Known Issues - React Native

This page lists known issues in React Native SDK 2.x, along with workarounds where available.

Issue: On Android, the camera and microphone stay off for a host

On Android, the SDK does not ask the user for camera and microphone access, and it does not start the camera or microphone without it. iOS still asks on its own.

Fix: Ask for access with requestPermission() from useMediaDevice before a host calls join().

import { Button } from "react-native";
import {
  Constants,
  useMediaDevice,
  useRoom,
} from "@videosdk.live/react-native-sdk";

function JoinAsHostButton() {
  const { join } = useRoom();
  const { requestPermission } = useMediaDevice();

  const joinAsHost = async () => {
    try {
      await requestPermission(Constants.permission.AUDIO_AND_VIDEO);
      await join();
    } catch (error) {
      console.error("Failed to join the live stream", error);
    }
  };

  return <Button title="Join as Host" onPress={joinAsHost} />;
}

• If you use joinWithoutUserInteraction, ask before you render RoomProvider.
• Also ask before changeMode("SEND_AND_RECV") turns a viewer into a host.

Issue: The SDK works in a debug build but not in a minified release build

If you shrink your Android release build with R8 or ProGuard, R8 removes or renames the SDK's videosdk.org classes.

Fix: Add these rules to android/app/proguard-rules.pro:

android/app/proguard-rules.pro

-keep class videosdk.org.** { *; }
-dontwarn videosdk.org.**

Keep the -dontwarn line, because the keep rule alone fails the R8 step with a missing-class error. A v1.x.x rule for org.webrtc.** no longer matches anything, so replace it with these two lines.

Issue: The build fails after upgrading from v1.x.x

The build fails with errors about react-native-webrtc, :rnwebrtc or WebRTCModulePackage, or the app throws a TypeError for register when it starts.

Fix: v2.0.0 does not use react-native-webrtc or @videosdk.live/react-native-incallmanager. Remove the v1.x.x setup:

• every register() import and call;
• the :rnwebrtc lines in android/settings.gradle and android/app/build.gradle, and WebRTCModulePackage in MainApplication;
• every live.videosdk.rnwebrtc entry in AndroidManifest.xml;
• the react-native-webrtc pod in your Podfile.

Then add the v2.0.0 setup, including the VideoSDKRTC pod on iOS, as shown in Client Setup. With Expo, upgrade @videosdk.live/expo-config-plugin to version 2 and run npx expo prebuild --clean. The Migration Guide covers each step.

Issue: Virtual background from @videosdk.live/react-native-media-effects does not work

@videosdk.live/react-native-media-effects does not work with v2.0.0, and it breaks the native build.

Fix: Uninstall @videosdk.live/react-native-media-effects. v2.0.0 has no background blur or background replacement. setVideoEffects() offers auto-framing, low-light, style and colour filter effects.

Issue: Audio Session Management Conflict in HLS

The SDK configures the iOS AVAudioSession itself, because it needs it for audio route handling (mic, speaker, Bluetooth). react-native-video also manages the audio session, which can cause conflicts when both libraries try to configure it. This may result in the mic dropping, Bluetooth routing resetting, or the app becoming unresponsive.

Fix: Set disableAudioSessionManagement={true} to prevent react-native-video from managing the audio session. For audio output changes, use VideoSDK's setAudioDevice() method from useRoom().

import Video from 'react-native-video';

<Video
  source={{ uri: hlsUrls.playbackHlsUrl }}
  style={{ flex: 1 }}
  paused={pause}
  disableAudioSessionManagement={true}
/>

This is iOS-only - Android uses AudioManager and does not have the same conflict. If you use another library that also configures the audio session (for example, react-native-track-player), apply the same principle: only one library should manage the audio session during the room.