for large result sets. - Implement retries and error handling. - Cache conversations when appropriate. - Prefer verified users for multi-conversation workflows. ### Recommended Approach Consider the following recommended approaches when managing conversations. **Developer manages conversation IDs** Follow best practices when managing conversation IDs. Some aspects to consider when managing conversation IDs include: - Generating and storing the unique conversation ID (UUID). - Persisting the conversation ID securely (e.g., Keychain / encrypted database). - Handling the conversation ID’s lifecycle. - Using verified conversations for anything beyond quick one-offs. **Developer leverages SDK queries** Use the Enhanced In-App SDK queries to take full advantage of your conversation data. For example, - Use the [Conversation Query API](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/service/messaging-in-app/guide/%3Chttps://salesforce-async-messaging.github.io/messaging-in-app-ios/documentation/smiclientcore/coreclient/conversations(withlimit:sortedbyactivitydirection:completion:)/>) to look up existing conversations. - Implement robust error handling. - React to state changes (e.g., closed, archived). ## Implement Conversations Follow these implementation guidelines to create, close, and query conversations. ### Create a New Conversation To create a new conversation, build a configuration object and instantiate a [ConversationClient](https://salesforce-async-messaging.github.io/messaging-in-app-ios/documentation/smiclientcore/conversationclient) ([Core SDK](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/service/messaging-in-app/guide/ios-core-sdk.html)), or create an Interface view ([UI SDK](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/service/messaging-in-app/guide/ios-ui-sdk.html)). ### Close a Conversation To close a conversation, call the [closeConversation](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/service/messaging-in-app/guide/%3Chttps://salesforce-async-messaging.github.io/messaging-in-app-ios/documentation/smiclientcore/conversationclient/closeconversation(completion:)>) method on the [ConversationClient](https://salesforce-async-messaging.github.io/messaging-in-app-ios/documentation/smiclientcore/conversationclient), or call the [closeConversation](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/service/messaging-in-app/guide/%3Chttps://salesforce-async-messaging.github.io/messaging-in-app-ios/documentation/smiclientcore/coreclient/closeconversation(withidentifier:completion:)>) method on the [CoreClient](https://salesforce-async-messaging.github.io/messaging-in-app-ios/documentation/smiclientcore/coreclient). Using `ConversationClient`: ``` conversationClient.closeConversation(completion: { error in }) ``` Using `CoreClient`: ``` let conversationId = coreClient.closeConversation(identifier: conversationId, completion: { error in }) ``` ### Query a Conversation To query a conversation, refer to the [Conversation List](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/service/messaging-in-app/guide/ios-conversation-lists.html) documentation for query examples and pagination details.