Recording

Use CometChat Calls SDK v5 recording on React Native to start, stop, access, and manage recordings for supported call sessions.

The CometChat Calls SDK supports recording call sessions. Recordings can be started manually or automatically when the call begins.

Enable Recording Button

Show the recording button in the call UI:

import { CometChatCalls } from '@cometchat/calls-sdk-react-native';

const sessionSettings = {
  hideRecordingButton: false,
};

Auto-Start Recording

Start recording automatically when the call begins:

const sessionSettings = {
  hideRecordingButton: false,
  autoStartRecording: true,
};

Start Recording Programmatically

Start recording during an active call:

CometChatCalls.startRecording();

Stop Recording

Stop an active recording:

CometChatCalls.stopRecording();

A recording runs until it is stopped. Whether it was started manually or automatically through autoStartRecording, it keeps running until someone stops it. If nobody does, it stops on its own when either:

• Everyone leaves the session — the recording ends about a minute later.
• Everyone in the session stays muted for 10 minutes.

Recording Events

Listen for recording state changes:

Using addEventListener

const controller = new AbortController();

CometChatCalls.addEventListener(
  'onRecordingStarted',
  () => {
    console.log('Recording started');
  },
  { signal: controller.signal }
);

CometChatCalls.addEventListener(
  'onRecordingStopped',
  () => {
    console.log('Recording stopped');
  },
  { signal: controller.signal }
);

// Cleanup — removes all listeners at once
controller.abort();

Participant Recording Events

Listen when other participants start or stop recording:

CometChatCalls.addEventListener('onParticipantStartedRecording', (participant) => {
  console.log(`${participant.name} started recording`);
});

CometChatCalls.addEventListener('onParticipantStoppedRecording', (participant) => {
  console.log(`${participant.name} stopped recording`);
});

Recording Button Click Event

Listen for when the recording button is clicked:

CometChatCalls.addEventListener('onRecordingToggleButtonClicked', () => {
  console.log('Recording button clicked');
});

Access Recordings

Recordings are available through the call logs after the call ends. Use the Chat SDK to retrieve recordings:

import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';

async function getCallRecordings(sessionId: string) {
  const callLogRequest = new CometChat.CallLogRequestBuilder()
    .setLimit(1)
    .build();

  try {
    const callLogs = await callLogRequest.fetchNext();
    const callLog = callLogs.find((log) => log.sessionId === sessionId);
    
    if (callLog && callLog.recordings) {
      console.log('Recordings:', callLog.recordings);
      return callLog.recordings;
    }
    return [];
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching recordings:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

Recording Object

Each recording contains:

Property	Type	Description
rid	string	Recording ID
recordingUrl	string	URL to download the recording
startTime	number	Recording start timestamp
endTime	number	Recording end timestamp
duration	number	Recording duration in seconds

Complete Example

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { View, TouchableOpacity, Text, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';
import { CometChatCalls } from '@cometchat/calls-sdk-react-native';

function RecordingControls() {
  const [isRecording, setIsRecording] = useState(false);

  useEffect(() => {
    const controller = new AbortController();
    const { signal } = controller;

    CometChatCalls.addEventListener(
      'onRecordingStarted',
      () => {
        setIsRecording(true);
      },
      { signal }
    );

    CometChatCalls.addEventListener(
      'onRecordingStopped',
      () => {
        setIsRecording(false);
      },
      { signal }
    );

    return () => controller.abort();
  }, []);

  const toggleRecording = () => {
    if (isRecording) {
      CometChatCalls.stopRecording();
    } else {
      CometChatCalls.startRecording();
    }
  };

  return (
    <TouchableOpacity
      style={[styles.button, isRecording && styles.recordingButton]}
      onPress={toggleRecording}
    >
      <View style={[styles.indicator, isRecording && styles.recordingIndicator]} />
      <Text style={styles.buttonText}>
        {isRecording ? 'Stop Recording' : 'Start Recording'}
      </Text>
    </TouchableOpacity>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  button: {
    flexDirection: 'row',
    alignItems: 'center',
    backgroundColor: '#333',
    paddingHorizontal: 16,
    paddingVertical: 12,
    borderRadius: 8,
    gap: 8,
  },
  recordingButton: {
    backgroundColor: '#ff4444',
  },
  indicator: {
    width: 12,
    height: 12,
    borderRadius: 6,
    backgroundColor: '#666',
  },
  recordingIndicator: {
    backgroundColor: '#fff',
  },
  buttonText: {
    color: '#fff',
    fontSize: 14,
    fontWeight: '600',
  },
});

export default RecordingControls;

Related Documentation

• Call Logs - Access call history and recordings
• Session Settings - Configure recording options
• Events - Handle recording events