The Allure of WebRTC to Mobile DevelopersWhy WebRTC is the best bet for VoIP in Mobile in 2015?
March 2015
Tsahi Levent-Levi
WebRTC offers real time communication natively from a web browser
WebRTC is a media engine with JavaScript APIs
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2015
What does a browser based technology has to do with
mobile?
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• Web versus App in mobile
• Why WebRTC fits mobile so well?
• Alternatives for mobile developers
• Stories from the trenches
What will we learn today?
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Default browser KitKat and on n/a
Browser Chrome, Firefox, Opera None*
WebRTC in mobile browsers – it’s complicated
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If you plan on a use case running in a mobile browser, then think again…
But who uses browsers on mobile anyway?
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0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600
Facebook Messenger
Viber
Skype
Line
Tango
Millions
Social and Messaging Application Downloads
iOS
Android
Statistics based on PrioriData, Oct 2014
Need VoIP in Mobile?Let’s review your options
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• Steve Jobs killed it
• Works on Android, with some effort involved
• Won’t work on iOS, and hard to port to it
• Echo cancellation is crap
Flash
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• $$$
• Royalties as part of the business model, which is a challenge for modern business models based on freemium
• Proprietary API, usually difficult to learn and use
Commercial, Proprietary Media Engine
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• If it was that good in quality, then why did anyone bother with a commercial media engine?
• Limited in audience and footprint
Open Source, Proprietary Media Engine
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• 2 ready-made alternatives already
• The Google one is based on GIPS
• Interoperable with browsers
• Free
WebRTC as a Mobile Media Engine
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We’ve Selected WebRTC.Now what?
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webrtc.org
What gets into Chrome
for better or worse
The most popular option
openwebrtc.io
Based on gstreamer
Includes H.264 for iOS
With hardware acceleration
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Going Native
The HTML5 options
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Android 5.0 WebView build.rtc.io
(in alpha)
PhoneGap bindings
(3rd party or your own)
Go Commercial
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WebRTC PaaS
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Stories from the Trenches
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“The World’s Easiest Video Calls”
• Started life as a Flash based service
• Switched to WebRTC since they wanted to support mobile
• Ported to iOS on their own in 2014
Gruveo
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“Video experiences with the characters people know and love”
• Developed the “Hello Santa” service for iOS
• Decided to use WebRTC PaaS (TokBox)
• Out there since 2013
• Got acquired in 2014 by JibJab
Make Believe Labs
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“Welcome To The Wearable Worker”
• Use case requires Google Glass, iOS and browser
• Ported WebRTC on their own to multiple platforms
Pristine
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“Mobile Team Communications”
• Founded by Ray Ozzie in 2012
• Selected WebRTC from the onset, to “outsource” development
• Ported WebRTC to iOS on their own
Talko
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“Home Phone Service & International Calling Plans”
• Wanted to “go mobile”
• Ported WebRTC on their own in 2012
• Exceeded 5M downloads in mobile
Vonage
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• Why WebRTC on Mobile?
• Challenges in RTC Mobile Development
• Mobile Consumption Models
• WebRTC and the Mobile Browser
• WebRTC and the Mobile Application
• Mobile Development Approaches with WebRTC
• Case Studies
https://bloggeek.me/reports/
Want to learn more?
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