This guide covers migrating from Calls SDK v4 to v5 for React Native.
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 package version and your existing code will compile and run without changes.
npm install @cometchat/calls-sdk-react-native@5
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 — subscribe to specific events like
onParticipantJoined or onSessionLeft instead of one monolithic OngoingCallListener
- Dedicated
login() method — the Calls SDK now handles its own authentication instead of depending on the Chat SDK’s auth token or REST APIs
- Simplified initialization — pass plain objects to
init() and joinSession() instead of using builder classes
- Strongly-typed enums —
LayoutType, SessionType instead of raw strings
Initialization
v5 accepts a plain object instead of requiring CallAppSettingsBuilder.
const callAppSettings = new CometChatCalls.CallAppSettingsBuilder()
.setAppId("APP_ID")
.setRegion("REGION")
.build();
CometChatCalls.init(callAppSettings).then(
() => { /* initialized */ },
(error) => { /* handle error */ }
);
const callAppSettings = {
appId: "APP_ID",
region: "REGION",
};
CometChatCalls.init(callAppSettings).then(
() => { /* initialized */ },
(error) => { /* handle error */ }
);
CallAppSettingsBuilder still works in v5 — it’s deprecated but functional.
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().
v5 introduces its own login() method. After calling login(), the SDK caches the auth token internally.
// No dedicated Calls SDK login — relied on Chat SDK for auth token
const authToken = CometChat.getUserAuthToken();
// Had to pass authToken manually
CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId, authToken).then(
(token) => { /* use token to start session */ },
(error) => { }
);
// Login to the Calls SDK once (after your Chat SDK login)
CometChatCalls.login(authToken).then(
(user) => { /* Calls SDK is now authenticated */ },
(error) => { }
);
// generateToken no longer needs the authToken parameter
CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId).then(
(token) => { /* use token */ },
(error) => { }
);
Call CometChatCalls.login() once after your user authenticates. The SDK stores the auth token internally, so subsequent calls like generateToken() and joinSession() use it automatically.
Session Settings
CallSettingsBuilder is replaced by passing a plain SessionSettings object directly.
const callSettings = new CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder()
.enableDefaultLayout(true)
.setIsAudioOnlyCall(true)
.showEndCallButton(true)
.showMuteAudioButton(true)
.showPauseVideoButton(true)
.showRecordingButton(true)
.showSwitchModeButton(true)
.startWithAudioMuted(false)
.startWithVideoMuted(false)
.setMode(CometChatCalls.CALL_MODE.DEFAULT)
.setCallListener(new CometChatCalls.OngoingCallListener({
onCallEnded: () => { },
onCallEndButtonPressed: () => { },
onUserJoined: (user) => { },
onUserLeft: (user) => { },
onUserListUpdated: (userList) => { },
onError: (error) => { },
}))
.build();
const sessionSettings = {
sessionType: "VIDEO", // or "VOICE"
layout: "TILE", // or "SPOTLIGHT"
startAudioMuted: false,
startVideoPaused: false,
hideLeaveSessionButton: false,
hideToggleAudioButton: false,
hideToggleVideoButton: false,
hideRecordingButton: false,
hideScreenSharingButton: false,
hideChangeLayoutButton: false,
hideControlPanel: false,
autoStartRecording: false,
};
Settings Property Mapping
| v4 Builder Method | v5 Property | Notes |
|---|
setIsAudioOnlyCall(true) | sessionType: "VOICE" | Use "VIDEO" for video calls |
enableDefaultLayout(bool) | hideControlPanel: !bool | Inverted logic |
showEndCallButton(bool) | hideLeaveSessionButton: !bool | Inverted logic |
showMuteAudioButton(bool) | hideToggleAudioButton: !bool | Inverted logic |
showPauseVideoButton(bool) | hideToggleVideoButton: !bool | Inverted logic |
showRecordingButton(bool) | hideRecordingButton: !bool | Inverted logic |
showSwitchModeButton(bool) | hideChangeLayoutButton: !bool | Inverted logic |
startWithAudioMuted(bool) | startAudioMuted: bool | Same logic |
startWithVideoMuted(bool) | startVideoPaused: bool | Same logic |
setMode(CALL_MODE.DEFAULT) | layout: "TILE" | Enum instead of constant |
startRecordingOnCallStart(bool) | autoStartRecording: bool | Same logic |
setCallListener(listener) | Use addEventListener() | See Events section |
Joining a Session
startSession() is replaced by joinSession().
CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId, authToken).then((token) => {
CometChatCalls.startSession(token, callSettings);
});
// Option A: With token
CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId).then((token) => {
CometChatCalls.joinSession(token, sessionSettings);
});
// Option B: With session ID (recommended)
CometChatCalls.joinSession(sessionId, sessionSettings);
Session Control (Actions)
Static methods remain on CometChatCalls but some have been renamed.
| v4 Method | v5 Method |
|---|
CometChatCalls.endSession() | CometChatCalls.leaveSession() |
CometChatCalls.switchCamera() | CometChatCalls.switchCamera() |
CometChatCalls.muteAudio(true) | CometChatCalls.muteAudio() |
CometChatCalls.muteAudio(false) | CometChatCalls.unmuteAudio() |
CometChatCalls.pauseVideo(true) | CometChatCalls.pauseVideo() |
CometChatCalls.pauseVideo(false) | CometChatCalls.resumeVideo() |
CometChatCalls.setMode(mode) | CometChatCalls.setLayout(layout) |
CometChatCalls.enterPIPMode() | CometChatCalls.enablePictureInPictureLayout() |
CometChatCalls.exitPIPMode() | CometChatCalls.disablePictureInPictureLayout() |
CometChatCalls.startRecording() | CometChatCalls.startRecording() |
CometChatCalls.stopRecording() | CometChatCalls.stopRecording() |
CometChatCalls.switchToVideoCall() | Removed |
Event Listeners
The single OngoingCallListener is replaced by addEventListener() with specific event types.
v4: Single Listener Object
const callSettings = new CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder()
.setCallListener(new CometChatCalls.OngoingCallListener({
onCallEnded: () => { },
onCallEndButtonPressed: () => { },
onUserJoined: (user) => { },
onUserLeft: (user) => { },
onUserListUpdated: (userList) => { },
onAudioModeChanged: (audioModeList) => { },
onUserMuted: (muteInfo) => { },
onRecordingToggled: (recordingInfo) => { },
onError: (error) => { },
}))
.build();
v5: Granular Event Subscriptions
// Session events
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onSessionJoined", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onSessionLeft", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onSessionTimedOut", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onConnectionLost", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onConnectionRestored", () => { });
// Participant events
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onParticipantJoined", (participant) => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onParticipantLeft", (participant) => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onParticipantListChanged", (participants) => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onParticipantAudioMuted", (participant) => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onParticipantAudioUnmuted", (participant) => { });
// Media events
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onAudioMuted", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onAudioUnMuted", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onRecordingStarted", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onRecordingStopped", () => { });
// Button click events
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onLeaveSessionButtonClicked", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onToggleAudioButtonClicked", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onToggleVideoButtonClicked", () => { });
// Layout events
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onCallLayoutChanged", (layoutType) => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onPictureInPictureLayoutEnabled", () => { });
CometChatCalls.addEventListener("onPictureInPictureLayoutDisabled", () => { });
addEventListener() returns an unsubscribe function. Call it to remove the listener.
Event Mapping
| v4 Event | v5 Event |
|---|
onCallEnded | onSessionLeft |
onCallEndButtonPressed | onLeaveSessionButtonClicked |
onUserJoined(user) | onParticipantJoined(participant) |
onUserLeft(user) | onParticipantLeft(participant) |
onUserListUpdated(userList) | onParticipantListChanged(participants) |
onAudioModeChanged(list) | onAudioModeChanged(audioMode) |
onUserMuted(info) | onParticipantAudioMuted(participant) |
onRecordingToggled(info) | onRecordingStarted / onRecordingStopped |
onError(error) | Errors returned via Promise rejection |
Deprecated Classes Summary
| Deprecated | Replacement |
|---|
CometChatCalls.CallAppSettingsBuilder | Pass plain object to init() |
CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder | Pass plain SessionSettings object to joinSession() |
CometChatCalls.OngoingCallListener | CometChatCalls.addEventListener() |
CometChatCalls.startSession() | CometChatCalls.joinSession() |
CometChatCalls.endSession() | CometChatCalls.leaveSession() |
RTCRecordingInfo | onRecordingStarted / onRecordingStopped events |
CallSwitchRequestInfo | Removed (no replacement) |
