Low-Latency Live Streaming (PRTC Web SDK Mobile) Compatibility
The PRTC Web SDK implements audio and video communication based on WebRTC, thus relying on browser support for WebRTC. Although mainstream mobile browsers support WebRTC, due to platform differences and varying implementations of in-app browsers, the support for audio and video codecs on mobile devices is complex. This article briefly introduces the support for sending and receiving audio/video streams in various mobile application scenarios.
The browsers compatible with the PRTC Web SDK on mobile devices are listed in the table below:
| Platform | Browser |
|---|---|
| Android 5.0+ | Chrome 60+ Huawei Browser 10+ WeChat Official Account/WeChat Browser 7+ Embedded WebView Apps (some devices) |
| iOS 13+ | Apple Safari 13+ WeChat Official Account/WeChat Browser 7+ (receive only) Chrome 60+ (receive only) Embedded WebView Apps (receive only) |
| iOS 14.3+ | Apple Safari 13+ WeChat Official Account/WeChat Browser 7+ Chrome 60+ Embedded WebView Apps |
- Systems below iOS 14.3 have restrictions: only Apple Safari browser is allowed to use microphone and camera devices; other browsers are not permitted. Therefore, in systems below iOS 14.3, WeChat Browser and Google Chrome cannot publish video streams and only support receiving.
- iOS 14.3 and above have relaxed device permissions. Besides Apple Safari, other browsers such as WeChat Browser and Google Chrome can request permission to use microphone and camera devices. Hence, WeChat Browser and Google Chrome on iOS 14.3+ can support live co-hosting.
- Logic added by Polyv Low-Latency Live Streaming: downgrade to CDN playback for iOS below 13.
- iOS 11 ~ 12 theoretically supports low latency, but only allows one video to play at a time, and has many compatibility issues, so it is downgraded to CDN playback.
- iOS 14.2.x versions have audio anomalies due to iOS system faults, so they are downgraded to CDN playback.
- Low-latency streaming requires playback over HTTPS.
iOS Platform Compatibility
On the iOS platform, all in-app browsers can only use the system-provided WebView. Versions below iOS 14.3 do not support sending audio/video streams, only receiving; iOS 14.3 and above support live co-hosting.
| Browser | VP8 | H.264 |
|---|---|---|
| Safari (supports sending and receiving) | iOS 12.2 and later | iOS 11 and later |
| WeChat Official Account/WeChat Browser 7+ (supports sending and receiving) | iOS 14.3 and later | iOS 14.3 and later |
| Chrome 60+ (supports sending and receiving) | iOS 14.3 and later | iOS 14.3 and later |
| Embedded WebView Apps (supports sending and receiving) | iOS 14.3 and later | iOS 14.3 and later |
| WeChat Official Account/WeChat Browser 7+ (receive only) | iOS 12.2 and later | iOS 12.1.4 and later |
| Chrome 60+ (receive only) | iOS 12.2 and later | iOS 12.1.4 and later |
| Embedded WebView Apps (receive only) | iOS 12.2 and later | iOS 12.1.4 and later |
Android Platform Compatibility
On the Android platform, the native WebView supports customization, so the WebView implementation may vary across different devices and applications. The table below lists the codec support for three types of browsers:
| Browser | VP8 | H.264 |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome 60+ | Supports sending and receiving | Some devices support sending and receiving |
| WeChat Official Account/WeChat Browser 7+ | Supports sending and receiving | Some devices support sending and receiving |
| Embedded WebView Apps | Some devices support sending and receiving | Some devices support sending and receiving |
