cometchat-android-v5-calls

Purpose

Production-grade voice + video calling for native Android v5. Loaded by the cometchat-calls dispatcher when the project is Android v5 (detected from chat-sdk-android:4.x / chatuikit-android:5.x or asked when greenfield). Operates in two modes:

• Standalone — calls is the product. No chatuikit-android UI Kit; just chat-sdk-android (for signaling) + calls-sdk-android + your own UI surfaces (CallButton on profile, CallLogsActivity, OngoingCallActivity).
• Additive — calls layered onto an existing v5 chat integration. The kit's CometChatMessageHeader already exposes call buttons; this skill wires them to the Calls SDK and mounts the global IncomingCall listener at app root.

Read these other skills first:

• cometchat-calls — the dispatcher (mode selection, hard rules, anti-patterns)
• cometchat-android-v5-core — Chat SDK init, login order, local.properties + BuildConfig credential conventions, Application class wiring

Ground truth:

• SDK source — ~/Downloads/calls-sdk/calls-sdk-android-5/sdk/
• Sample app — ~/Downloads/calls-sdk/calls-sdk-android-5/samples/
• Pre-authored topic docs — references/ in this skill (16 docs, ~2300 lines, audited against calls-sdk-android@5.0.0-beta.2)
• Public docs — https://www.cometchat.com/docs/calls/android/overview

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How to use this skill

This SKILL.md is the index + hard rules + Android-specific gotchas. Deep topic content lives in references/. Always read this file end-to-end first; load references on demand.

Topic	Reference file	When to load
SDK setup (Cloudsmith, init, permissions, Jetifier)	references/setup.md	Step 1 of every integration
Joining a session (SessionSettingsBuilder, voice vs video)	references/join-session.md	Step 2 — every integration
Dual-SDK ringing (Chat SDK + Calls SDK together)	references/ringing-integration.md	Standalone or additive — every integration with peer-to-peer call flow
All SessionSettingsBuilder options (layouts, mode, hide buttons)	references/session-settings.md	When customizing in-call UI behavior
Event listeners (status, participant, media, button-click, layout)	references/event-listeners.md	When wiring call lifecycle to app state
Call history list	references/call-logs.md	When adding /calls route or in-app history
Recording (auto-start, recording events)	references/recording.md	Feature add
Screen sharing (viewer + presenter status)	references/screen-sharing.md	Feature add
Picture-in-picture	references/picture-in-picture.md	Feature add
Foreground service for ongoing calls	references/background-handling.md	Required — every standalone integration on Android 14+
VoIP push (ConnectionService + FCM high-priority + PhoneAccount)	references/voip-calling.md	Required — every standalone integration; optional but strongly recommended in additive
Audio controls (mute/unmute, device switching)	references/audio-controls.md	Default UI customization
Video controls (camera on/off, switch camera)	references/video-controls.md	Default UI customization
Participant management (mute/kick/raise hand)	references/participant-management.md	Group calls / moderator features
Custom UI (control panel, participant list, layout)	references/custom-ui.md	When the default UI doesn't fit
In-call chat (messaging during active session)	references/in-call-chat.md	Feature add

references/README.md is a skim-friendly index of the same.

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1. The seven hard rules

These are the production-grade non-negotiables from the cometchat-calls dispatcher, specialized for Android v5. Every integration this skill writes must satisfy all seven.

1.0 Calls SDK login is its own step (v5+)

The v5 Calls SDK has its own auth state, separate from the Chat SDK. After CometChat.login(uid, AUTH_KEY) succeeds, you MUST also call CometChatCalls.login(uid, AUTH_KEY, ...) — without it, the FIRST calls API call (initiateCall, joinSession, generateToken) throws "auth token cannot be null".

import com.cometchat.calls.core.CometChatCalls
import com.cometchat.calls.exceptions.CometChatException as CallsException
import com.cometchat.calls.model.CallUser   // ← callback type, NOT chat User

// ✓ RIGHT — chat login first, then calls login
CometChat.login(uid, AUTH_KEY, object : CometChat.CallbackListener<User>() {
  override fun onSuccess(user: User) {
    CometChatCalls.login(uid, AUTH_KEY,
      object : CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallUser>() {
        override fun onSuccess(callUser: CallUser) { /* both ready */ }
        override fun onError(e: CallsException) { /* surface */ }
      })
  }
  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) { /* surface */ }
})

Surprises:

• The chat-side User object does NOT expose authToken as a Kotlin property or Java getter on Android. Don't try user.authToken — use the (uid, apiKey) overload for dev, or fetch the auth token from your backend for production.
• The Calls SDK callback returns com.cometchat.calls.model.CallUser, NOT com.cometchat.chat.models.User. Importing the wrong type produces "Type mismatch" at compile time.
• The Calls SDK does NOT persist login across launches the way the Chat SDK does. Even if CometChat.getLoggedInUser() returns a non-null user on cold start, you still need to call CometChatCalls.login again before any calls API works.

This trapped a real smoke run. The chat skill's loginAfter pattern doesn't transfer to calls; this is calls-specific.

1.1 Dual-SDK contract — Call lives in two places

The Chat SDK initiates ringing (CometChat.initiateCall(...)); the Calls SDK runs the WebRTC session (CometChatCalls.joinSession(...)). They are NOT interchangeable, and there are two Call classes with the same simple name:

• com.cometchat.chat.core.Call — Chat SDK. Used by initiateCall, acceptCall, rejectCall. Carries sessionId, receiver, receiverType, callType. This is the one you almost always want.
• com.cometchat.chat.models.Call — Chat SDK message model. Returned in conversation/message-list contexts. Different shape; rarely the right import in calls code.

// ✓ RIGHT — initiate ringing
import com.cometchat.chat.core.Call
import com.cometchat.chat.core.CometChat

val outgoing = Call(receiverUid, CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER, CometChatConstants.CALL_TYPE_VIDEO)
CometChat.initiateCall(outgoing, object : CometChat.CallbackListener<Call>() {
  override fun onSuccess(initiated: Call) {
    // initiated.sessionId is what the Calls SDK will join
  }
  override fun onError(e: CometChatException) { /* surface to UI */ }
})

// ✓ RIGHT — join the WebRTC session after the receiver accepts
import com.cometchat.calls.core.CometChatCalls
import com.cometchat.calls.core.CallSession
import com.cometchat.calls.types.SessionType

// SessionSettingsBuilder is a NESTED class on CometChatCalls — access it via
// CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder, NOT a top-level import.
// `import com.cometchat.calls.core.SessionSettingsBuilder` fails: no such class.
val settings = CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder()
  .setSessionType(SessionType.VIDEO)
  .setIsAudioOnly(false)
  .build()

// 4-arg signature: sessionId (or token), settings, RelativeLayout container, callback.
CometChatCalls.joinSession(sessionId, settings, callContainer,
  object : CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallSession>() {
    override fun onSuccess(callSession: CallSession) {
      // Hold onto callSession — in-call APIs (mute, video, layout, leave) live on it.
    }
    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) { /* surface */ }
  })

// ✗ WRONG — wrong Call class
import com.cometchat.chat.models.Call  // message-model Call, not the core Call
val c = Call(...)  // compile-time errors on shape; or worse, runtime ambiguity

1.2 VoIP push is wired, not documented

Standalone-mode integration must ship working VoIP push: ConnectionService + FCM high-priority data messages + a registered PhoneAccount. Without it, missed calls don't ring → the integration isn't a product.

The full implementation is in references/voip-calling.md (~526 lines, the deepest doc in this skill). This skill's standalone-mode scaffold (Section 4) writes:

• A MyConnectionService extending android.telecom.ConnectionService
• A PhoneAccountHandle registered in Application.onCreate()
• A high-priority FCM FirebaseMessagingService that listens for incoming-call data messages
• MANAGE_OWN_CALLS + BIND_TELECOM_CONNECTION_SERVICE permissions in AndroidManifest.xml
• A placeIncomingCall flow that hands off to ConnectionService so the OS rings (lock-screen UI, hardware buttons)

In additive mode, this is opt-in but strongly recommended — without it, the app must be foregrounded for incoming calls to ring, which contradicts user expectations.

1.3 Foreground service type — the silent crash

Android 14+ silently terminates ongoing-call foreground services that don't declare a correct foregroundServiceType. The Calls SDK ships CometChatOngoingCallService, but the integration must register it correctly:

<!-- AndroidManifest.xml -->
<service
    android:name="com.cometchat.calls.service.CometChatOngoingCallService"
    android:foregroundServiceType="phoneCall|microphone|camera"
    android:exported="false" />

Common failure mode: copying older sample-app manifests that omit phoneCall (the type that allows the OS to keep the service alive in low-memory). On Android 14+, the call dies with ForegroundServiceStartNotAllowedException — visible in adb logcat, invisible in-app.

Full background-handling guide in references/background-handling.md.

1.4 Server-minted auth tokens for calls in production

The Calls SDK consumes the same auth token the Chat SDK uses. In dev, an Auth Key is fine. In production:

• Mint a per-user token via the CometChat REST API on your server
• Hand it to the client; client calls CometChat.login(authToken, callback) (Chat SDK) — Calls SDK reads the same auth context
• Never embed Auth Key in local.properties for production builds. The skill's setup writes it for dev and the production-mode flow (handled by cometchat-android-v5-production) replaces it with the token-endpoint pattern.

This rule mirrors the chat dispatcher's auth rule — cometchat-android-v5-core already enforces it.

1.5 Hangup cleanup — the camera light

The most common "looks fine in dev, fails review" bug: camera light stays on after hangup, or microphone keeps recording until the activity is destroyed.

Required teardown when ending a call:

override fun onCallEnded(call: CallSession) {
  CallSession.getInstance().leaveSession()          // 1. End the Calls SDK session (endSession() doesn't exist on Android)
  callContainer?.removeAllViews()                   // 2. Detach the WebRTC view
  audioManager?.mode = AudioManager.MODE_NORMAL     // 3. Release audio routing
  audioManager?.abandonAudioFocusRequest(focusReq)  // 4. Abandon audio focus
  stopService(Intent(this, MyOngoingCallService::class.java))  // 5. Stop foreground service
  finish()                                          // 6. Pop the call activity
}

Skipping any of these strands a system resource. The verification step (Section 9) checks that all six are present in the call-end path.

1.6 Permissions with rationale

Standalone-mode integration prompts for four permissions, each with a rationale string:

<!-- AndroidManifest.xml -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS" />        <!-- Android 13+ -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_OWN_CALLS" />          <!-- VoIP -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BIND_TELECOM_CONNECTION_SERVICE"
    tools:ignore="ProtectedPermissions" />                                       <!-- VoIP -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_PHONE_CALL" />  <!-- Android 14+ -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MICROPHONE" />  <!-- Android 14+ -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_CAMERA" />      <!-- Android 14+ -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />

The runtime request (ActivityResultContracts.RequestMultiplePermissions) must include a denial-rationale dialog — Android lints this.

1.7 IncomingCall mounted at app root in standalone mode

In standalone mode, the CometChat.addCallListener(...) registration must happen in the Application.onCreate() (not in the foreground activity), so calls ring even when the app is backgrounded or the foreground activity has been destroyed. The listener routes to the ConnectionService (rule 1.2) which presents the OS-level incoming-call UI.

In additive mode (alongside chat), the listener can live in a CallsLifecycleObserver registered with the application's LifecycleOwner — the chat integration's CometChatActivity may be destroyed across configuration changes, but the observer survives.

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2. Setup (always)

Detailed walkthrough in references/setup.md. Summary:

// settings.gradle.kts
dependencyResolutionManagement {
  repositories {
    google()
    mavenCentral()
    maven { url = uri("https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/cometchat/cometchat/maven/") }
  }
}

// app/build.gradle.kts
dependencies {
  implementation("com.cometchat:chat-sdk-android:4.0.+")     // signaling
  implementation("com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android:5.0.+")    // WebRTC session
  // additive mode also has chatuikit-android already on the classpath; do not re-add
}

// gradle.properties
android.useAndroidX=true
android.enableJetifier=true

Init in Application.onCreate():

class App : Application() {
  override fun onCreate() {
    super.onCreate()

    // 1. Chat SDK init (signaling — required for ringing)
    val appSettings = AppSettings.AppSettingsBuilder()
      .subscribePresenceForAllUsers()
      .setRegion(BuildConfig.COMETCHAT_REGION)
      .build()
    CometChat.init(this, BuildConfig.COMETCHAT_APP_ID, appSettings, /* callback */)

    // 2. Calls SDK init — must come after Chat SDK init
    val callAppSettings = CallAppSettingsBuilder()
      .setAppId(BuildConfig.COMETCHAT_APP_ID)
      .setRegion(BuildConfig.COMETCHAT_REGION)
      .build()
    CometChatCalls.init(this, callAppSettings, /* callback */)

    // 3. Standalone mode: register PhoneAccount + global call listener (rules 1.2 + 1.7)
    registerPhoneAccount()
    CometChat.addCallListener(LISTENER_ID, GlobalCallListener)
  }
}

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3. Components catalog (Calls SDK only — no UI Kit in standalone)

The Calls SDK ships these primitives. Names are stable across v5.x:

Class / type	Purpose	Where it lives
CometChatCalls	Top-level facade — init, joinSession, endSession, generateToken	com.cometchat.calls.core
CallAppSettingsBuilder	Init-time config (appId, region, host)	com.cometchat.calls.core
CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder	Per-session config (layout, type, hide buttons, audio mode, recording) — nested class, access as CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder()
CometChatOngoingCallService	Foreground service for active calls	com.cometchat.calls.service
SessionType	VOICE / VIDEO (NOT "AUDIO")	com.cometchat.calls.types
LayoutType	TILE / SIDEBAR / SPOTLIGHT	com.cometchat.calls.types
CallLogRequest.CallLogRequestBuilder	Paginated call history fetcher	com.cometchat.calls.core
CometChatCallsEventsListener	Lifecycle + media + participant + button-click	com.cometchat.calls.listeners

In additive mode, chatuikit-android's CometChatMessageHeader already exposes call buttons — see cometchat-android-v5-components for the kit-side view.

Component-level deep dives: references/audio-controls.md, references/video-controls.md, references/participant-management.md, references/custom-ui.md.

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4. Standalone integration (calls is the product)

When product === "voice-video" and there is no existing chat integration.

Split by calling mode:

4a. Standalone — Session mode (meeting-room UX, no ringing)

Calls SDK ONLY. NO Chat SDK, NO ConnectionService, NO FCM-for-VoIP. Matches ~/Downloads/calls-sdk/calls-sdk-android-5/samples/sample-app/. Scaffold:

1. Application class — CometChatCalls.init(...) ONLY in onCreate. No CometChat.init, no PhoneAccount, no ConnectionService.
2. JoinSessionActivity — UID picker + Start/Join meeting + state.
3. CallActivity — Single-call CometChatCalls.joinSession(sessionId, sessionSettings, container, CallbackListener). SessionStatusListener + ButtonClickListener registered on the CallSession from onSuccess. CometChatOngoingCallService.launch/abort. See references/call-session.md.
4. AndroidManifest.xml — Camera + microphone permissions + FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MICROPHONE/CAMERA + CometChatOngoingCallService registration. NO ConnectionService.
5. App Links — https://yourapp.com/meet/<sessionId> deep-link routing.

Why no ConnectionService / no FCM-VoIP: session mode never receives an incoming-call FCM payload. No ringing.

4b. Standalone — Ringing mode (Chat SDK signaling + ConnectionService + FCM-VoIP)

Dual-SDK + telecom + push. Scaffold:

1. Application class — Chat SDK + Calls SDK init in onCreate, PhoneAccount registration, global call listener (rules 1.7, 1.2).
2. CallButtonView Kotlin component — voice + video buttons rendered next to a user profile / contact card. Calls CometChat.initiateCall(...) on tap, navigates to OutgoingCallActivity.
3. OutgoingCallActivity — shows the dialing UI; transitions to OngoingCallActivity when the receiver accepts (OutgoingCallStatusListener).
4. OngoingCallActivity — hosts the WebRTC view via CometChatCalls.joinSession(sessionId, settings, container, callback), handles all in-call controls (mute/camera/end), implements rule 1.5 teardown.
5. CallLogsActivity — /calls equivalent — paginated history via CallLogRequest.CallLogRequestBuilder. Tap a row → re-call.
6. MyConnectionService + MyFirebaseMessagingService — VoIP push end-to-end (rule 1.2). Wired in manifest with the right foregroundServiceType (rule 1.3).
7. Permission rationale dialog — ActivityResultContracts.RequestMultiplePermissions with denial-rationale strings (rule 1.6).

Detailed walkthrough: references/ringing-integration.md (dual-SDK setup), references/voip-calling.md (push end-to-end), references/background-handling.md (foreground service).

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5. Additive integration (calls on top of existing chat)

When the project already has chatuikit-android integrated. The skill:

1. Patches Application.onCreate() — adds CometChatCalls.init(...) after the existing CometChat.init(...) block. Adds the global call listener.
2. Patches AndroidManifest.xml — adds the four FOREGROUND_SERVICE permissions (rule 1.6) and the CometChatOngoingCallService registration with the correct type (rule 1.3).
3. Wires CometChatMessageHeader call buttons — the kit's header already shows voice + video icons; the skill registers the listeners so they call CometChat.initiateCall (rule 1.1).
4. Adds an IncomingCallListener scoped to the application LifecycleOwner (rule 1.7) — survives chat-activity recreation.
5. VoIP push: opt-in. The skill asks the user before scaffolding ConnectionService — it's a substantial code addition, and additive-mode users may prefer to add it later.
6. Adds a CallLogsFragment that can be hosted alongside CometChatConversationsFragment in the existing tab/activity structure.

Important: do NOT re-add chat-sdk-android or chatuikit-android to build.gradle.kts — they're already there. Only add calls-sdk-android.

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6. Anti-patterns

1. Calling CometChatCalls.joinSession() with the wrong Call import. Compile errors are obvious; the dangerous case is when an agent imports com.cometchat.chat.models.Call and casts it. Cross-reference rule 1.1.

2. Hardcoding SessionType.AUDIO. No such constant exists. The voice path is SessionType.VOICE. Listed here because it's the most common cargo-culted mistake — the iOS SDK uses "audio" terminology.

3. Registering the call listener in the foreground activity. Survives only as long as the activity does — meaning the app must be open for calls to ring. Rule 1.7 requires Application or a process-scoped LifecycleOwner.

4. Skipping android.enableJetifier=true. Without it, androidx.legacy.support artifacts inside the SDK throw Duplicate class android.support.v4.* at build. Rule lives in setup.

5. Omitting foregroundServiceType="phoneCall". Silent crash on Android 14+ (rule 1.3). Common when copying older sample-app manifests.

6. Re-initializing the Calls SDK after every login. CometChatCalls.init() is process-scoped — call it once in Application.onCreate(). Re-init does not "refresh" the auth context; logout-handling lives in rule 1.4's token replay.

7. Using addCallListener without a stable listener ID. Two listeners with the same ID overwrite. Two listeners with different IDs both fire — easy duplicate-IncomingCall UI bug. Use a documented constant (const val LISTENER_ID = "global-call-listener").

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7. Verification checklist

After scaffolding, verify (the skill writes Espresso-style smoke tests where possible; otherwise prompts the user to confirm):

Static (the agent checks before claiming done):

• calls-sdk-android in app/build.gradle.kts dependencies
• Cloudsmith maven URL in settings.gradle.kts
• android.useAndroidX=true and android.enableJetifier=true in gradle.properties
• CometChat.init followed by CometChatCalls.init in Application.onCreate
• All four RECORD_AUDIO / CAMERA / POST_NOTIFICATIONS / MANAGE_OWN_CALLS permissions in AndroidManifest.xml
• All three FOREGROUND_SERVICE_* Android 14+ permissions in AndroidManifest.xml
• CometChatOngoingCallService with foregroundServiceType="phoneCall|microphone|camera"
• Call listener registration uses a stable string ID
• Hangup path includes endSession() + removeAllViews() + audio-focus abandon + service stop + finish (rule 1.5)
• Standalone only: ConnectionService subclass + PhoneAccount registration + FCM MessagingService for incoming-call data messages
• Standalone only: Call listener registered in Application.onCreate, not an activity

Runtime (real device — the skill prompts the user):

• Outgoing voice call connects and audio is two-way
• Outgoing video call connects and video is two-way
• Incoming call rings on lock screen with the device backgrounded (standalone) or with chat-activity destroyed (additive)
• Hangup releases the camera light and microphone within 2 seconds
• Call log entry appears after the call ends
• Permission rationale dialog appears the second time a permission is requested after denial
• On Android 14+ device: ongoing-call notification shows, swipe-up doesn't kill the call

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8. Pointers to other skills

• cometchat-calls — the dispatcher that loads this skill
• cometchat-android-v5-core — Chat SDK init, login, env conventions
• cometchat-android-v5-components — CometChatMessageHeader call buttons (additive mode)
• cometchat-android-v5-push — FCM setup, notification handling (overlap with VoIP push but distinct)
• cometchat-android-v5-production — server-minted auth tokens, ProGuard rules for the Calls SDK
• cometchat-android-v5-troubleshooting — symptom-to-cause for the common failure modes (Jetifier, foregroundServiceType, MANAGE_OWN_CALLS not granted)