Discover the 5 key elements that your video calls must mandatorily have, to make your brand stand out from others in the market. The 3rd characteristic is something you must never miss out on!
Whether it is for communicating with family or connecting to colleagues and clients in other parts of the world, Video calls have made communication easier than ever. With this rise in trend, the number of video call API & SDK platforms is increasing day by day. But have you noticed that any number of video chat apps you install on your app, they all share the same features.
And if you are a developer or a business owner, it is even more important to understand that your app needs to be unique from the loads of other options. So, how will you do it?
Worry not! For I have brought to you today the 5 best characteristics that you need to strictly consider adding to your video calls.
In this article, I’ve discussed the following video call elements:
- Video View
- Video Quality
- Call Information
- User Control
- Host Control
Let’s look into each one of them in detail:
- Video View
Imagine that you are on a video call with your team. You all want to see each other at the same time to make your call more engaging, right?But, what if one of you needs to turn off the video for a moment? Their space might black out.
To avoid this, you need to use the Disabling Video mode.
So, what does this exactly do: This feature replaces the black space with their profile picture.
Now, let’s say there are almost 10 people on the call, and your screen could display only 6 users. You can spotlight the active speaker by making their profile view bigger than the other listeners.
Otherwise, you can configure your app to automatically make the active speaker’s screen bigger.
While these may sound like minor features, your app users might not experience smoother video calls.
- Video Quality
And now, we come to yet another important characteristic: The quality of your calls.
When your users are on a video call, 2 things really matter: how your video looks and how it sounds.
Video Quality: Think of having a video call on your mobile phone. If you just have one person on the call, the video might look really clear.
But if more people join, the video might not be as clear as in your 1:1 calls. This is because your app has to process a lot of data, within limited bandwidth. So, it is really important to make sure the video still looks okay without slowing down the device.
And if the internet is slow,
It’s a good idea to make the video a bit blurry so it doesn’t freeze. It’s all about making the video look good even when the internet isn’t perfect.
Sound Quality: Imagine if someone’s voice on the call suddenly gets all fuzzy, and you couldn’t understand them. You want to make sure your app keeps the sound clear, even if their internet connectivity is weak.
- Call Information
Besides call views and quality requirements, there are some helpful things you might not notice, but they make your call work better.So here are 2 major parameters:
Mute Status: What if someone forgets to unmute their call and they do not know where to find if they are muted/ unmuted. This is where you’ll need an indicator for the mute status of a person.
User Count: Sometimes, it’s important to know how many people are in the call. To do this, you’ll need to put a number on the screen to tell you. So, if a user is giving a presentation, they can see if a minimum number of people have joined the call before they start. It helps users understand how many people are interested in participation.
- User Controls
In a video call, you need buttons to do stuff. Like ending the call – that’s a must. But there are other important buttons too.
For example, you should have buttons to mute or unmute your microphone (so you can talk or not), and to turn your camera on or off (so people can see you or not).
Now, If you’re on a computer, you might have more than one camera, like the built-in one and an external webcam.
So, you need a button to switch between them. And on phones, you should be able to switch between the front and back cameras. Some phones even have fancy options for using both at once. So, it’s good to have buttons for that too.
- Host Controls
Host controls are necessary in a video call to maintain order and keep the call going smooth. With host controls, you can easily manage the participants on a call. For instance, if someone’s background noise is disrupting the presentation, the admin can mute their microphone temporarily. This level of control maintains the professionalism of the call or meeting.
Similarly, in a corporate setting, host controls become critical during high-stakes meetings or executive presentations. In these scenarios, Admins can spotlight specific speakers, control who is visible on the screen, and manage the complete flow of the discussion easily.
These host controls are essential not only for maintaining the decorum of a meeting but also for enhancing the overall quality and effectiveness of video calls in professional environments.
That’s A Wrap!
Well, these are the 5 main characteristics you must never compromise on your video calls.
By adding these features to your best video calling API, you’re making it unique and smooth. It won’t be just like all the other apps out there; it’ll be the one that users will love to use.
So, in whichever stage of video call app development you are in, make a note of these features, use them. And you’ll see a lot of users turning into your customers. Happy developing!
