Top 5 Tips for Video Chat On Android

Without a doubt, Android apps keep getting better as technology advances. Although some Android apps may have recently changed their tune, the Android video chat function has remained the most common. We’ll learn how to create video chat applications for Android with ZEGOCLOUD; win this post.

Tip 1. What is Video Chat?

Video chat, or video chatting, is a communication technique whereby real-time video and audio signals are continuously transmitted between the connected users and the service server.

It has quickly become the most convenient way of passing information face-to-face. With video chat apps, freedom of expression is assured.

Tip 2. Must-have Features of Video Chat on Android

We have so many Android video chat apps existing today. From Facebook Messenger to Zoom, and many more. If you take the time to explore most of them, you’ll notice that they all have some features in common.

Below are the must-have features of video chat on Android:

1. Registration

Registration interface is a common feature in almost every video chat application. It helps with user management and provides more straightforward identification of users on the platform.

2. Group calls

Group call is an effective way of distributing some chunks of information to a broader audience. Many video chat apps allow more than two people to chat conveniently in a group.

3. Screen sharing

There’s no better way to share information displayed on the screen than using the screen-sharing feature many video chat providers offer. All you have to do is just tap on the “share screen” button or its equivalent in the video chat you’re using, and boom, you’re good to go.

4. End-to-end encryption

Privacy is essential in almost every communication app, not only video chat. End-to-end encryption protocol ensures that information isn’t leaked to a third party apart from the connected individuals.

5. Text messaging

I know text messaging can be very boring for some people, but it may come in handy when users on the chat can’t hear each other, want to send some additional information, or simply cannot talk at the moment.

6. Meeting recording

Recording a video chat can be a great way of creating moments that can be used for reference purposes or further distribution.

7. Push notifications

The push notifications feature in the video chat app ensures that your users never miss a moment. They update your users about new messages in the chat and missed calls and keep them informed about new updates.

8. Contact list

This works like the regular contact on your phone. It keeps track of the people you’re connected with.

Tip 3. The Cost of Building Video Chat on Android

You want to build an Android video chat app, but “how much will it cost you to do so?” I know this question has been buzzing through your mind. I will give nothing but a frank answer to that question.

Building a video chat Android application from scratch can be expensive and inexpensive, depending on the features that you need in the app. Generally, it costs about $15,000 to set up a video chat app. This is just an estimate; the price may be higher or lower depending on the complexity and the company handling the development.

ZEGOCLOUD offers 10,000 free minutes per month to allow you to build video chat for Android. You can use this to develop your video chat for Android app for free!

Tip 4. How to Make a Video Chat Android App

ZEGOCLOUD Video Call SDK is a robust, scalable, and fully-featured real-time video and audio communication component. You can easily include the SDK into your applications to give your end users the best live video experience by providing them with high-quality, incredibly low latency, interactive video across all platforms with support for large concurrency.

There are numerous reasons why you should use ZEGOCLOUD’s video call SDK for Android Video Chat in your app functionality.

Below are some of the reasons:

1. Boost user engagement with fascinating video effects.

With ZEGOCLOUD’s Video Call SDK, you can easily add some fantastic video effects to create a more awesome user experience. You can customize the whole layout to make something more appealing to your audience. For instance, if you’re building a video chat app for kids, you can make the interface look more intuitive and fun for them to use.

2. keep in touch anywhere in the world.

ZEGOCLOUD’s products support over 200 countries worldwide, and the Video Call SDK is not exempt. You can make video calls or use any of the SDK features in your app and stay connected anywhere in the world.

3. Deliver interactive, real-time video with outstanding video quality.

Using the proprietary AI HD video encoding built into the ZEGOCLOUD video call SDK, you can create an immersive video experience.

4. Video recording feature

Aside from high-quality video transmission, you can quickly implement video call recorder functionality to record high-quality video for later reference and distribution.

Preparation

• A ZEGOCLOUD developer account – –Sign up
• Android Studio 2020.3.1 or above
• Android devise or AVD with audio and video support.
• Basic understanding of app development

Tip 5. Video Call SDK Integration

Follow the steps below to integrate the Video Call SDK into your project:

Create Project

The first part of creating our Android video chat app is developing the project in Android Studio.

You can follow the steps below to create a project in Android Studio:

1. Open Android Studio and select File → New → Project.

2. Enter the application name and choose the project location.

3. It’s safe to give other items in the panel their default values, click Next, and finally Finish.

Import the SDK

Integrating ZEGOCLOUD’s Video Call SDK into your project is very easy.

Just follow the steps below to fire it up in your project:

1. Download the latest version of the Video Call SDK.
2. Extract the files from the SDK packages into your project directory, for example, app/libs.

3. Add SDK import statements. Open the file app/build.gradle and add the following contents:

a. Add the ndk node inside the defaultConfig node to specify the supported ABIs.

ndk {
    abiFilters 'armeabi-v7a', 'arm64-v8a', 'x86', 'x86_64'
}

b. Add the sourceSets node inside the android node to specify the directory containing the SDK files.

    sourceSets {
        main {
            jniLibs.srcDirs = ['libs']
        }
    }

c. Add the following code in the dependencies node:

  dependencies {
      implementation fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar'])
      ......
  }

Add permissions

We need some permissions in order to make use of some systems resources.

Open the File app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml, and add the following code for the permissions:

<!-- Permissions required by the SDK  -->
<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" />

<!-- Permissions required by the App -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />

<uses-feature
    android:glEsVersion="0x00020000"
    android:required="true" />

<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.autofocus" />

Prevent class name obfuscation

To prevent the ZEGO SDK public class names from being obfuscated, you can add the following code in the File proguard-rules.pro.

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

Implement Video Call

Create a new activity.

1 Create a new empty activity and name it CallActivity.

2. modify its layout file, activity_call.xml in the res/layout directory.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
        android:id="@+id/fragment_container"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent">

</androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

3. Modify ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCallFragment to display the Call Kit UI on the screen.

public void addFragment() {
    long appID = ;
    String appSign = ;
    String callID = "callID111";
    String userID = Build.MANUFACTURER + "_" + generateUserID();
    String userName = userID + "_Name";
    ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCallConfig config = ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCallConfig.oneOnOneVideoCall();
    ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCallFragment fragment = ZegoUIKitPrebuiltCallFragment.newInstance(appID,      appSign, userID, userName, callID, config);
    getSupportFragmentManager().beginTransaction().replace(R.id.fragment_container, fragment).commitNow();
}

1. Add a “Call Button” to MainActivity to initiate video calls.

activity_main.xml:

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <Button
        android:id="@+id/button"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_centerInParent="true"
        android:text="start video call" />
    </RelativeLayout>

MainActivity.java:

   public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

        @Override
        protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
            super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
            setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

            findViewById(R.id.button).setOnClickListener(v -> {
                Intent intent = new Intent(MainActivity.this, CallActivity.class);
                startActivity(intent);
            });
        }
    }

Run a demo.

You can test the app on an Android device or Android emulator with audio and video support.

Conclusion.

Building Android video chat apps is a difficult task, let alone creating a video chat Android app from scratch. With ZEGOCLOUD’s video chat SDK, you can do it with less complexity and fewer lines of code, just as we have done above.

Read More

• How to Integrate Video Call API into Apps
• How to Make a 1-on-1 Video Chat App