Setup

CometChat Calling SDK v5 - Beta Release - Setup for iOS

Faster Integration with UI Kits

If you’re using CometChat UI Kits, voice and video calling can be quickly integrated:

• Incoming & outgoing call screens
• Call buttons with one-tap calling
• Call logs with history

👉 iOS UI Kit Calling Integration

Use this Calls SDK directly only if you need custom call UI or advanced control.

This guide walks you through installing the CometChat Calls SDK and initializing it in your iOS application.

Add the CometChat Dependency

Using CocoaPods

Add the CometChat Calls SDK to your Podfile:

platform :ios, '16.0'
use_frameworks!

target 'YourApp' do
  pod 'CometChatCallsSDK', '~> 5.0.0-beta.2'
end

Then run:

pod install

Using Swift Package Manager

1. In Xcode, go to File > Add Package Dependencies
2. Enter the repository URL: https://github.com/cometchat/cometchat-calls-sdk-ios
3. Select the version and add to your target

Add Permissions

Add the required permissions to your Info.plist:

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Camera access is required for video calls</string>
<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
<string>Microphone access is required for voice and video calls</string>

iOS requires you to provide a description for why your app needs camera and microphone access. These descriptions are shown to users when requesting permissions.

Enable Background Modes

For calls to continue when the app is in the background, enable the following background modes in your project’s Signing & Capabilities:

1. Select your target in Xcode
2. Go to Signing & Capabilities
3. Click + Capability and add Background Modes
4. Enable:
   • Audio, AirPlay, and Picture in Picture
   • Voice over IP (if using VoIP push notifications)

Initialize CometChat Calls

The init() method initializes the SDK with your app credentials. Call this method once when your application starts, typically in your AppDelegate or app entry point.

CallAppSettings

The CallAppSettings class configures the SDK initialization:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
appId	String	Yes	Your CometChat App ID
region	String	Yes	Your app region (us or eu)

Swift

import CometChatCallsSDK

let appId = "APP_ID" // Replace with your App ID
let region = "REGION" // Replace with your Region ("us" or "eu")

let callAppSettings = CallAppSettingsBuilder()
    .setAppId(appId)
    .setRegion(region)
    .build()

CometChatCalls(callsAppSettings: callAppSettings, onSuccess: { message in
    print("CometChat Calls SDK initialized successfully")
}, onError: { error in
    print("CometChat Calls SDK initialization failed: \(error?.errorDescription ?? "")")
})

Objective-C

@import CometChatCallsSDK;

NSString *appId = @"APP_ID"; // Replace with your App ID
NSString *region = @"REGION"; // Replace with your Region ("us" or "eu")

CallAppSettings *callAppSettings = [[[CallAppSettingsBuilder alloc] init]
    setAppId:appId]
    setRegion:region]
    build];

[[CometChatCalls alloc] initWithCallsAppSettings:callAppSettings 
    onSuccess:^(NSString * message) {
        NSLog(@"CometChat Calls SDK initialized successfully");
    } 
    onError:^(CometChatCallException * error) {
        NSLog(@"CometChat Calls SDK initialization failed: %@", error.errorDescription);
    }];

Parameter	Description
callsAppSettings	Configuration object with App ID and Region
onSuccess	Closure called on successful initialization
onError	Closure called if initialization fails