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Future Scope and Roadmap

This roadmap outlines the major planned features and improvements for the chat application, expanding upon the existing one-to-one chat functionality.

1. Feature Expansion: Group Chats

The immediate priority is introducing multi-user conversations through Group Chats.

  • Group Creation:

    • Allow users to create groups, define names, and add optional descriptions/icons.

  • Member Management:

    • Implement tools for group admins (creators) to add, remove, and manage administrative roles for members.

  • Real-Time Group Messaging:

    • Enable seamless, real-time message sending and receiving within all group threads.

  • Notifications:

    • Ensure users receive appropriate and timely notifications for new messages in groups they belong to.

2. Rich Media Support (Image Sharing)

This includes adding support for sharing image files securely in both one-to-one and group chats.

  • Image Upload:

    • Allow users to select and upload images directly from their devices.

  • Secure Storage & Retrieval:

    • Store images securely and generate time-limited, authenticated URLs for display.

  • In-Chat Preview:

    • Display a clear, thumbnail-sized preview of the image within the chat component, with an option to view the full-size version.

3. User Interface (UI) and Experience (UX) Improvements

Enhancing the application's look, responsiveness, and overall usability.

  • Responsive Design:

    • Refactor styling (using Tailwind CSS) to ensure the app looks and works great on all screen sizes (mobile, tablet, desktop).

  • Theming:

    • Implement a light/dark mode toggle based on user preference or system settings.

  • Presence Indicators:

    • Add "typing..." indicators and last-seen timestamps to give users better context in conversations.

  • Search Functionality:

    • Introduce a search bar to quickly find contacts, group chats, and easily search message history.

4. Deployment and Scalability

Setting up a robust infrastructure for testing, stability, and future growth.

  • Staging Environment:

    • Set up a parallel, non-production environment for comprehensive testing of new features before they go live.

  • Performance Optimization:

    • Review and optimize data fetching logic, particularly for loading long message histories and media.

  • Domain & Hosting:

    • Deploy the final application to a reliable hosting provider under a custom domain.