Vapi React Native SDK

This package lets you start Vapi voice and video calls directly in your React Native app.

📋 Table of Contents

⚠️ Important Notes
📋 Prerequisites
🔧 Installation
🐛 Troubleshooting
🔗 Expo Integration
📚 API Reference
🤝 Contributing
📄 License
🆘 Support

⚠️ Important Notes

This guide is for bare React Native projects. If you use expo build, skip to the Expo Integration
Requires React Native 0.60+ for autolinking support
Not compatible with Expo Go - requires custom native code
Not compatible with TurboModules - requires newArchEnabled=false in android/gradle.properties

📋 Prerequisites

React Native 0.60+
Node.js 20+
React Native CLI or @react-native-community/cli
Xcode 14+ (for iOS development)
Android Studio (for Android development)
CocoaPods (for iOS dependencies)

iOS

Minimum iOS version: 12.0
Screen sharing: Requires iOS 14.0+

Android

Minimum SDK: 24

⚠️ If you are running into issues with TurboModules, you might need to disable newArchEnabled in your android/gradle.properties file.

🔧 Installation

Step 1: Install Dependencies

Install @vapi-ai/react-native along with its peer dependencies:

# Install main dependencies
npm install @vapi-ai/react-native @daily-co/react-native-daily-js @react-native-async-storage/async-storage react-native-background-timer react-native-get-random-values

# Install exact WebRTC version (important for compatibility)
npm install --save-exact @daily-co/[email protected]

Step 2: Platform Setup

iOS Setup

Update the platform in your Podfile, since @daily-co/react-native-webrtc only works on iOS 12 and above:

platform :ios, '12.0'

Note: If you wish to send screen share from iOS, it only works on iOS 14 and above. In this case, use iOS 14.0 instead of iOS 12.0.

Install CocoaPods dependencies:

npx pod-install

Configure Info.plist (required to prevent crashes):

Add these keys to your ios/YourApp/Info.plist:

Key	Type	Value
`NSCameraUsageDescription`	String	"This app needs camera access for video calls"
`NSMicrophoneUsageDescription`	String	"This app needs microphone access for voice calls"
`UIBackgroundModes`	Array	Item 0: `voip`

UIBackgroundModes is handled slightly differently and will resolve to an array. For its first item, specify the value voip. This ensures that audio will continue uninterrupted when your app is sent to the background.

To add the new rows through Xcode, open the Info.plist and add the following three rows:

Key	Type	Value
Privacy - Camera Usage Description	String	"Vapi Playground needs camera access to work"
Privacy - Microphone Usage Description	String	"Vapi Playground needs microphone access to work"
Required background modes	Array	1 item
---> Item 0	String	"App provides Voice over IP services"

If you view the raw file contents of Info.plist, it should look like this:

<dict>
    ...
    <key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
    <string>Vapi Playground needs camera access to work</string>
    <key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
    <string>Vapi Playground needs microphone access to work</string>
    <key>UIBackgroundModes</key>
    <array>
        <string>voip</string>
    </array>
</dict>

Android Setup

Update AndroidManifest.xml - Add permissions:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.autofocus"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>

Update build.gradle - Set minimum SDK in your top-level build.gradle file:

minSdkVersion = 24

newArchEnabled=false

(If you run into any issues, refer to Github issues like these, or the react-native-webrtc installation docs, which walk you through a more complicated process. The simpler process laid out above seems to work in a vanilla modern React Native CLI-based setup).

🚀 Quick Start

1. Import and Initialize

import Vapi from '@vapi-ai/react-native';

// Initialize with your API key
const vapi = new Vapi('your-vapi-api-key');

2. Set Up Event Listeners

vapi.on('call-start', () => {
  console.log('Call started');
});

vapi.on('call-end', () => {
  console.log('Call ended');
});

vapi.on('volume-level', (volume) => {
  console.log('Volume level:', volume);
});

vapi.on('error', (error) => {
  console.error('Vapi error:', error);
});

// Video-specific events
vapi.on('video', (track) => {
  console.log('Video track received:', track);
});

vapi.on('camera-error', (error) => {
  console.error('Camera error:', error);
});

3. Start a Call

try {
  await vapi.start({
     model: {
       provider: 'openai',
       model: 'gpt-4o',
       messages: [
         {
           role: 'system',
           content: 'You are a helpful AI assistant.',
         },
       ],
     },
     voice: {
       provider: '11labs',
       voiceId: 'pNInz6obpgDQGcFmaJgB',
     },
     firstMessage: 'Hello! How can I help you today?',
   });
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Failed to start call:', error);
}

4. Control the Call

// Mute/unmute
vapi.setMuted(true);

// Send a message
vapi.send({
   type: 'add-message',
   message: {
     role: 'user',
     content: 'Hello from React Native!',
   },
});

// End the call
vapi.stop();

🎥 Video Features

The SDK now fully supports video calls with the following capabilities:

Video UI Components

To display video, you'll need to use the DailyMediaView component from @daily-co/react-native-daily-js:

import React from 'react';
import { View, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';
import { DailyMediaView } from '@daily-co/react-native-daily-js';

const VideoCall = () => {
  const participants = vapi.participants();
  
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      {Object.entries(participants).map(([sessionId, participant]) => (
        <DailyMediaView
          key={sessionId}
          videoTrack={participant.tracks.video.track}
          audioTrack={participant.tracks.audio.track}
          mirror={participant.local}
          zOrder={participant.local ? 1 : 0}
          style={styles.video}
        />
      ))}
    </View>
  );
};

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    flex: 1,
    backgroundColor: 'black',
  },
  video: {
    flex: 1,
    margin: 5,
  },
});

Complete Video Example

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { View, Button, Text } from 'react-native';
import Vapi from '@vapi-ai/react-native';
import { DailyMediaView } from '@daily-co/react-native-daily-js';

const VideoCallScreen = () => {
  const [vapi] = useState(new Vapi('your-api-key'));
  const [isInCall, setIsInCall] = useState(false);
  const [participants, setParticipants] = useState({});
  const [isVideoOn, setIsVideoOn] = useState(true);

  useEffect(() => {
    // Set up event listeners
    vapi.on('call-start', () => {
      setIsInCall(true);
    });

    vapi.on('call-end', () => {
      setIsInCall(false);
      setParticipants({});
    });

    vapi.on('daily-participant-updated', () => {
      setParticipants(vapi.participants());
    });

    vapi.on('video', (track) => {
      // Video track received, participants will be updated
      setParticipants(vapi.participants());
    });

    return () => {
      vapi.stop();
    };
  }, []);

  const startCall = async () => {
    await vapi.start({
      model: {
        provider: 'openai',
        model: 'gpt-4o',
        messages: [{
          role: 'system',
          content: 'You are a helpful video assistant.',
        }],
      },
      voice: {
        provider: 'tavus', // For video avatars
        voiceId: 'your-voice-id',
      },
    });
  };

  const toggleVideo = () => {
    vapi.setLocalVideo(!isVideoOn);
    setIsVideoOn(!isVideoOn);
  };

  return (
    <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      {!isInCall ? (
        <Button title="Start Video Call" onPress={startCall} />
      ) : (
        <>
          <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
            {Object.entries(participants).map(([id, participant]) => (
              <DailyMediaView
                key={id}
                videoTrack={participant.tracks?.video?.track}
                audioTrack={participant.tracks?.audio?.track}
                mirror={participant.local}
                style={{ flex: 1 }}
              />
            ))}
          </View>
          <View style={{ flexDirection: 'row', padding: 20 }}>
            <Button 
              title={isVideoOn ? "Turn Off Video" : "Turn On Video"} 
              onPress={toggleVideo} 
            />
            <Button title="Switch Camera" onPress={() => vapi.cycleCamera()} />
            <Button title="End Call" onPress={() => vapi.stop()} />
          </View>
        </>
      )}
    </View>
  );
};

🔧 Advanced Usage

Video Call Features

// Enable/disable video
vapi.setLocalVideo(true);  // Turn on camera
vapi.setLocalVideo(false); // Turn off camera

// Check if video is enabled
const isVideoOn = vapi.isVideoEnabled();

// Switch between front/back camera
vapi.cycleCamera();

// Start camera before call
await vapi.startCamera();

// Display video tracks using DailyMediaView
import { DailyMediaView } from '@daily-co/react-native-daily-js';

// In your component
<DailyMediaView
  videoTrack={participant.videoTrack}
  audioTrack={participant.audioTrack}
  mirror={participant.local}
  zOrder={participant.local ? 1 : 0}
  style={styles.video}
/>

Say Feature

// Have the assistant say something
vapi.say('Hello, how can I help you today?');

// With options
vapi.say(
  'Goodbye!', 
  true,  // endCallAfterSpoken
  false, // interruptionsEnabled
  false  // interruptAssistantEnabled
);

Device Management

// Audio devices
const audioDevices = vapi.getAudioDevices();
vapi.setAudioDevice(deviceId);
const currentAudioDevice = vapi.getCurrentAudioDevice();

// Camera devices
const cameraDevices = vapi.getCameraDevices();
vapi.setCamera(deviceId);
const currentCamera = vapi.getCurrentCameraDevice();

Screen Sharing

// Start screen sharing
vapi.startScreenShare();

// Stop screen sharing
vapi.stopScreenShare();

Participant Management

// Get all participants
const participants = vapi.participants();

// Update participant settings
vapi.updateParticipant(sessionId, {
  setSubscribedTracks: {
    audio: true,
    video: true
  }
});

Network Quality Monitoring

vapi.on('network-quality-change', (event) => {
  console.log('Network quality:', event);
});

vapi.on('network-connection', (event) => {
  console.log('Network connection:', event);
});

Call Progress Tracking

vapi.on('call-start-progress', (event) => {
  console.log(`Stage: ${event.stage}, Status: ${event.status}`);
});

vapi.on('call-start-success', (event) => {
  console.log('Call started successfully in', event.totalDuration, 'ms');
});

vapi.on('call-start-failed', (event) => {
  console.error('Call failed at stage:', event.stage, 'Error:', event.error);
});

Error Handling

vapi.on('error', (error) => {
  if (error.code === 'PERMISSION_DENIED') {
    // Handle permission errors
    Alert.alert('Permission Required', 'Please grant microphone and camera permissions');
  } else if (error.code === 'NETWORK_ERROR') {
    // Handle network errors
    Alert.alert('Network Error', 'Please check your internet connection');
  }
});

vapi.on('camera-error', (error) => {
  console.error('Camera error:', error);
  Alert.alert('Camera Error', 'Unable to access camera');
});

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Permission Denied

Ensure you've added the required permissions to Info.plist/AndroidManifest.xml
Request permissions at runtime on Android

2. WebRTC Version Conflicts

# If you see version conflicts, use the exact version:
npm install --save-exact @daily-co/[email protected]

3. CocoaPods Installation Issues

# Clean and reinstall
cd ios && rm -rf Pods Podfile.lock && pod install && cd ..

4. Metro Cache Issues

# Reset Metro cache
npx react-native start --reset-cache

5. TurboModules Issues

# Disable TurboModules
cd android && echo 'newArchEnabled=false' >> gradle.properties && cd ..

Debug Commands

# Clean iOS build
cd ios && xcodebuild clean && cd ..

# Clean Android build
cd android && ./gradlew clean && cd ..

# Reinstall dependencies
rm -rf node_modules && npm cache verify && npm install

🔗 Expo Integration

Warning: This SDK cannot be used with Expo Go. Use Expo Development Build or EAS Build.

Expo Setup

Install dependencies:

npx expo install @vapi-ai/react-native @daily-co/react-native-daily-js @react-native-async-storage/async-storage react-native-background-timer react-native-get-random-values
npm install --save-exact @daily-co/[email protected]

Update app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "ios": {
      "supportsTablet": true,
      "bundleIdentifier": "com.anonymous.ReactNativeWithExpo52",
      "infoPlist": {
        "NSCameraUsageDescription": "Vapi Playground needs camera access to work",
        "NSMicrophoneUsageDescription": "Vapi Playground needs microphone access to work",
        "UIBackgroundModes": ["voip"]
      }
    },
    "android": {
      "permissions": [
        "android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO",
        "android.permission.MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS",
        "android.permission.INTERNET",
        "android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE",
        "android.permission.CAMERA",
        "android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW",
        "android.permission.WAKE_LOCK",
        "android.permission.BLUETOOTH",
        "android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE",
        "android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_CAMERA",
        "android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MICROPHONE",
        "android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PROJECTION",
        "android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS"
      ],
    },
    "plugins": [
      "@config-plugins/react-native-webrtc",
      "@daily-co/config-plugin-rn-daily-js",
      [
        "expo-build-properties",
        {
          "android": {
            "minSdkVersion": 24
          },
          "ios": {
            "deploymentTarget": "15.1"
          }
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}

Prebuild and run:

npx expo prebuild
npx expo run:ios  # or run:android

📚 API Reference

Vapi Class

Constructor

new Vapi(apiKey: string, apiBaseUrl?: string)

Core Methods

start(assistant, overrides?) - Start a voice/video call
stop() - End the current call
send(message) - Send a message during call
say(message, endCallAfterSpoken?, interruptionsEnabled?, interruptAssistantEnabled?) - Have assistant speak

Audio Methods

setMuted(muted: boolean) - Mute/unmute microphone
isMuted() - Check if currently muted
getAudioDevices() - Get available audio devices
setAudioDevice(deviceId) - Set audio device
getCurrentAudioDevice() - Get current audio device

Video Methods

setLocalVideo(enable: boolean) - Enable/disable video
isVideoEnabled() - Check if video is enabled
startCamera() - Start camera before call
cycleCamera() - Switch between cameras
getCameraDevices() - Get available cameras
setCamera(deviceId) - Set specific camera
getCurrentCameraDevice() - Get current camera

Screen Sharing Methods

startScreenShare() - Start screen sharing
stopScreenShare() - Stop screen sharing

Participant Methods

participants() - Get all participants
updateParticipant(sessionId, updates) - Update participant settings

Advanced Methods

getDailyCallObject() - Get underlying Daily call object
updateSendSettings(settings) - Update send settings
updateReceiveSettings(settings) - Update receive settings
updateInputSettings(settings) - Update input settings

Events

call-start - Call has started
call-end - Call has ended
volume-level - Volume level changed
speech-start - Speech detection started
speech-end - Speech detection ended
message - Received message
error - Error occurred
video - Video track received
camera-error - Camera error occurred
network-quality-change - Network quality changed
network-connection - Network connection status
daily-participant-updated - Participant updated
call-start-progress - Call initialization progress
call-start-success - Call started successfully
call-start-failed - Call failed to start

🤝 Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Add tests
Submit a pull request

📄 License

MIT License Copyright (c) 2023 Vapi Labs Inc. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

🆘 Support

Documentation: Vapi Docs
Issues: GitHub Issues
Discord: Vapi Community

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 32 Commits
__tests__		__tests__
.gitignore		.gitignore
.prettierrc		.prettierrc
README.md		README.md
api.ts		api.ts
apiClient.ts		apiClient.ts
generate-api.sh		generate-api.sh
jest.config.ts		jest.config.ts
lefthook.yml		lefthook.yml
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
update.sh		update.sh
vapi.ts		vapi.ts

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