Call Types

The Video SDK provides pre-defined call types with different default permissions and feature configurations. You can extend these or create custom types via the dashboard.

Best Practices

Use the development call type only for testing, never in production
Configure call types in the dashboard before deploying to production
Set up proper user roles to simplify permission management
Use backstage mode for scheduled calls or livestreams that need preparation time
Review default capabilities and customize them based on your security requirements

Key Concepts

Call Type - Pre-defined configurations with associated user roles and capabilities. Four default types are available, or create custom types via the dashboard.
User Role - Defines what actions a user can perform. Users can have multiple roles. Use existing roles or define custom ones via the dashboard.
Call Capabilities - Specific actions a participant can perform (such as send-video or end-call). Associated with user roles and customizable via the dashboard.

Call Types

Four pre-defined call types are available:

default - 1-1 or group video calls with sensible defaults
audio_room - Pre-configured for audio-only experiences with permission request workflows (like Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces)
livestream - All authenticated users can access calls; ideal for one-to-many broadcasting
development - All permissions enabled; use only for testing

Each call type includes specific settings. The backstage concept allows calls to be created but not directly joined until goLive() is called, useful for scheduled calls.

Development

The development call type has all permissions enabled for testing purposes. Do not use in production since all participants can perform any action (blocking, muting, etc).

Backstage is disabled, so calls start immediately without requiring goLive().

Default

The default call type supports 1-1 calls, group calls, and meetings. Video and audio are enabled, backstage is disabled, and admins/hosts have elevated permissions.

The default type can be used in apps that use regular video calling. To learn more try our tutorial on building a video calling app.

The audio_room call type suits apps like Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces. It includes a pre-configured workflow for requesting speaking permissions. Backstage is enabled by default; call goLive() to make the call active for all participants.

See the Audio Room tutorial for implementation details.

Livestream

The livestream call type is configured for live streaming apps. All authenticated users can access calls, and backstage is enabled by default.

See the live streaming tutorial for implementation details.

Call type settings

Each call type has configurable settings. See the defaults table for a comparison of settings across call types.

Audio

Setting Name	Type	Description
`access_request_enabled`	Boolean	When `true` users that do not have permission to this feature can request access for it
`opus_dtx_enabled`	Boolean	When `true` OPUS DTX is enabled
`redundant_coding_enabled`	Boolean	When `true` redundant audio transmission is enabled
`mic_default_on`	Boolean	When `true` the user will join with the microphone enabled by default
`speaker_default_on`	Boolean	When `true` the user will join with the audio turned on by default
`default_device`	String `speaker` or `earpiece`	The default audio device to use

Backstage

Setting Name	Type	Description
`enabled`	Boolean	When backstage is enabled, calls will be in backstage mode when created and can be joined by users only after `goLive` is called

Video

Setting Name	Type	Description
`enabled`	Boolean	Defines whether video is enabled for the call
`access_request_enabled`	Boolean	When `true` users that do not have permission to this feature can request access for it
`camera_default_on`	Boolean	When `true`, the camera will be turned on when joining the call
`camera_facing`	String `front`, `back` or `external`	When applicable, the camera that should be used by default
`target_resolution`	Target Resolution Object	The ideal resolution that video publishers should send

The target resolution is an advanced setting. Modifying defaults can degrade performance. Structure:

Setting Name	Type	Description
`width`	Number	The width in pixels
`height`	Number	The height in pixels
`bitrate`	Number	The bitrate

Screensharing

Setting Name	Type	Description
`enabled`	Boolean	Defines whether screensharing is enabled
`access_request_enabled`	Boolean	When `true` users that do not have permission to this feature can request access for it

Recording

Setting Name	Type	Description
`mode`	String `available`, `disabled` or `auto-on`	`available` → recording can be requested `disabled` → recording is disabled `auto-on` → recording starts and stops automatically when one or multiple users join the call
`quality`	String `audio-only`, `360p`, `480p`, `720p`, `1080p`, `1440p`	Defines the resolution of the recording
`audio_only`	`boolean`	If `true` the recordings will only contain audio
`layout`	object, for more information see the API docs	Configuration options for the recording application

Broadcasting

Setting Name	Type	Description
`enabled`	Boolean	Defines whether broadcasting is enabled
`hls`	HLS Settings (object)	Settings for HLS broadcasting

HLS Settings

Setting Name	Type	Description
`enabled`	Boolean	Defines whether HLS is enabled or not
`auto_on`	Boolean	When `true` HLS streaming will start as soon as users join the call
`quality_tracks`	String `audio-only`, `360p`, `480p`, `720p`, `1080p`, `1440p`	The tracks to publish for the HLS stream (up to three tracks)

Geofencing

Setting Name	Type	Description
`names`	List of one or more of these strings `european_union`, `iran_north_korea_syria_exclusion`, `china_exclusion`, `russia_exclusion`, `belarus_exclusion`, `india`, `united_states`, `canada`	The list of geofences that are used for the calls of these type

See the API docs for details.

Transcription

Setting Name	Type	Description
`mode`	String `available`, `disabled` or `auto-on`	Not implemented yet
`closed_caption_mode`	String	Not implemented yet

Ringing

Setting Name	Type	Description
`incoming_call_timeout_ms`	Number	Defines how long the SDK should display the incoming call screen before discarding the call (in ms)
`auto_cancel_timeout_ms`	Number	Defines how long the caller should wait for others to accept the call before canceling (in ms)

Push Notifications Settings

Setting Name	Type	Description
`enabled`	Boolean
`call_live_started`	Event Notification Settings Object	The notification settings used for call_live_started events
`session_started`	Event Notification Settings Object	The notification settings used for session_started events
`call_notification`	Event Notification Settings Object	The notification settings used for call_notification events
`call_ring`	Event Notification Settings Object	The notification settings used for call_ring events

Event notification settings object structure:

Setting Name	Type	Description
`enabled`	Boolean	Whether this object is enabled
`apns`	APNS Settings Object	The settings for APN notifications

APNS Settings Object

Customize remote notifications by implementing a Notification Service Extension. For simple customizations, modify the title and body fields at the call type level. Both fields are handlebars templates with call and user objects in scope.

Setting Name	Type	Description
title	Template	The string template for the title field of the notification
body	Template	The string template for the body field of the notification

Defaults for call type settings

	audio-room	default	livestream	development
Audio
`access_request_enabled`	✅	✅	❌	✅
`opus_dtx_enabled`	✅	✅	✅	✅
`redundant_coding_enabled`	✅	✅	✅	✅
`mic_default_on`	❌	✅	❌	✅
`speaker_default_on`	✅	✅	✅	✅
`default_device`	`speaker`	`earpiece`	`speaker`	`earpiece`
Backstage
`enabled`	✅	❌	✅	❌
Video
`enabled`	❌	✅	✅	✅
`access_request_enabled`	❌	✅	❌	✅
`target_resolution`	N/A	Width: 2560 Height 1440 Bitrate 5000000	Width: 1920 Height: 1080 Bitrate 3000000	Width: 1920 Height 1080 Bitrate 3000000
`camera_default_on`	❌	✅	✅	✅
`camera_facing`	front	front	front	front
Screensharing
`enabled`	❌	✅	✅	✅
`access_request_enabled`	❌	✅	❌	✅
Recording
`mode`	available	available	available	available
`quality`	720p	720p	720p	720p
Broadcasting
`enabled`	✅	✅	✅	✅
`hls.auto_on`	❌	❌	❌	❌
`hls.enabled`	available	available	available	available
`hls.quality_tracks`	[720p]	[720p]	[720p]	[720p]
Geofencing
`names`	[]	[]	[]	[]
Transcriptions
`mode`	available	available	available	available
Ringing
`incoming_call_timeout_ms`	0	15000	0	15000
`auto_cancel_timeout_ms`	0	15000	0	15000

User roles

Five pre-defined user roles are available:

user - Standard participant
moderator - Can moderate calls
host - Call host with elevated permissions
admin - Full administrative access
call-member - Basic call membership

Each role has associated capabilities. Access default roles and capabilities in the Stream Dashboard. A well-defined role setup simplifies permission management.

Call Capabilities

A capability defines actions a user can perform on a call. Each user has capabilities attached based on their role. Modify default capabilities in the dashboard or change them dynamically at runtime.

Users with permission to assign capabilities can grant them to other users, enabling flexible permission management.

If you want to learn more about doing this, head over to the Permissions and Capabilities chapter.

Default call capabilities

When fetching a call from the API, the response includes the user's allowed actions:

join-call
read-call
create-call
join-ended-call
join-backstage
update-call
update-call-settings
screenshare
send-video
send-audio
start-record-call
stop-record-call
start-broadcast-call
stop-broadcast-call
end-call
mute-users
update-call-permissions
block-users
create-reaction
pin-for-everyone
remove-call-member
start-transcription-call
stop-transcription-call

Call and Participant State

Camera Configuration