How to Make a Video Call App in Flutter

Flutter is a versatile tool that enables developers to create applications with a wide range of functionalities. It is capable of developing applications that can run on multiple platforms seamlessly. As video call becomes more and more popular since the covid-19, many developers are interested in making flutter call apps. No worry, keep going on! This tutorial shows us how to create a video/audio calling application utilizing the ZEGOCLOUD Flutter CallKit.

Introduction to ZEGOCLOUD UIKits – Flutter Callkit

ZEGOCLOUD UIKits is a collection of pre-designed user interface (UI) elements that can be used by developers to create visually appealing and intuitive applications with ease. It allows developers to build video communication applications with a seamless experience.

The UIKits come complete with a diverse range of design templates, including buttons, icons, frames, and other UI components, making it easier for developers to integrate video communication functionalities into their applications. These design templates can be used to create comprehensive UI designs for applications that are visually appealing and intuitive. It saves developers time and effort in designing UIs for their applications.

Through it, We can complete the development of video calls, live streaming, video conference, and other scenarios within 10 minutes.

UIKits support many frameworks such as Flutter, react native, iOS, Android, and Web, which is very friendly for different developers to build their applications. If you are wondering how to build a video call app with Flutter, UIKits is the most-recommended pre-built SDK to help you complete your app development easily and quickly.

As shown in the figure, Flutter UIKit SDK is responsible for processing audio and video calls and the logic related to text chat. Include:

UI and interaction of the calling module
Call status management
Audio and video data transmission

You only need to implement business-related logic. For example:

User login registration
Friends List Management
Call billing recharge

Preparation

A ZEGOCLOUD developer account–Sign up
Flutter 1.12 or later.
Basic understanding of Flutter development

Implement video call

Create Project

Run the following code to create a new project.

flutter create --template app.

Add ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCall as a dependency

Run the following code in your project root directory:

flutter pub add zego_uikit_prebuilt_call

Add ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCall as dependency

Run the following code in your project root directory:

flutter pub add zego_uikit_prebuilt_call

Import the SDK

Now in your Dart code, import the prebuilt CallKit Flutter SDK.

import 'package:zego_uikit_prebuilt_call/zego_uikit_prebuilt_call.dart';

Start Video Call

Use ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCall to build a Call page.

class CallPage extends StatelessWidget {
  const CallPage({Key? key, required this.callID}) : super(key: key);
  final String callID;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCall(
      appID: yourAppID, // Fill in the appID that you get from ZEGOCLOUD Admin Console.
      appSign: yourAppSign, // Fill in the appSign that you get from ZEGOCLOUD Admin Console.
      userID: 'user_id',
      userName: 'user_name',
      callID: callID,
      // You can also use groupVideo/groupVoice/oneOnOneVoice to make more types of calls.
      config: ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCallConfig.oneOnOneVideoCall() 
        ..onOnlySelfInRoom = () => Navigator.of(context).pop(),
    );
  }
}

Now, you can make a call by navigating to this. CallPage.

Add a call button

Add a Call button, and navigate to the CallPage.

import 'dart:math';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:zego_uikit_prebuilt_call/zego_uikit_prebuilt_call.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyApp({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(home: HomePage());
  }
}

class HomePage extends StatelessWidget {
  final callIDTextCtrl = TextEditingController(text: "testCallID");

  HomePage({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      body: Center(
        child: Padding(
          padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 10),
          child: Row(
            mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
            crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.center,
            children: [
              Expanded(
                child: TextFormField(
                  controller: callIDTextCtrl,
                  decoration:
                      const InputDecoration(labelText: "start a call by id"),
                ),
              ),
              ElevatedButton(
                onPressed: () {
                  Navigator.push(
                    context,
                    MaterialPageRoute(builder: (context) {
                      return CallPage(callID: callIDTextCtrl.text);
                    }),
                  );
                },
                child: const Text("call"),
              )
            ],
          ),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Configure your project

Android:

If your project is created with Flutter 2. x.x, you will need to open the your_project/android/app/build.gradle file, and modify the compileSdkVersion to 33.

Add app permissions.
Open the file your_project/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml, and add the following code:

   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />

Prevent code obfuscation.

To prevent obfuscation of the SDK public class names, do the following:

a. In your project’s your_project > android > app folder, create a proguard-rules.pro file with the following content as shown below:

-keep class **.zego.** { *; }

b. Add the following config code to the release part of the your_project/android/app/build.gradle file.

proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'

iOS:

To add permissions, open your_project/ios/Runner/Info.plist, and add the following code to the dict part:

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>We require camera access to connect to a call</string>
<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
<string>We require microphone access to connect to a call</string>

Run a Demo

Conclusion

It’s way easier to make a video call now than it was five or ten years ago. Additionally, their recent popularity also makes a point. In today’s market, a simple and secure video call app will definitely find its audience.

You can download the sample demo source code of this article to learn how to. If you have deeper requirements, such as streaming mix, noise reduction, censorship, etc. you can use our Core SDK. ZEGOCLOUD has the full customized video call SDK to meet what you want.

If you have any questions, you can always consult us 24h technical support.