Overview
There has been a dramatic shift to remote communication with technologies like video calling, in recent years. Video chat applications are delivering 74% higher customer satisfaction as video chat apps with video call help in resolving issues almost instantly, connecting many users on the app thereby increasing the value the app provides the users.
The advance use of video calling capabilities in apps has become possible because of the extensive use of ‘modular specialized software,’ called APIs.
Video call APIs (Application Programming Interface) and co-coordinating Software Development Kits (SDKs) such as Flutter SDK can be installed ( with a plugin from pub.dev) to include voice, video features and connect people on any medium.
Introduction
If your interest is in creating a simple live video call app, this article is for you!
We will focus on in-call statistics on flutter video chat app building as well.
A Flutter project is built as follows:
- first create a Developer account.
- Include packages – pubspec.yaml file
To create dependencies and work as a wrapper SDK, and a permission handler file
- Import the project to this platform along with data needed
- Use Flutter library functions for your UI
- Dart sync libraries are needed to ‘rely’
Additionally three more imports – RTC Engine, Local View and Remote View – will be needed to get the authentication token for appID and secure use of the SDK.
Building the Flutter App: An overview
In this stage, the actual code to build the app is executed. A simple widget layout using –scaffold – within the Material App is used.
Using the initState is the key part of the app since it is very important to check the permissions and initialize the things for video calls for work.
Initialization
Here all initializing is completed for permissions to operate video calls on the app – for camera, microphone, creating communication client, set up listeners to catch event change, enable video for current device, and join the channel.
Device Permission
The permissions are critical to the working of the app. If there are no permissions for the use of the microphone and the camera, video calls cannot be made.
The core feature is to use all the logic in the application to enable the communication engine. In using it we will have to create an instance for the engine and initialize AppID for creating the console.
The main logic in the app is to use the event handler for events and occur as an engine. We should call setEvenHandler for engine and defining events on specific events. The platform should support a long list of events and use four in developing the simple app –
- JoinChannelSuccess – provides triggered for current user of the app for successful joining the channel
- UserJoined – triggered remote user joins same channel for current user is on
- UserOffLine – Triggered for remote user exit the same channel and current users is on
- rtcStats – Triggered for every two second and returns for statistics of the call
Four methods to get local variables using Boolean will allow the current user to join, an integer for user ID of remote user who joins as per channel choice and user leaves for channel to set id back and update local stats variable with two seconds fresh information.
The final initialization to enable the video engine for the current user to join the channel and call first channel, for join the channel would pass the token to be created earlier for a stored variable called ‘token.’
Code Implement
In this stage, the logic of the app is completed. The video states that the user needs and its working has to be implemented. User Interface has to be kept at a minimum.
Scaffold widget will display a simple stack
- In the lower layer of the stack a bigger view of the user live camera
- In the top-left corner current user camera and be used
- RtcLocalView.surfaceView() is used to display current user video from setup import
- Remote user video is retrieved from RtcRemoteView.SurfaceView(uid:_remoteUid) to pass Uid for camera of specific use.
For ‘statistics of calls’ – floatingAction Button- parameter with –Scaffold – will display a button with ‘show stats’ for actual statistics of the call using buttons. View can be used for data which is null and shows a loading indicator. If we use data the view will show a column for a couple of stats and will use a button to close out view and return ‘show stats’ button.
Add-on features for the app are – flipping local camera and remote camera, allowing user type to join the channel, show connection-lost screen, leave the call, mute microphone, show wider camera for loudest speaker and other statistics.
Take Away
By using Flutter SDK implementing video calls with special features like in-call statistics in your app is very simple. The above discussed base can be used to build functioning video calls into your app to connect users to one another. All features and documentation/articles are easily available for full guidance to use the SDK.
Considering the above advantages, your next strategic move should be to build the best video calling app for your business!