Migration Guide - CometChat Docs

This guide covers migrating from Calls SDK v4 to v5 for Android.

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 dependency version and your existing code will compile and run without changes.

// Update your dependency version
-implementation "com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android:4.x.x"
+implementation "com.cometchat:calls-sdk-android:5.x.x"

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:

Lifecycle-aware listeners that auto-cleanup when your Activity/Fragment is destroyed — no more manual removeCallsEventListeners() calls
Granular event listeners — 5 focused listener interfaces instead of one monolithic CometChatCallsEventsListener
CallSession singleton for cleaner session control — all actions on a single object instead of scattered static methods
Dedicated login() method — the Calls SDK now handles its own authentication instead of depending on the Chat SDK’s auth token or REST APIs
Strongly-typed enums — AudioMode, SessionType, LayoutType, CameraFacing instead of raw strings

Initialization

No changes required. The init() API is the same in v5.

CallAppSettings callAppSettings = new CallAppSettings.CallAppSettingBuilder()
    .setAppId("APP_ID")
    .setRegion("REGION")
    .build();

CometChatCalls.init(context, callAppSettings, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<String>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(String s) { }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) { }
});

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 methods like generateToken(sessionId, authToken, listener). v5 introduces its own login() method. After calling login(), the SDK caches the auth token internally, so you no longer need to pass it around to other API calls.

// No dedicated Calls SDK login — relied on Chat SDK for auth token
String authToken = CometChat.getUserAuthToken();

// Had to pass authToken manually to every call that needed it
CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId, authToken, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<GenerateToken>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(GenerateToken generateToken) {
        // Use generateToken.getToken() to start a session
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) { }
});

// Login to the Calls SDK once (after your Chat SDK login or after obtaining an auth token)
CometChatCalls.login(authToken, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallUser>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(CallUser callUser) {
        // Calls SDK is now authenticated — auth token is cached internally
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) { }
});

Call CometChatCalls.login() once after your user authenticates (e.g., right after CometChat.login() succeeds). The SDK stores the auth token internally, so subsequent calls like generateToken() and joinSession() use it automatically without you having to pass it.

Session Settings

CallSettings and CallSettingsBuilder are replaced by SessionSettings and SessionSettingsBuilder. The builder methods have been renamed for clarity.

CallSettings callSettings = new CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder(activity)
    .setIsAudioOnly(true)
    .setDefaultLayoutEnable(true)
    .showEndCallButton(true)
    .showMuteAudioButton(true)
    .showPauseVideoButton(true)
    .showSwitchCameraButton(true)
    .showAudioModeButton(true)
    .showRecordingButton(true)
    .startWithAudioMuted(false)
    .startWithVideoMuted(false)
    .setDefaultAudioMode("SPEAKER")
    .setMode("DEFAULT")
    .autoRecordOnCallStart(false)
    .build();

SessionSettings sessionSettings = new CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder()
    .setType(SessionType.AUDIO)
    .startAudioMuted(false)
    .startVideoPaused(false)
    .setLayout(LayoutType.TILE)
    .setAudioMode(AudioMode.SPEAKER)
    .hideLeaveSessionButton(false)
    .hideToggleAudioButton(false)
    .hideToggleVideoButton(false)
    .hideSwitchCameraButton(false)
    .hideAudioModeButton(false)
    .hideRecordingButton(false)
    .hideControlPanel(false)
    .hideHeaderPanel(false)
    .enableAutoStartRecording(false)
    .build();

Builder Method Mapping

v4 Method	v5 Method	Notes
`setIsAudioOnly(true)`	`setType(SessionType.AUDIO)`	Use `SessionType.VIDEO` for video calls
`setDefaultLayoutEnable(bool)`	`hideControlPanel(!bool)` + `hideHeaderPanel(!bool)`	Inverted logic
`showEndCallButton(bool)`	`hideLeaveSessionButton(!bool)`	Inverted logic
`showMuteAudioButton(bool)`	`hideToggleAudioButton(!bool)`	Inverted logic
`showPauseVideoButton(bool)`	`hideToggleVideoButton(!bool)`	Inverted logic
`showSwitchCameraButton(bool)`	`hideSwitchCameraButton(!bool)`	Inverted logic
`showAudioModeButton(bool)`	`hideAudioModeButton(!bool)`	Inverted logic
`showRecordingButton(bool)`	`hideRecordingButton(!bool)`	Inverted logic
`startWithAudioMuted(bool)`	`startAudioMuted(bool)`	Same logic
`startWithVideoMuted(bool)`	`startVideoPaused(bool)`	Same logic
`setDefaultAudioMode("SPEAKER")`	`setAudioMode(AudioMode.SPEAKER)`	Enum instead of string
`setMode("DEFAULT")`	`setLayout(LayoutType.TILE)`	Enum instead of string
`autoRecordOnCallStart(bool)`	`enableAutoStartRecording(bool)`	Same logic
`setAvatarMode(string)`	Removed	No longer applicable
`setMainVideoContainerSetting(setting)`	Removed	No longer applicable
`enableVideoTileDrag(bool)`	Removed	No longer applicable
`enableVideoTileClick(bool)`	Removed	No longer applicable
`setEventListener(listener)`	Use `CallSession` listeners	See Events section

Joining a Session

startSession() is replaced by joinSession() which returns a CallSession object for controlling the call.

// Step 1: Generate token
CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId, authToken, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<GenerateToken>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(GenerateToken generateToken) {
        // Step 2: Start session with token string
        CometChatCalls.startSession(generateToken.getToken(), callSettings, callView, 
            new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<String>() {
                @Override
                public void onSuccess(String s) {
                    // Session started
                }

                @Override
                public void onError(CometChatException e) { }
            });
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) { }
});

// Option A: Two-step with GenerateToken object
CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<GenerateToken>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(GenerateToken generateToken) {
        CometChatCalls.joinSession(generateToken, sessionSettings, callView, 
            new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallSession>() {
                @Override
                public void onSuccess(CallSession callSession) {
                    // Use callSession for actions and events
                }

                @Override
                public void onError(CometChatException e) { }
            });
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) { }
});

// Option B: One-step with session ID (recommended)
CometChatCalls.joinSession(sessionId, sessionSettings, callView, 
    new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallSession>() {
        @Override
        public void onSuccess(CallSession callSession) {
            // Token generation + join handled internally
        }

        @Override
        public void onError(CometChatException e) { }
    });

Key differences:

v5 joinSession() returns a CallSession object (not a raw String)
v5 accepts the GenerateToken object directly (not just the token string)
v5 offers a convenience overload that takes sessionId directly and handles token generation internally

Session Control (Actions)

In v4, session actions were static methods on CometChatCalls. In v5, they’re instance methods on CallSession.

CometChatCalls.endSession();
CometChatCalls.switchCamera();
CometChatCalls.muteAudio(true);
CometChatCalls.pauseVideo(true);
CometChatCalls.setAudioMode("SPEAKER");
CometChatCalls.enterPIPMode();
CometChatCalls.exitPIPMode();
CometChatCalls.startRecording();
CometChatCalls.stopRecording();

CallSession callSession = CallSession.getInstance();

callSession.leaveSession();
callSession.switchCamera();
callSession.muteAudio();       // or callSession.unmuteAudio()
callSession.pauseVideo();      // or callSession.resumeVideo()
callSession.setAudioMode(AudioMode.SPEAKER);
callSession.enablePictureInPictureLayout();
callSession.disablePictureInPictureLayout();
callSession.startRecording();
callSession.stopRecording();

Action Method Mapping

v4 Static Method	v5 CallSession Method
`CometChatCalls.endSession()`	`callSession.leaveSession()`
`CometChatCalls.switchCamera()`	`callSession.switchCamera()`
`CometChatCalls.muteAudio(true)`	`callSession.muteAudio()`
`CometChatCalls.muteAudio(false)`	`callSession.unmuteAudio()`
`CometChatCalls.pauseVideo(true)`	`callSession.pauseVideo()`
`CometChatCalls.pauseVideo(false)`	`callSession.resumeVideo()`
`CometChatCalls.setAudioMode("SPEAKER")`	`callSession.setAudioMode(AudioMode.SPEAKER)`
`CometChatCalls.enterPIPMode()`	`callSession.enablePictureInPictureLayout()`
`CometChatCalls.exitPIPMode()`	`callSession.disablePictureInPictureLayout()`
`CometChatCalls.startRecording()`	`callSession.startRecording()`
`CometChatCalls.stopRecording()`	`callSession.stopRecording()`
`CometChatCalls.switchToVideoCall()`	Removed

Event Listeners

This is the biggest improvement in v5. The single CometChatCallsEventsListener is replaced by 5 focused, lifecycle-aware listeners.

v4: Single Monolithic Listener

CometChatCalls.addCallsEventListeners("LISTENER_ID", new CometChatCallsEventsListener() {
    @Override public void onCallEnded() { }
    @Override public void onCallEndButtonPressed() { }
    @Override public void onUserJoined(RTCUser user) { }
    @Override public void onUserLeft(RTCUser user) { }
    @Override public void onUserListChanged(ArrayList<RTCUser> users) { }
    @Override public void onAudioModeChanged(ArrayList<AudioMode> devices) { }
    @Override public void onCallSwitchedToVideo(CallSwitchRequestInfo info) { }
    @Override public void onUserMuted(RTCMutedUser muteObj) { }
    @Override public void onRecordingToggled(RTCRecordingInfo info) { }
    @Override public void onError(CometChatException e) { }
});

// Must manually remove
CometChatCalls.removeCallsEventListeners("LISTENER_ID");

v5: Focused Lifecycle-Aware Listeners

CallSession callSession = CallSession.getInstance();

// Session lifecycle events
callSession.addSessionStatusListener(this, new SessionStatusListener() {
    @Override public void onSessionJoined() { }
    @Override public void onSessionLeft() { }
    @Override public void onSessionTimedOut() { }
    @Override public void onConnectionLost() { }
    @Override public void onConnectionRestored() { }
    @Override public void onConnectionClosed() { }
});

// Participant events (replaces onUserJoined, onUserLeft, onUserListChanged, onUserMuted)
callSession.addParticipantEventListener(this, new ParticipantEventListener() {
    @Override public void onParticipantJoined(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantLeft(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantListChanged(List<Participant> participants) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantAudioMuted(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantAudioUnmuted(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantVideoPaused(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantVideoResumed(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantHandRaised(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantHandLowered(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantStartedRecording(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onParticipantStoppedRecording(Participant participant) { }
    @Override public void onDominantSpeakerChanged(Participant participant) { }
});

// Media state events (replaces onAudioModeChanged, onRecordingToggled)
callSession.addMediaEventsListener(this, new MediaEventsListener() {
    @Override public void onAudioMuted() { }
    @Override public void onAudioUnMuted() { }
    @Override public void onVideoPaused() { }
    @Override public void onVideoResumed() { }
    @Override public void onRecordingStarted() { }
    @Override public void onRecordingStopped() { }
    @Override public void onAudioModeChanged(AudioMode audioMode) { }
    @Override public void onCameraFacingChanged(CameraFacing facing) { }
});

// Button click events (replaces onCallEndButtonPressed)
callSession.addButtonClickListener(this, new ButtonClickListener() {
    @Override public void onLeaveSessionButtonClicked() { }
    @Override public void onToggleAudioButtonClicked() { }
    @Override public void onToggleVideoButtonClicked() { }
    @Override public void onSwitchCameraButtonClicked() { }
    @Override public void onRaiseHandButtonClicked() { }
    @Override public void onRecordingToggleButtonClicked() { }
});

// Layout events
callSession.addLayoutListener(this, new LayoutListener() {
    @Override public void onCallLayoutChanged(LayoutType layoutType) { }
    @Override public void onPictureInPictureLayoutEnabled() { }
    @Override public void onPictureInPictureLayoutDisabled() { }
});

v5 listeners are lifecycle-aware — pass your Activity or Fragment as the first parameter and they’ll be automatically removed when the lifecycle owner is destroyed. No need to call removeCallsEventListeners().

Event Mapping

v4 Event	v5 Listener	v5 Event
`onCallEnded()`	`SessionStatusListener`	`onSessionLeft()`
`onCallEndButtonPressed()`	`ButtonClickListener`	`onLeaveSessionButtonClicked()`
`onSessionTimeout()`	`SessionStatusListener`	`onSessionTimedOut()`
`onUserJoined(RTCUser)`	`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantJoined(Participant)`
`onUserLeft(RTCUser)`	`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantLeft(Participant)`
`onUserListChanged(ArrayList<RTCUser>)`	`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantListChanged(List<Participant>)`
`onAudioModeChanged(ArrayList<AudioMode>)`	`MediaEventsListener`	`onAudioModeChanged(AudioMode)`
`onCallSwitchedToVideo(CallSwitchRequestInfo)`	Removed	—
`onUserMuted(RTCMutedUser)`	`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantAudioMuted(Participant)`
`onRecordingToggled(RTCRecordingInfo)`	`MediaEventsListener`	`onRecordingStarted()` / `onRecordingStopped()`
`onError(CometChatException)`	—	Errors are returned via `CallbackListener.onError()`

New Events in v5

These events are only available with the v5 listener APIs:

Listener	Event	Description
`SessionStatusListener`	`onConnectionLost()`	Network interrupted
`SessionStatusListener`	`onConnectionRestored()`	Network restored
`SessionStatusListener`	`onConnectionClosed()`	Connection permanently closed
`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantVideoResumed()`	Participant turned camera on
`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantVideoPaused()`	Participant turned camera off
`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantHandRaised()`	Participant raised hand
`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantHandLowered()`	Participant lowered hand
`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantStartedScreenShare()`	Participant started screen share
`ParticipantEventListener`	`onParticipantStoppedScreenShare()`	Participant stopped screen share
`ParticipantEventListener`	`onDominantSpeakerChanged()`	Active speaker changed
`MediaEventsListener`	`onCameraFacingChanged()`	Camera switched front/back
`ButtonClickListener`	Various button events	Individual button click tracking
`LayoutListener`	`onCallLayoutChanged()`	Layout type changed
`LayoutListener`	`onPictureInPictureLayoutEnabled/Disabled()`	PiP state changed

Call Logs

The CallLogRequest API is unchanged. The only deprecated method is setAuthToken() — in v5, auth is handled by CometChatCalls.login().

CallLogRequest request = new CallLogRequest.CallLogRequestBuilder()
    .setAuthToken(authToken)
    .setLimit(30)
    .build();

// Auth token is handled by CometChatCalls.login()
CallLogRequest request = new CallLogRequest.CallLogRequestBuilder()
    .setLimit(30)
    .build();

Deprecated Classes Summary

These classes still exist in v5 for backward compatibility but are deprecated:

Deprecated Class	Replacement
`CallSettings`	`SessionSettings`
`CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder`	`CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder`
`CometChatCallsEventsListener`	5 focused listeners on `CallSession`
`RTCRecordingInfo`	`MediaEventsListener` callbacks
`CallSwitchRequestInfo`	Removed (no replacement)

​Drop-in Compatibility

​Why Migrate to v5 APIs?

​Initialization

​Authentication

​Session Settings

​Builder Method Mapping

​Joining a Session

​Session Control (Actions)

​Action Method Mapping

​Event Listeners

​v4: Single Monolithic Listener

​v5: Focused Lifecycle-Aware Listeners

​Event Mapping

​New Events in v5

​Call Logs

​Deprecated Classes Summary

Drop-in Compatibility

Why Migrate to v5 APIs?

Initialization

Authentication

Session Settings

Builder Method Mapping

Joining a Session

Session Control (Actions)

Action Method Mapping

Event Listeners

v4: Single Monolithic Listener

v5: Focused Lifecycle-Aware Listeners

Event Mapping

New Events in v5

Call Logs

Deprecated Classes Summary