updateMessage

Edits a message you already sent. The updated message comes back with "status": "updated".

💡 Send only the field matching the message's type — text for a text message, caption for media. You cannot change a message from one type to another.

Request

method is "updateMessage".

Field	Type	Required	Description
`message_id`	String	Yes	The message you want to edit.
`chat_id`	String	Yes	The chat or user the message is in.
`app_id`	String	Yes	The app the message belongs to.
`reference`	Long	Yes	Your local id for this request. Echoed back in `messageAck`.
`text`	String	Conditional	New body — for text messages only.
`caption`	String	Conditional	New caption — for any media message (photo, video, audio, document…).
`menu_ref`	String	Optional	Swap the attached menu. Set to an empty string to remove the inline menu.
`inline_menu`	Array of Menu	Optional	Replace the attached menu inline. Wins over `menu_ref` unless `menu_ref` is an empty string.

Replacing media

To swap the media itself, send the field matching the original type. Each takes the same shape it had when the message was sent.

Field	Use when the message type is
`photo` · `gif` · `video` · `audio` · `voice` · `document`	The matching media type
`text_file`	`text_file`
`sticker`	`sticker`
`location`	`location`
`contact`	`contact`
`article` • `url`	`article` — must be a nandbox article

Preconditions

Requirement	Needed for
`"Update Message"` permission	Editing any message.
Chat type	Your API must be
---	---
User chat	Started by the user, and the original sender of the message
Group	An admin
Channel	An admin

Response

When	Method	What it tells you
Always	`messageAck`	The edit was accepted. Carries `"status": "updated"`.
Always	`message`	The message as it now stands, also carrying `"status": "updated"`.

SDKs

SDK	Call	Callback
Java	`api.updateMessage(messageId, text, caption, toUserId, chatId, appId);`	`onMessagAckCallback(MessageAck msgAck)`
JavaScript	`api.updateMessage(messageId, text, caption, toUserId, chatId, appId);`	`onMessagAckCallback(msgAck)`
Python	`napi.update_message(message_id=message_id, text=text, caption=caption, to_user_id=to_user_id, chat_id=chat_id, app_id=app_id)`	`on_message_ack_callback(self, msg_ack)`

There are shorthands for the common cases:

Goal	Java / JavaScript	Python
Edit text in a user chat	`api.updateTextMsg(messageId, text, toUserId, appId)`	`napi.update_text_msg(...)`
Edit a caption in a user chat	`api.updateMediaCaption(messageId, caption, toUserId, appId)`	`napi.update_media_caption(...)`
Edit text in a group or channel	`api.updateChatMsg(messageId, text, chatId, appId)`	`napi.update_chat_msg(...)`
Edit a caption in a group or channel	`api.updateChatMediaCaption(messageId, caption, chatId, appId)`	`napi.update_chat_media_caption(...)`

Example

Request

json
{
  "method": "updateMessage",
  "message_id": "d1_cdbTJTTV126179",
  "chat_id": "90090684438172188",
  "text": "Hello World!",
  "reference": 111111171,
  "app_id": "90090684293000559"
}

java
api.updateMessage(messageId, text, caption, toUserId, chatId, appId);

javascript
api.updateMessage(messageId, text, caption, toUserId, chatId, appId);

python
napi.update_message(message_id=message_id, text=text, caption=caption, to_user_id=to_user_id, chat_id=chat_id, app_id=app_id)

Response

json
{
  "method": "messageAck",
  "ack": {
    "message_id": "d1_cdbTJTTV126179",
    "reference": 111111171,
    "date": 1742649824308,
    "gmid": 41,
    "status": "updated"
  }
}

json
{
  "method": "message",
  "app_id": 90090684293000559,
  "message": {
    "message_id": "d1_cdbTJTTV126179",
    "reference": 111111171,
    "date": 1742649824308,
    "gmid": "41",
    "type": "text",
    "text": "Hello World!",
    "status": "updated",
    "from_admin": 1,
    "chat": {
      "id": "90090684438172188",
      "title": "New Chat",
      "type": "Group"
    },
    "from": {
      "id": "90091783822039252",
      "name": "My First API",
      "type": "Bot",
      "terminal": "API"
    }
  }
}