Keeping Video Stream Live While App is in the Background

We have an application that is built for communication for emergency first responders. Our app streams video from emergency responder mobile devices to other responders, however, when the app moves into the background, or the screen locks, the stream is terminated. Is there a way to allow the stream to persist.

There are actually several different options here:

1. The "basic" mechanism that keeps media players and video chat apps active in the background is the "audio" background category.

2. Based on your description, this also sounds like it might be considered a voip app, which would also allow it to use CallKit.

3. Finally, you app can also adopt Picture in Picture.

Note that the last two options actually build on the audio background category and that most video chat apps actually use all three.

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Kevin Elliott
DTS Engineer, CoreOS/Hardware

We need the video to persist even when the phone is locked. The application is for emergency first responders during crtical events and therefore, continuing to share video from first responders to their commanders even when the screen locks is critical. If there is documentation you need me to provide to further this conversation or if we need to connect more directly, I'm happy to do whatever is needed.

We need the video to persist even when the phone is locked. The application is for emergency first responders during crtical events and therefore, continuing to share video from first responders to their commanders even when the screen locks is critical.

A video call app that implement Picture-in-Picture (PIP) will have access to the camera when it enters that background and that is all the functionality that is currently possible. See "Adopting Picture in Picture for video calls" for more details.

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Kevin Elliott
DTS Engineer, CoreOS/Hardware

Is there someone in partnerships or some other division that we can speak with about our use case?