Building an iOS video call app can seem like a daunting task, but with the right tools and guidance, it becomes much more manageable. ZEGOCLOUD offers powerful SDKs that simplify the process, enabling developers to integrate high-quality video and audio communication features into their apps seamlessly. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to create a robust iOS video call app using ZEGOCLOUD, ensuring a smooth and efficient development process.
What is a Video Call?
A video call is a technology that allows individuals to communicate in real-time using both audio and visual elements. Unlike traditional phone calls that only transmit voice, video calls enable participants to see each other through their device’s camera and hear each other through the microphone. This form of communication makes conversations more interactive and personal, as visual cues and facial expressions can be conveyed.
Top 5 Features of iOS Video Call
iOS video call apps offer a range of features that enhance user experience and communication. Here are the top five features:
1. High-Quality Video and Audio: Ensures clear and stable video and audio streams, providing a near-face-to-face communication experience. This enhances understanding through visual cues and reduces miscommunication with clear audio.
2. Multi-Participant Support: Allows multiple users to join the same video call, supporting group meetings and collaborative sessions. This facilitates teamwork and group discussions, enabling effective collaboration among remote team members or connecting with multiple family and friends simultaneously.
3. Screen Sharing: Users can share their device screens with other participants in real-time. This feature is ideal for presentations, demonstrations, and collaborative work, allowing participants to follow along with visual aids and contribute effectively.
4. End-to-end Encryption: Provides robust security by encrypting video and audio data from end to end. This ensures that communications are secure and private, protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access and eavesdropping.
5. Interactive Features: Includes additional functionalities such as real-time messaging, whiteboard collaboration, and reactions (emojis, thumbs up/down). These features enhance call engagement and interactivity, allowing participants to communicate more dynamically and collaboratively. For example, whiteboard features are great for brainstorming sessions, while real-time messaging can be used for sharing quick notes or links.
These features make iOS video call apps a powerful tool for personal communication, business meetings, remote work, and collaborative projects.
How to Build a Voice/Video Chat for iOS With ZEGOCLOUD
If you’re a developer looking to integrate video call functionality into your iOS apps, ZEGOCLOUD UIKits is another excellent option. With this system framework, you can easily integrate video calls into your app and make high-quality video calls with other iOS users.
ZEGOCLOUD is a leading provider of cloud-based communication solutions. It has two efficient methods for you to build video calls. The first is the UIKits which is included in the UIKits. This software development kit (SDK) allows developers to add voice and video calling capabilities to their apps, providing a seamless communication experience for users.
Moreover, ZEGOCLOUD has a fully customized video call SDK that gives you complete layout and workflow control.
Features of ZEGOCLOUD UIKits
As shown in the figure, UIKits is responsible for processing audio and video calls for iOS 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
When to use UIKits
- Testing Tools In the early market research stage, quickly verify customer needs.
- MVP Quickly realizes minimal products, demonstrates market demand, and gains investor trust.
- In-app plugins Added audio and video calling module to improve daily application activities and increase user stickiness.
Steps to Build an iOS Video Chat Within 30 Mins
If you want to create a video calls app for iOS, incorporating UIKits can provide a seamless and intuitive user experience. Here are the steps you need to follow to build a reliable and high-quality video call app using ZEGOCLOUD iOS CallKit which is included in UIKits.
Preparation
- ZEGOCLOUD developer account – Sign up
- A Mac computer with video and audio support.
- Get CallKit appID and appSign
- Basic understanding of iOS development
Integrate the SDK
Follow the steps below to integrate ZEGOCLOUD CallKit for iOS:
1. Add ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCall as a dependency in your project root directory.
flutter pub add zego_uikit_prebuilt_call2. Import the SDK
Open main.dart and insert the following codes to import the SDK.
import 'package:zego_uikit_prebuilt_call/zego_uikit_prebuilt_call.dart';3. Using the ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCall in your project
To set up the Call Kit service for your project, head over to ZEGOCLOUD Admin Console and retrieve your appID and appSign. Next, provide your userID and userName, and generate a callID to initiate your call.
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(),
);
}
}4. Configure your project
Follow the steps below to set up ZEGOCLOUD CallKit for iOS to ensure effective functioning:
1. Add permission
To grant additional permissions, navigate to your_project/ios/Runner/Info.plist, and insert the following code into the dict section:
<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>2. Configure build
To properly utilize notifications and successful app building, proceed to the Build Settings section, and configure the target app with the following build options.
Run a Demo
Conclusion
Integrating iOS CallKit into your iOS video calling app can significantly impact the overall user experience. Following the steps outlined in this guide, you can develop a robust and efficient video-calling app that leverages the full capabilities of ZEGOCLOUD UIKits. With the right approach, you can create a high-quality video-calling experience for your users. ZEGOCLOUD SDK allows you to drop the full features of video calls into your app.
FAQ about iOS Video Call
Q: How can I integrate video calling functionality into my iOS app?
To integrate video calling functionality into your iOS app, you can use SDKs like ZEGOCLOUD or Agora. These SDKs provide comprehensive documentation and sample code to help you add high-quality video and audio communication features to your app.
Q: What are the key considerations when choosing a video call SDK for iOS?
Key considerations include the SDK’s ease of integration, quality of video and audio, support for multiple platforms, interactive features like screen sharing and chat, scalability, security features, and the level of support and documentation provided by the SDK provider.
Q: What security measures should I implement for video calls in my iOS app?
Implement end-to-end encryption for all video and audio streams, use secure authentication methods, protect against common vulnerabilities like man-in-the-middle attacks, and ensure compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPA.
Read more:
Let’s Build APP Together
Start building with real-time video, voice & chat SDK for apps today!
