---
source_url: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/sdks/messages/message-updates
title: Updating messages (deprecated)
updated_at: 2026-06-19T11:35:10.314Z
---

> Documentation Index
> For a curated overview of PubNub documentation, see: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/llms.txt
> For the full list of all documentation pages, see: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/llms-full.txt


# Updating messages (deprecated)

:::warning Use Chat SDKs
This documentation is deprecated. Use any of our dedicated [Chat SDKs](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/overview) to quickly implement chat functionality in your application.
:::

Since PubNub stores all messages in a time-series database, it doesn’t expose an API to directly update a message. However, clients can update messages by passing another version of the message using the Message Reactions feature.

:::note User ID / UUID
User ID is also referred to as **UUID/uuid** in some APIs and server responses but **holds the value** of the **userId** parameter you [set during initialization](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/general/setup/users-and-devices#set-the-user-id).
:::

## Update a message

Use the [addMessageAction](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/sdks/javascript/api-reference/message-actions#add-message-reaction) method to update a published message after it has been published by adding an action to it.

### JavaScript

```js
pubnub.addMessageAction(
  {
    channel: 'main'
    messageTimetoken: '15610547826970040',
    action: {
      type: 'updated',
      value: 'Hello World! (fixed typo)',
    },
  },
  function(status, response) {
  }
);
```

### Swift

```swift
extension MyAppMessageAction: MessageAction {}

let action = MyAppMessageAction(type: "updated", value: "Hello World! (fixed typo)")

pubnub.addMessageAction(
  channel: "main",
  message: action,
  messageTimetoken: 15610547826970040
) { result in
  switch result {
  case let .success(response):
    print("Successfully Message Reaction Add Response: \(response)")
  case let .failure(error):
    print("Error from failed response: \(error.localizedDescription)")
  }
})
```

### Java

```java
pubnub.addMessageAction()
    .channel("main")
    .messageAction(new PNMessageAction()
            .setType("updated")
            .setValue("Hello World! (fixed typo)")
            .setMessageTimetoken(15610547826970040L)
    )
    .async(result -> {
        result.onSuccess(res -> {
                System.out.println(res.getType());
                System.out.println(res.getValue());
                System.out.println(res.getUuid());
                System.out.println(res.getActionTimetoken());
                System.out.println(res.getMessageTimetoken());
        }).onFailure(exception -> {
            exception.printStackTrace();
        });
    });
```

### Unity

```csharp
MessageActionAdd messageAct = new MessageActionAdd();
messageAct.ActionType = "updated";
messageAct.ActionValue = "Hello World! (fixed typo)";

pubnub.AddMessageActions().Channel("main").MessageAction(messageAct).MessageTimetoken(15610547826970040).Async((result, status) => {
        if (!status.Error) {
            Debug.Log("result.ActionTimetoken: " + result.ActionTimetoken);
            Debug.Log("result.ActionType: " + result.ActionType);
            Debug.Log("result.ActionValue: " + result.ActionValue);
            Debug.Log("result.MessageTimetoken: " + result.MessageTimetoken);
            Debug.Log("result.UserID: " + result.UserId);
        } else {
            Debug.Log(status.Error);
            Debug.Log(status.ErrorData.Info);
        }
});
```

## Message update event

PubNub triggers events when messages are updated using message reactions. Clients subscribed to the channel will receive these events.

```json
{
   "channel":"main",
   "subscription":null,
   "timetoken":"15610547826970040",
   "publisher":"user-1",
   "message":{
      "source":"actions",
      "version":"1.0",
      "action":"added",
      "data":{
         "type":"updated",
         "value":"Hello World! (fixed typo)",
         "messageTimetoken":"15610547826970040",
         "actionTimetoken":"15610547826999081"
      }
   }
}
```