While nothing can beat the Face-To-Face communication, in recent times, video conferencing a way of communication is rapidly raising and being accepted. From customer service to telehealth, apps like FaceTime are making its presence felt in every industry.

However, it is not easy to build an app for video conferencing. It requires proper guidance.

Below we will discuss things to keep in mind while developing a video conferencing software:

1. Select a Platform (Or you may not)

The foremost and basic thing to consider while developing video conferencing software is to determine the target platform. This will let you know what tools are required and what budget you need to have to build software for conferencing.

You need to be sure where you want to run your app. It could be smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops or all of them.

You could either build a web-based application or native.

● The web-based application will run on all the browsers which have the WebRTC APIs included. This will make it easier to access your app.

A benefit of this type of app is that it won’t require a third-party tool while building it. You can just use HTML, Javascript or CSS without any problems.

● For native app, you need to consider which mobile platform you wish to support. The iOS and Android systems are officially supported through their respective languages which are different from each other. So if you to make an app for both these platforms, you will have to develop a separate app for each platform.you can also use React Native which will allow a single app to run on both Android and iOS.

2. Define your features

After selecting the platform, it is important that you think about the features your app will offer. This may vary on your business requirements and according to your priorities. You will have to make sure that whatever features you offer, suit your business idea and app you are developing and then presenting in the market.

These are some of the most common features offered by popular conferencing apps:

● Pre-call Video preview

● Chat

● File Sharing

● Multi-party Conference

● Recording

● Desktop Sharing

● Whiteboard

● Live Streaming

3. Know the Stack

After you are done with selecting the platform and features you want your app to offer, it is time to think about how you are going to build the app.

WebRTC is just a group of standards and features that are comprised in APIs that are used to gain access to media devices and then establish a peer-to-peer connection with other clients. Then these APIs are used in conjunction with a signaling process and some other elements to initiate a video or audio call between two or more parties.

You can use the two ways to develop and run a video conference software using the WebRTC: On-premise and a CPaaS (Communication-Platform-as-a-Service) provider.

On-premise means that you are the sole handler of the app which means that you will both develop the app and manage it.

Whereas using a CPaas means that you are only responsible of developing the app while you use the infrastructure of a provider for which you will pay him monthly.

Conclusion:

Although video conferencing seems easy but developing an app is not a child’s play. You should follow all the steps mentioned in the aforementioned article properly so that you can develop the app efficiently. These tips are mentioned after proper research and should be followed while developing a video conference software/app.