Setup

Faster Integration with UI KitsIf you’re using CometChat UI Kits, voice and video calling can be quickly integrated:

Incoming & outgoing call screens
Call buttons with one-tap calling
Call logs with history

👉 Android UI Kit Calling IntegrationUse this Calls SDK directly only if you need custom call UI or advanced control.

This guide walks you through installing the CometChat Calls SDK and initializing it in your Android application.

Add the CometChat Dependency

Step 1: Add Repository

Add the CometChat repository URL to your project level build.gradle file in the repositories block. Keep google() and mavenCentral() in the list: the Calls SDK’s WebRTC library (org.jitsi:webrtc) is resolved from Maven Central.

Groovy
Kotlin DSL

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

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

If your project declares repositories in settings.gradle (dependencyResolutionManagement) instead of allprojects, add the same three entries there.

Step 2: Add Dependencies

Add the Calls SDK dependency to your app level build.gradle file:

Groovy
Kotlin DSL

dependencies {
  implementation "com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android:5.1.0"
}

dependencies {
  implementation("com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android:5.1.0")
}

Ringing users? Incoming calls ring through the Push Notifications SDK’s calls module. Add com.cometchat:push-notifications-android:2.0.0 and com.cometchat:push-notifications-calls-android:2.0.0 as well, and follow Push Ringing. The Calls SDK alone can start, join and end calls, but it cannot ring a device that is not running your app.

Set minSdkVersion to 26 or higher. The Calls SDK 5.1 declares minSdk 26 (5.0 was 24), so a lower value fails the build at the manifest merger: uses-sdk:minSdkVersion 24 cannot be smaller than version 26 declared in library [...].

The Calls SDK carries its own React Native runtime, relocated to the cometchat.rn.* namespace so it does not clash with other React Native code in your app, and it initializes the runtime’s native libraries itself. Do not add react-android or soloader dependencies or call SoLoader.init for the Calls SDK.

Step 3: Configure Java Version

Add Java 17 compatibility to the android section of your app level build.gradle — the Calls SDK is built with Java 17. The kotlinOptions block applies only if your module uses Kotlin (Java-only modules should omit it); on Kotlin 2.x, prefer compilerOptions { jvmTarget.set(JvmTarget.JVM_17) }:

Groovy
Kotlin DSL

android {
  compileOptions {
    sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_17
    targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_17
  }
  kotlinOptions { // Only if your module uses Kotlin
    jvmTarget = "17"
  }
}

android {
  compileOptions {
    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
  }
  kotlinOptions { // Only if your module uses Kotlin
    jvmTarget = "17"
  }
}

Add Permissions

The Calls SDK’s own manifest declares the permissions a call needs (INTERNET, CAMERA, RECORD_AUDIO, MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, the microphone and camera foreground-service types, and others), and Android merges them into your app. There is nothing to add to your AndroidManifest.xml for audio and video calls. Screen sharing is opt-in. Android needs a foreground service of type mediaProjection to share the screen, and Google Play asks every app that declares one to justify it, so the Calls SDK removes that service from the merged manifest. Until your app declares it, the screen share button is hidden in the call UI. To enable screen sharing, add the permission and the service to your AndroidManifest.xml:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">

    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PROJECTION" />

    <application>
        <service
            android:name="com.oney.WebRTCModule.MediaProjectionService"
            android:exported="false"
            android:foregroundServiceType="mediaProjection" />
    </application>
</manifest>

The SDK checks for the service (with the mediaProjection type) and, when your app targets Android 14 or later, for the permission. If either is missing, it logs why and keeps the screen share button hidden.

Request camera and microphone permissions at runtime before starting or joining a call. When a call is answered from the Push SDK’s ring, the SDK asks for them before opening your answer activity; a denied microphone joins muted. On Android 14+ the call’s foreground service is blocked while the microphone permission is missing.

Initialize CometChat Calls

The init() method initializes the SDK with your app credentials. Call this method once when your application starts, typically in your Application class or main Activity.

CallAppSettings

The CallAppSettings class configures the SDK initialization:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`appId`	String	Yes	Your CometChat App ID
`region`	String	Yes	Your app region (`us` or `eu`)

Kotlin
Java

import com.cometchat.calls.core.CometChatCalls
import com.cometchat.calls.core.CallAppSettings

val appId = "APP_ID" // Replace with your App ID
val region = "REGION" // Replace with your Region ("us" or "eu")

val callAppSettings = CallAppSettings.CallAppSettingBuilder(appId, region).build()

CometChatCalls.init(this, callAppSettings, object : CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<String>() {
    override fun onSuccess(message: String) {
        Log.d(TAG, "CometChat Calls SDK initialized successfully")
    }

    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
        Log.e(TAG, "CometChat Calls SDK initialization failed: ${e.message}")
    }
})

import com.cometchat.calls.core.CometChatCalls;
import com.cometchat.calls.core.CallAppSettings;

String appId = "APP_ID"; // Replace with your App ID
String region = "REGION"; // Replace with your Region ("us" or "eu")

CallAppSettings callAppSettings = new CallAppSettings.CallAppSettingBuilder(appId, region).build();

CometChatCalls.init(this, callAppSettings, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<String>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(String message) {
        Log.d(TAG, "CometChat Calls SDK initialized successfully");
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) {
        Log.e(TAG, "CometChat Calls SDK initialization failed: " + e.getMessage());
    }
});

Parameter	Description
`this`	Android context (Application or Activity context)
`callAppSettings`	Configuration object with App ID and Region
`listener`	Callback listener for success/error handling

Initialize once. The SDK keeps the settings from its first init(); a later init() with the same app ID is ignored for the rest of the process. A later init() with a different app ID logs the user out and re-creates the SDK with the new settings. If you use the CometChat UI Kit with enableCalling, it initializes the Calls SDK for you, so do not call init() again yourself.

Check Initialization Status

You can verify if the SDK has been initialized using the isInitialized() method:

Kotlin
Java

if (CometChatCalls.isInitialized()) {
    // SDK is ready to use
} else {
    // Initialize the SDK first
}

if (CometChatCalls.isInitialized()) {
    // SDK is ready to use
} else {
    // Initialize the SDK first
}

Overview

Getting Started

Call Session

Features

Advanced

Migration Guide

Resources

Add the CometChat Dependency

Step 1: Add Repository

Step 2: Add Dependencies

Step 3: Configure Java Version

Add Permissions

Initialize CometChat Calls

CallAppSettings

Check Initialization Status

​Add the CometChat Dependency

​Step 1: Add Repository

​Step 2: Add Dependencies

​Step 3: Configure Java Version

​Add Permissions

​Screen sharing (opt-in)

​Initialize CometChat Calls

​CallAppSettings

​Check Initialization Status

Add the CometChat Dependency

Step 1: Add Repository

Step 2: Add Dependencies

Step 3: Configure Java Version

Add Permissions

Screen sharing (opt-in)

Initialize CometChat Calls

CallAppSettings

Check Initialization Status