Setup

This guide walks you through installing the CometChat Calls SDK and configuring it in your React Native application.

Add the CometChat Dependency

Using npm

npm install @cometchat/calls-sdk-react-native@5.0.0-beta.3

Using Yarn

yarn add @cometchat/calls-sdk-react-native@5.0.0-beta.3

iOS Configuration

Install CocoaPods Dependencies

Navigate to your iOS directory and install the pods:

cd ios
pod install
cd ..

Add Permissions

Add the required permissions to your ios/YourApp/Info.plist:

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Camera access is required for video calls</string>
<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
<string>Microphone access is required for voice and video calls</string>

Enable Background Modes

For calls to continue when the app is in the background:

1. Open your project in Xcode
2. Select your target and go to Signing & Capabilities
3. Click + Capability and add Background Modes
4. Enable:
   • Audio, AirPlay, and Picture in Picture
   • Voice over IP (if using VoIP push notifications)

Android Configuration

Add Repository

Add the CometChat repository to your project level android/build.gradle:

allprojects {
    repositories {
        google()
        mavenCentral()
        maven {
            url "https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/cometchat/cometchat/maven/"
        }
    }
}

Configure Java Version

Add Java 8 compatibility to your app level android/app/build.gradle:

android {
    compileOptions {
        sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
        targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    }
}

Add Permissions

Add the required permissions to your android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH" android:maxSdkVersion="30" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_CONNECT" />

For Android 6.0 (API level 23) and above, you must request camera and microphone permissions at runtime before starting a call.

Request Runtime Permissions

Use a library like react-native-permissions or implement native permission requests:

import { PermissionsAndroid, Platform } from 'react-native';

async function requestCallPermissions(): Promise<boolean> {
  if (Platform.OS === 'android') {
    const granted = await PermissionsAndroid.requestMultiple([
      PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.CAMERA,
      PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.RECORD_AUDIO,
    ]);
    
    return (
      granted['android.permission.CAMERA'] === PermissionsAndroid.RESULTS.GRANTED &&
      granted['android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO'] === PermissionsAndroid.RESULTS.GRANTED
    );
  }
  return true;
}

Verify Installation

After installation, rebuild your app:

# iOS
npx react-native run-ios

# Android
npx react-native run-android

Related Documentation

• Authentication - Initialize the SDK and authenticate users
• Join Session - Start your first call