Idle Timeout

Configure CometChat Calls SDK v5 idle timeout on Android to handle inactive participants and call session cleanup.

Configure automatic session termination when a user is alone in a call. Idle timeout helps manage resources by ending sessions that have no active participants.

How Idle Timeout Works

When a user is the only participant in a call session, the idle timeout countdown begins. If no other participant joins before the timeout expires, the session automatically ends and the onSessionTimedOut callback is triggered.

The timer also restarts when other participants leave and only one user remains in the call.

This is useful for:

• Preventing abandoned call sessions from running indefinitely
• Managing server resources efficiently
• Providing a better user experience when the other party doesn’t join

Configure Idle Timeout

Set the idle timeout period using setIdleTimeoutPeriod() in SessionSettingsBuilder. The value is in seconds.

Kotlin

val sessionSettings = CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder()
    .setIdleTimeoutPeriod(120) // 2 minutes
    .setType(SessionType.VIDEO)
    .build()

CometChatCalls.joinSession(sessionId, sessionSettings, callViewContainer,
    object : CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallSession>() {
        override fun onSuccess(callSession: CallSession) {
            Log.d(TAG, "Joined session")
        }

        override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
            Log.e(TAG, "Failed: ${e.message}")
        }
    }
)

Java

SessionSettings sessionSettings = new CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder()
    .setIdleTimeoutPeriod(120) // 2 minutes
    .setType(SessionType.VIDEO)
    .build();

CometChatCalls.joinSession(sessionId, sessionSettings, callViewContainer,
    new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallSession>() {
        @Override
        public void onSuccess(CallSession callSession) {
            Log.d(TAG, "Joined session");
        }

        @Override
        public void onError(CometChatException e) {
            Log.e(TAG, "Failed: " + e.getMessage());
        }
    }
);

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
idleTimeoutPeriod	int	300	Timeout in seconds when alone in the session

Handle Session Timeout

Listen for the onSessionTimedOut callback using SessionStatusListener to handle when the session ends due to idle timeout:

Kotlin

val callSession = CallSession.getInstance()

callSession.addSessionStatusListener(this, object : SessionStatusListener() {
    override fun onSessionTimedOut() {
        Log.d(TAG, "Session ended due to idle timeout")
        // Show message to user
        showToast("Call ended - no other participants joined")
        // Navigate away from call screen
        finish()
    }

    override fun onSessionJoined() {}
    override fun onSessionLeft() {}
    override fun onConnectionLost() {}
    override fun onConnectionRestored() {}
    override fun onConnectionClosed() {}
})

Java

CallSession callSession = CallSession.getInstance();

callSession.addSessionStatusListener(this, new SessionStatusListener() {
    @Override
    public void onSessionTimedOut() {
        Log.d(TAG, "Session ended due to idle timeout");
        // Show message to user
        showToast("Call ended - no other participants joined");
        // Navigate away from call screen
        finish();
    }

    @Override public void onSessionJoined() {}
    @Override public void onSessionLeft() {}
    @Override public void onConnectionLost() {}
    @Override public void onConnectionRestored() {}
    @Override public void onConnectionClosed() {}
});

Disable Idle Timeout

To disable idle timeout and allow sessions to run indefinitely, set a value of 0:

Kotlin

val sessionSettings = CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder()
    .setIdleTimeoutPeriod(0) // Disable idle timeout
    .build()

Java

SessionSettings sessionSettings = new CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder()
    .setIdleTimeoutPeriod(0) // Disable idle timeout
    .build();

Disabling idle timeout may result in sessions running indefinitely if participants don’t join or leave properly. Use with caution.