This guide covers migrating from Calls SDK v4 to v5 for iOS.
Drop-in Compatibility
Calls SDK v5 is a drop-in replacement for v4. All v4 APIs are preserved as deprecated methods that internally delegate to the new v5 implementations. You can update the dependency version and your existing code will compile and run without changes.
# CocoaPods — update your Podfile
-pod 'CometChatCallsSDK', '~> 4.0'
+pod 'CometChatCallsSDK', '~> 5.0'
// Swift Package Manager — update your package dependency version to 5.x
If you’re using CometChat UI Kits, simply updating the Calls SDK version is sufficient. The UI Kit will continue to work with v5 through the deprecated compatibility layer.
Why Migrate to v5 APIs?
While v4 APIs will continue to work, migrating to v5 APIs gives you:
- Granular event listeners — 5 focused listener protocols instead of one monolithic
CallsEventsDelegate
CallSession singleton for cleaner session control — all actions on a single object instead of scattered static methods- Dedicated
login() method — the Calls SDK now handles its own authentication instead of depending on the Chat SDK’s auth token or REST APIs
- Strongly-typed enums —
AudioModeType, CallType, LayoutType, CameraFacing instead of raw strings
Initialization
No changes required. The init API is the same in v5.
let callAppSettings = CallAppSettings()
callAppSettings.set(appId: "APP_ID")
callAppSettings.set(region: "REGION")
CometChatCalls(callsAppSettings: callAppSettings, onSuccess: { success in
// Initialized
}, onError: { error in
// Handle error
})
Authentication
In v4, the Calls SDK had no dedicated authentication step. It relied on the Chat SDK’s auth token (CometChat.getUserAuthToken()) or a REST API to obtain an auth token, which you then passed manually to generateToken(authToken:sessionID:onSuccess:onError:).
v5 introduces its own login() method. After calling login(), the SDK caches the auth token internally, so you no longer need to pass it around to other API calls.
// No dedicated Calls SDK login — relied on Chat SDK for auth token
let authToken = CometChat.getUserAuthToken()
// Had to pass authToken manually
CometChatCalls.generateToken(authToken: authToken as NSString?,
sessionID: sessionID as NSString?,
onSuccess: { token in
// Use token to start session
}, onError: { error in })
// Login to the Calls SDK once (after your Chat SDK login)
CometChatCalls.login(authToken: authToken, onSuccess: { callsUser in
// Calls SDK is now authenticated — auth token is cached internally
}, onError: { error in })
Call CometChatCalls.login() once after your user authenticates (e.g., right after CometChat.login() succeeds). The SDK stores the auth token internally, so subsequent calls like generateToken() and joinSession() use it automatically without you having to pass it.
Session Settings
CallSettingsBuilder and PresentationSettingsBuilder are replaced by SessionSettingsBuilder. The builder methods have been renamed for clarity.
let callSettings = CometChatCalls.callSettingsBuilder
.setIsAudioOnly(true)
.setDefaultLayout(true)
.setEndCallButtonDisable(false)
.setMuteAudioButtonDisable(false)
.setPauseVideoButtonDisable(false)
.setSwitchCameraButtonDisable(false)
.setAudioModeButtonDisable(false)
.setShowRecordingButton(true)
.setStartAudioMuted(false)
.setStartVideoMuted(false)
.setDefaultAudioMode("SPEAKER")
.setMode("DEFAULT")
.setStartRecordingOnCallStart(false)
.setDelegate(self)
.build()
let sessionSettings = CometChatCalls.sessionSettingsBuilder
.setType(.audio)
.startAudioMuted(false)
.startVideoPaused(false)
.setLayout(.tile)
.setAudioMode(.speaker)
.hideLeaveSessionButton(false)
.hideToggleAudioButton(false)
.hideToggleVideoButton(false)
.hideSwitchCameraButton(false)
.hideAudioModeButton(false)
.hideRecordingButton(false)
.hideControlPanel(false)
.hideHeaderPanel(false)
.enableAutoStartRecording(false)
.build()
Builder Method Mapping
| v4 Method | v5 Method | Notes |
|---|
setIsAudioOnly(true) | setType(.audio) | Use .video for video calls |
setDefaultLayout(bool) | hideControlPanel(!bool) + hideHeaderPanel(!bool) | Inverted logic |
setEndCallButtonDisable(bool) | hideLeaveSessionButton(bool) | Same logic |
setMuteAudioButtonDisable(bool) | hideToggleAudioButton(bool) | Same logic |
setPauseVideoButtonDisable(bool) | hideToggleVideoButton(bool) | Same logic |
setSwitchCameraButtonDisable(bool) | hideSwitchCameraButton(bool) | Same logic |
setAudioModeButtonDisable(bool) | hideAudioModeButton(bool) | Same logic |
setShowRecordingButton(bool) | hideRecordingButton(!bool) | Inverted logic |
setStartAudioMuted(bool) | startAudioMuted(bool) | Same logic |
setStartVideoMuted(bool) | startVideoPaused(bool) | Same logic |
setDefaultAudioMode("SPEAKER") | setAudioMode(.speaker) | Enum instead of string |
setMode("DEFAULT") | setLayout(.tile) | Enum instead of string |
setStartRecordingOnCallStart(bool) | enableAutoStartRecording(bool) | Same logic |
setAvatarMode(string) | Removed | No longer applicable |
setEnableVideoTileClick(bool) | Removed | No longer applicable |
setEnableDraggableVideoTile(bool) | Removed | No longer applicable |
setDelegate(delegate) | Use CallSession listeners | See Events section |
Joining a Session
startSession() is replaced by joinSession().
// Step 1: Generate token with auth token
CometChatCalls.generateToken(authToken: authToken as NSString?,
sessionID: sessionID as NSString?,
onSuccess: { token in
// Step 2: Start session with token string
CometChatCalls.startSession(callToken: token ?? "",
callSetting: callSettings,
view: callView,
onSuccess: { message in
// Session started
}, onError: { error in })
}, onError: { error in })
// Option A: Two-step with token
CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionID: sessionID, onSuccess: { token in
CometChatCalls.joinSession(callToken: token ?? "",
callSetting: sessionSettings,
container: callView,
onSuccess: { message in
// Session joined
}, onError: { error in })
}, onError: { error in })
// Option B: One-step with session ID (recommended)
CometChatCalls.joinSession(sessionID: sessionID,
callSetting: sessionSettings,
container: callView,
onSuccess: { message in
// Token generation + join handled internally
}, onError: { error in })
- v5
generateToken() no longer requires the authToken parameter (uses cached token from login())
- v5 offers a convenience overload that takes
sessionID directly and handles token generation internally
- Parameter name changed from
view to container
Session Control (Actions)
In v4, session actions were static methods on CometChatCalls. In v5, they’re instance methods on CallSession.shared.
CometChatCalls.endSession()
CometChatCalls.switchCamera()
CometChatCalls.audioMuted(true)
CometChatCalls.videoPaused(true)
CometChatCalls.setAudioMode(mode: "SPEAKER")
CometChatCalls.enterPIPMode()
CometChatCalls.exitPIPMode()
CometChatCalls.startRecording()
CometChatCalls.stopRecording()
let callSession = CallSession.shared
callSession.leaveSession()
callSession.switchCamera()
callSession.muteAudio() // or callSession.unmuteAudio()
callSession.pauseVideo() // or callSession.resumeVideo()
callSession.setAudioMode("SPEAKER")
callSession.enablePictureInPictureLayout()
callSession.disablePictureInPictureLayout()
callSession.startRecording()
callSession.stopRecording()
Action Method Mapping
| v4 Static Method | v5 CallSession Method |
|---|
CometChatCalls.endSession() | callSession.leaveSession() |
CometChatCalls.switchCamera() | callSession.switchCamera() |
CometChatCalls.audioMuted(true) | callSession.muteAudio() |
CometChatCalls.audioMuted(false) | callSession.unmuteAudio() |
CometChatCalls.videoPaused(true) | callSession.pauseVideo() |
CometChatCalls.videoPaused(false) | callSession.resumeVideo() |
CometChatCalls.setAudioMode(mode:) | callSession.setAudioMode(_:) |
CometChatCalls.enterPIPMode() | callSession.enablePictureInPictureLayout() |
CometChatCalls.exitPIPMode() | callSession.disablePictureInPictureLayout() |
CometChatCalls.startRecording() | callSession.startRecording() |
CometChatCalls.stopRecording() | callSession.stopRecording() |
CometChatCalls.switchToVideoCall() | Removed |
Event Listeners
This is the biggest improvement in v5. The single CallsEventsDelegate protocol is replaced by 5 focused listener protocols.
v4: Single Monolithic Delegate
class MyViewController: UIViewController, CallsEventsDelegate {
func setupCallEvents() {
// Set via builder
CometChatCalls.callSettingsBuilder.setDelegate(self).build()
}
func onCallEnded() { }
func onCallEndButtonPressed() { }
func onSessionTimeout() { }
func onUserJoined(rtcUser: RTCUser) { }
func onUserLeft(rtcUser: RTCUser) { }
func onUserListChanged(rtcUsers: [RTCUser]) { }
func onAudioModeChanged(mode: [CallAudioMode]) { }
func onCallSwitchedToVideo(callSwitchedInfo: CallSwitchRequestInfo) { }
func onUserMuted(rtcMutedUser: RTCMutedUser) { }
func onRecordingToggled(recordingInfo: RTCRecordingInfo) { }
}
v5: Focused Listener Protocols
let callSession = CallSession.shared
// Session lifecycle events
class MySessionListener: SessionStatusListener {
func onSessionJoined() { }
func onSessionLeft() { }
func onSessionTimedOut() { }
func onConnectionLost() { }
func onConnectionRestored() { }
func onConnectionClosed() { }
}
callSession.addSessionStatusListener(mySessionListener)
// Participant events (replaces onUserJoined, onUserLeft, onUserListChanged, onUserMuted)
class MyParticipantListener: ParticipantEventListener {
func onParticipantJoined(participant: Participant) { }
func onParticipantLeft(participant: Participant) { }
func onParticipantListChanged(participants: [Participant]) { }
func onParticipantAudioMuted(participant: Participant) { }
func onParticipantAudioUnmuted(participant: Participant) { }
func onParticipantVideoPaused(participant: Participant) { }
func onParticipantVideoResumed(participant: Participant) { }
func onParticipantHandRaised(participant: Participant) { }
func onParticipantHandLowered(participant: Participant) { }
func onParticipantStartedRecording(participant: Participant) { }
func onParticipantStoppedRecording(participant: Participant) { }
func onDominantSpeakerChanged(participant: Participant) { }
}
callSession.addParticipantEventListener(myParticipantListener)
// Media state events (replaces onAudioModeChanged, onRecordingToggled)
class MyMediaListener: MediaEventsListener {
func onAudioMuted() { }
func onAudioUnMuted() { }
func onVideoPaused() { }
func onVideoResumed() { }
func onRecordingStarted() { }
func onRecordingStopped() { }
func onAudioModeChanged(audioModeType: AudioModeType) { }
func onCameraFacingChanged(cameraFacing: CameraFacing) { }
}
callSession.addMediaEventsListener(myMediaListener)
// Button click events (replaces onCallEndButtonPressed)
class MyButtonListener: ButtonClickListener {
func onLeaveSessionButtonClicked() { }
func onToggleAudioButtonClicked() { }
func onToggleVideoButtonClicked() { }
func onSwitchCameraButtonClicked() { }
func onRaiseHandButtonClicked() { }
func onRecordingToggleButtonClicked() { }
}
callSession.addButtonClickListener(myButtonListener)
// Layout events
class MyLayoutListener: LayoutListener {
func onCallLayoutChanged(layoutType: LayoutType) { }
func onPictureInPictureLayoutEnabled() { }
func onPictureInPictureLayoutDisabled() { }
}
callSession.addLayoutListener(myLayoutListener)
v5 listeners use weak references internally, so they are automatically cleaned up when the listener object is deallocated. You can also explicitly remove listeners using removeSessionStatusListener(_:), removeParticipantEventListener(_:), etc.
Event Mapping
| v4 Event | v5 Listener | v5 Event |
|---|
onCallEnded() | SessionStatusListener | onSessionLeft() |
onCallEndButtonPressed() | ButtonClickListener | onLeaveSessionButtonClicked() |
onSessionTimeout() | SessionStatusListener | onSessionTimedOut() |
onUserJoined(rtcUser:) | ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantJoined(participant:) |
onUserLeft(rtcUser:) | ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantLeft(participant:) |
onUserListChanged(rtcUsers:) | ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantListChanged(participants:) |
onAudioModeChanged(mode:) | MediaEventsListener | onAudioModeChanged(audioModeType:) |
onCallSwitchedToVideo(callSwitchedInfo:) | Removed | — |
onUserMuted(rtcMutedUser:) | ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantAudioMuted(participant:) |
onRecordingToggled(recordingInfo:) | MediaEventsListener | onRecordingStarted() / onRecordingStopped() |
New Events in v5
These events are only available with the v5 listener APIs:
| Listener | Event | Description |
|---|
SessionStatusListener | onConnectionLost() | Network interrupted |
SessionStatusListener | onConnectionRestored() | Network restored |
SessionStatusListener | onConnectionClosed() | Connection permanently closed |
ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantVideoResumed() | Participant turned camera on |
ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantVideoPaused() | Participant turned camera off |
ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantHandRaised() | Participant raised hand |
ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantHandLowered() | Participant lowered hand |
ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantStartedScreenShare() | Participant started screen share |
ParticipantEventListener | onParticipantStoppedScreenShare() | Participant stopped screen share |
ParticipantEventListener | onDominantSpeakerChanged() | Active speaker changed |
MediaEventsListener | onCameraFacingChanged() | Camera switched front/back |
ButtonClickListener | Various button events | Individual button click tracking |
LayoutListener | onCallLayoutChanged() | Layout type changed |
LayoutListener | onPictureInPictureLayoutEnabled/Disabled() | PiP state changed |
Call Logs
The CallLogsRequest API is unchanged. The only difference is that auth is now handled by CometChatCalls.login() instead of passing the auth token manually.
Deprecated Classes Summary
These classes still exist in v5 for backward compatibility but are deprecated:
| Deprecated Class | Replacement |
|---|
CallSettings | SessionSettingsBuilder.SessionSettings |
CallSettingsBuilder | SessionSettingsBuilder |
PresentationSettings | SessionSettingsBuilder.SessionSettings |
PresentationSettingsBuilder | SessionSettingsBuilder |
CallsEventsDelegate | 5 focused listeners on CallSession |
RTCRecordingInfo | MediaEventsListener callbacks |
CallSwitchRequestInfo | Removed (no replacement) |
