Change Mode - Android

In a live stream, audience members usually join in RECV_ONLY mode, meaning they can only view and listen to the hosts. However, if a host invites an audience member to actively participate (e.g., to speak or present), the audience member can switch their mode to SEND_AND_RECV using the changeMode() method.

This guide explains how to use the changeMode() method and walks through a sample implementation where a host invites an audience member to become a host using PubSub.

changeMode()

• The changeMode() method from the Meeting class allows a participant to switch between modes during a live stream—for example, from audience to host.

Example

Kotlin

class LiveStreamActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
 override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_live_stream);
    // initialize the meeting
    liveStream = VideoSDK.initMeeting(... )
    ...

    // join meeting
    liveStream!!.join()

    // Button to change mode
    val changeModeBtn: Button = findViewById(R.id.btnChangeMode)
    changeModeBtn.setOnClickListener {
        liveStream.changeMode(MeetingMode.SEND_AND_RECV)
    }
  }
}

Java

public class LiveStreamActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
  @Override
  protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_live_stream);
    // initialize the meeting
    Meeting liveStream = VideoSDK.initMeeting( ...);
    ...

    // join meeting
    liveStream.join()  

    // Button to change mode
    Button changeModeBtn = findViewById(R.id.btnChangeMode);
    changeModeBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        @Override
        public void onClick(View v) {
            liveStream.changeMode(MeetingMode.SEND_AND_RECV);
        }
    });
  
  }
}

Implementation Guide

Step 1 : Create a Pubsub Topic

• Set up a PubSub topic to send a mode change request from the host to a specific audience member.

Kotlin

fun sendInvite(livestream: Meeting, participantId: String) {
    val pubSubPublishOptions = PubSubPublishOptions().apply {
        isPersist = false
    }

    livestream.pubSub.publish(
        "REQUEST_TO_JOIN_AS_HOST_$participantId", // PubSub topic specific to participant
        "SEND_AND_RECV", // message
        pubSubPublishOptions
    )
}

Java

void sendInvite(Meeting livestream, String participantId) {
   PubSubPublishOptions pubSubPublishOptions = new PubSubPublishOptions(); 
   pubSubPublishOptions.setPersist(false);
   livestream.pubSub.publish(
        "REQUEST_TO_JOIN_AS_HOST_"+ participantId, // PubSub topic specific to participant
        "SEND_AND_RECV", // message
        pubSubPublishOptions
    );
}

Step 2 : Create an Invite Button

• Add an "Invite on Stage" button for each audience member. When clicked, it publishes a PubSub message with the mode "SEND_AND_RECV" to that participant.

Kotlin

// In ParticipantListAdapter.kt, inside showPopup method
if (participant!!.mode == "RECV_ONLY") {
    popup.menu.add("Add as a co-host")
    
    popup.setOnMenuItemClickListener { item: MenuItem ->
        if (item.toString() == "Add as a co-host") {
            sendInvite(liveStream,participantId);
            holder.requestedIndicator.visibility = View.VISIBLE
            holder.btnParticipantMoreOptions.isEnabled = false
            return@setOnMenuItemClickListener true
        }
        false
    }
}

Java

// In ParticipantListAdapter.java, inside showPopup method
if ("RECV_ONLY".equals(participant.getMode())) {
    popup.getMenu().add("Add as a co-host");

    popup.setOnMenuItemClickListener(new PopupMenu.OnMenuItemClickListener() {
        @Override
        public boolean onMenuItemClick(MenuItem item) {
            if ("Add as a co-host".equals(item.toString())) {
                sendInvite(liveStream,participantId);
                holder.requestedIndicator.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                holder.btnParticipantMoreOptions.setEnabled(false);
                return true;
            }
            return false;
        }
    });
}

Step 3 : Create a Listener to Change the Mode

• On the audience side, subscribe to the specific PubSub topic. When a mode request is received, update the participant’s mode using changeMode().

Kotlin

// In your class where you define coHostListener
val coHostListener = object : PubSubMessageListener {
    override fun onMessage(pubSubMessage: PubSubMessage) {
        showCoHostRequestDialog()
    }
}

liveStream.pubSub.subscribe(
    "REQUEST_TO_JOIN_AS_HOST_${liveStream.localParticipant.id}", 
    coHostListener
)

// In the showCoHostRequestDialog method
private fun showCoHostRequestDialog() {
    // Dialog setup code...

    acceptBtn.setOnClickListener {
        liveStream.changeMode("SEND_AND_RECV")
    }
    // Rest of the dialog code...
}

Java

// In your class where you define coHostListener
PubSubMessageListener coHostListener = new PubSubMessageListener () {
    @Override
    public void onMessage(PubSubMessage pubSubMessage) {
        showCoHostRequestDialog();
    }
};

liveStream.pubSub.subscribe("REQUEST_TO_JOIN_AS_HOST_" + liveStream.getLocalParticipant().getId(), coHostListener);

// In the showCoHostRequestDialog method
private void showCoHostRequestDialog() {
    // Dialog setup code...

    acceptBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        @Override
        public void onClick(View v) {
            liveStream.changeMode("SEND_AND_RECV");
        }
    });

    // Rest of the dialog code...
}

API Reference

The API references for all the methods and events utilized in this guide are provided below.

• changeMode()
• Participant
• Meeting
• pubSub()