Session Settings

Configure CometChat Calls SDK v5 session settings on JavaScript for call behavior, UI options, participant controls, and features.

The session settings object allows you to customize every aspect of your call session before participants join. From controlling the initial audio/video state to customizing the UI layout and hiding specific controls, these settings give you complete control over the call experience.

These are pre-session configurations that must be set before joining a call. Once configured, pass the settings object to the joinSession() method. Settings cannot be changed after the session has started, though many features can be controlled dynamically during the call using call actions.

const callSettings = {
  sessionType: "VIDEO",
  layout: "TILE",
  startAudioMuted: false,
  startVideoPaused: false,
  hideControlPanel: false,
  hideLeaveSessionButton: false,
  hideToggleAudioButton: false,
  hideToggleVideoButton: false,
};

Session Settings

Session Type

Property: sessionType

Defines the type of call session. Choose VIDEO for video calls with camera enabled, or VOICE for audio-only calls.

sessionType: "VIDEO"

Value	Description
VIDEO	Video call with camera enabled
VOICE	Audio-only call

Default: VIDEO

Layout Mode

Property: layout

Sets the initial layout mode for displaying participants.

layout: "TILE"

Value	Description
TILE	Grid layout showing all participants equally
SIDEBAR	Main speaker with participants in a sidebar
SPOTLIGHT	Focus on active speaker with others in sidebar

Default: TILE

Start Audio Muted

Property: startAudioMuted

Determines whether the microphone is muted when joining the session.

startAudioMuted: true

Default: false

Start Video Paused

Property: startVideoPaused

Controls whether the camera is turned off when joining the session.

startVideoPaused: true

Default: false

Auto Start Recording

Property: autoStartRecording

Automatically starts recording the session as soon as it begins.

autoStartRecording: true

Default: false

Auto Start Transcription

Available since v5.0.5

Property: autoStartTranscription

Automatically starts transcribing the session as soon as it begins. See Transcription for details.

autoStartTranscription: true

Default: false

Caption Language

Available since v5.0.5

Property: captionLanguage

Sets the language used for transcription and closed captions. See Transcription for the full list of supported codes.

captionLanguage: "en-US"

Default: en-US

Idle Timeout Period Before Prompt

Property: idleTimeoutPeriodBeforePrompt

Time in milliseconds before showing the idle timeout prompt when you’re the only participant.

idleTimeoutPeriodBeforePrompt: 60000 // 60 seconds

Default: 60000 (60 seconds)

Idle Timeout Period After Prompt

Property: idleTimeoutPeriodAfterPrompt

Time in milliseconds after the prompt before automatically ending the session.

idleTimeoutPeriodAfterPrompt: 180000 // 180 seconds (3 minutes)

Default: 180000 (180 seconds / 3 minutes)

UI Visibility Settings

Hide Control Panel

Property: hideControlPanel

Hides the bottom control bar that contains call action buttons.

hideControlPanel: true

Default: false

Hide Leave Session Button

Property: hideLeaveSessionButton

Hides the button that allows users to leave or end the call.

hideLeaveSessionButton: true

Default: false

Hide Toggle Audio Button

Property: hideToggleAudioButton

Hides the microphone mute/unmute button from the control panel.

hideToggleAudioButton: true

Default: false

Hide Toggle Video Button

Property: hideToggleVideoButton

Hides the camera on/off button from the control panel.

hideToggleVideoButton: true

Default: false

Hide Recording Button

Property: hideRecordingButton

Hides the recording start/stop button from the control panel.

hideRecordingButton: true

Default: true

Hide Transcription Button

Available since v5.0.5

Property: hideTranscriptionButton

Hides the transcription start/stop item from the control panel’s More menu.

hideTranscriptionButton: false

Default: true

Hide Closed Caption Button

Available since v5.0.5

Property: hideClosedCaptionButton

Hides the closed-caption (CC) button from the control panel. Even when set to false, the button only appears while transcription is running.

hideClosedCaptionButton: false

Default: true

Hide Screen Sharing Button

Property: hideScreenSharingButton

Hides the screen sharing button from the control panel.

hideScreenSharingButton: true

Default: false

Hide Change Layout Button

Property: hideChangeLayoutButton

Hides the button that allows switching between different layout modes.

hideChangeLayoutButton: true

Default: false

Hide Virtual Background Button

Property: hideVirtualBackgroundButton

Hides the virtual background settings button.

hideVirtualBackgroundButton: true

Default: false

Hide Network Indicator

Property: hideNetworkIndicator

Hides the network quality indicator.

hideNetworkIndicator: true

Default: true

Complete Example

const callSettings = {
  // Session configuration
  sessionType: "VIDEO",
  layout: "TILE",
  startAudioMuted: false,
  startVideoPaused: false,
  autoStartRecording: false,
  autoStartTranscription: false,
  captionLanguage: "en-US",
  
  // Timeout settings
  idleTimeoutPeriodBeforePrompt: 60000,
  idleTimeoutPeriodAfterPrompt: 180000,
  
  // UI visibility
  hideControlPanel: false,
  hideLeaveSessionButton: false,
  hideToggleAudioButton: false,
  hideToggleVideoButton: false,
  hideRecordingButton: true,
  hideTranscriptionButton: true,
  hideClosedCaptionButton: true,
  hideScreenSharingButton: false,
  hideChangeLayoutButton: false,
  hideVirtualBackgroundButton: false,
  hideNetworkIndicator: true,
};

All Settings Reference

Property	Type	Default	Description
sessionType	String	VIDEO	Call type: VIDEO or VOICE
layout	String	TILE	Layout: TILE, SIDEBAR, or SPOTLIGHT
startAudioMuted	Boolean	false	Start with microphone muted
startVideoPaused	Boolean	false	Start with camera off
autoStartRecording	Boolean	false	Auto-start recording
autoStartTranscription	Boolean	false	Auto-start transcription
captionLanguage	String	en-US	Transcription / caption language code
idleTimeoutPeriodBeforePrompt	Number	60000	Idle timeout before prompt (ms)
idleTimeoutPeriodAfterPrompt	Number	180000	Idle timeout after prompt (ms)
hideControlPanel	Boolean	false	Hide control panel
hideLeaveSessionButton	Boolean	false	Hide leave button
hideToggleAudioButton	Boolean	false	Hide audio toggle
hideToggleVideoButton	Boolean	false	Hide video toggle
hideRecordingButton	Boolean	true	Hide recording button
hideTranscriptionButton	Boolean	true	Hide transcription button
hideClosedCaptionButton	Boolean	true	Hide closed caption button
hideScreenSharingButton	Boolean	false	Hide screen share button
hideChangeLayoutButton	Boolean	false	Hide layout change button
hideVirtualBackgroundButton	Boolean	false	Hide virtual background button
hideNetworkIndicator	Boolean	true	Hide network indicator