Calling

Wire Android supports end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls for both 1:1 conversations and group conversations. Calls are powered by the Wire AVS (Audio-Video Signaling) library.

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AVS Library

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Call Types

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Incoming Calls

When a call arrives, a full-screen incoming call screen is displayed showing:

• Caller name and avatar (1:1 calls)
• Group conversation name and the name of who initiated the call (group calls)
• Accept and Decline buttons
• Options to toggle microphone and camera before answering

Answering a call requires the RECORD_AUDIO permission. If the permission has been permanently denied, a dialog guides the user to grant it from system settings.

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Ongoing Call Controls

During an active call, the control bar provides:

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Constant Bitrate (CBR)

When force_constant_bitrate_calls is true (default: false), calls use a constant audio bitrate. An indicator is shown in the call top bar when CBR is active. CBR is only available for 1:1 calls.

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Fullscreen Participant View

In a multi-participant video call, double-tapping a participant tile promotes it to fullscreen. A toast guides users on this interaction the first time it is available. Tapping the back button or the fullscreen tile returns to the grid view. Participants with active video are sorted to the top of the grid. When all remote videos are disabled, participants are sorted alphabetically.

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Picture-in-Picture

When picture_in_picture_enabled is true and the device supports PiP (Android 8.0+), pressing the home button or back button during an active call enters PiP mode instead of ending the call. The PiP window shows the ongoing video feed and allows the user to continue using other apps. In PiP mode:

• The call controls bar is hidden
• The floating self-user tile is shown when there are multiple participants
• The app re-enters full call view when the user taps the PiP window

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In-Call Reactions

When enabled, a reactions button appears in the call control bar. Tapping it opens a panel of quick-pick emoji. Users can also open a full emoji picker for any emoji.

• Selected emoji float across the call screen as an animation visible to the local user
• Reactions from remote participants appear as floating emoji overlays attributed to the sender
• Recent reactions are shown on each participant’s video tile
• The reaction queue holds up to 300 reactions with throttled playback to avoid visual overload

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Meetings

When meetings_enabled is true, a meetings entry point is surfaced in the app navigation.

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Audio Device Management

The speaker button cycles through available audio output devices:

• Earpiece — default for 1:1 calls
• Speakerphone — built-in loudspeaker
• Bluetooth — headsets and speakers connected via Bluetooth

The app observes speaker state in real time via ObserveSpeakerUseCase and reflects changes immediately in the UI.

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Required Android Permissions

The following Android permissions are required for calling features: Permissions are requested at runtime when first needed. If a permission is permanently denied, a dialog explains the requirement and links to system settings.

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Call Quality Monitoring

The app continuously monitors call quality data via ObserveCallQualityDataUseCase. A call details panel (accessible from the top bar when call_quality_menu_enabled is true) shows quality metrics. Quality polling switches to a faster interval while the quality panel is open.

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Verification Status in Calls

The call top bar shows MLS and Proteus verification icons for the conversation. This allows users to confirm the end-to-end verified status of the call without leaving the call screen.