WEBRTC ON MOBILE DEVICES:
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Vladimir Beloborodov
Technical Manager / CTO at Mera Software Services
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“WebRTC”

WebRTC is
a technology
for peer-to-peer exchange
of media (audio, video) and data
between web*-clients
in (near) real time
* Note: “web” here is in a broader sense than just browsers and in-browser apps

“Web” as in “web-browser”?
Yes! But more than that…

Data

“Neophyte View” on WebRTC
Data

Source of photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jon_ovington/4315834126
“With WebRTC
I can build my
own Skype!”

Amir Zmora
@AmirZmora
If I Hear of Another New “Cool” #WebRTC
Talking Heads Service I’m Going to Scream
http://bit.ly/1KuKCnZ
Original tweet: https://twitter.com/AmirZmora/status/602817737728126977

• Contact Centers
• Enterprise Telecom
• Carriers / OTT
• Communication features
in consumer electronics
Telecom: A “No-Brainer” Vertical

“Telecom View” on WebRTC
Data
Shared
Screen*
* Screen sharing is coming to the WebRTC standard

“ ommunication”
can be more than just
“plain Telecom”

• Human-to-Human
• Human-Machine Interactions
• Machine-to-Machine (?)
Why not?

Noise
Data

Note that WebRTC
can also be a great match
for many other new and
emerging technologies…

Data
Natural
Language
Processing

“Communication-Centric” Model Changes…
19th century – 2000s:
“Communication
as a product”
2000s – 2010s:
“Communication
as a service”

…Into “Domain/Problem-Centric” Model
2010s – … :
“Communication
as a feature”,
“Communication
as a function”

“Communication as a Function”
• Context-awareness and context-preservation
• Instant availability (in the given context)
• Integration with/into problem-specific tools
• Selection of communication options/channels
• Personalization (user preferences/profiles)
• Integration with the surrounding environment

Remote Support. “Assistant-as-App”.
• Personal consulting and coaching
• “Post-training” performance support
• “Amateur support”. Situational assistance.
• Augmented-reality-based guidance

https://www.vida.com/
Suggested reading: “Why ‘Assistant-As-App’ Might Be the Next Big Tech Trend”
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-assistant-as-app-might-next-big-tech-trend-nir-eyal

http://www.onato.com/projects/vex.html
VEX ~ Remote
Insurance Appraisals
“Users can video chat with
the appraiser so that
appraisals can be quickly
and effectively performed
from the office. Video
sessions are archived for
possible liability disputes.
Hi resolution photos can be
taken by the appraiser at
any time to ensure all
details are captured.”

Social Engagement. Accessibility.
• Public reporting and journalism
• Elderly support services
• Sign-language translation services
• Assistance to blind people

http://www.bemyeyes.org/

Peer-to-Peer Interactions. CDN.
• Remote control services and functions
• “Robotic telepresence” and “avatars”
• Content delivery services
• Secured peer-to-peer transactions

http://bem.tv/

https://streamium.io/

http://www.doublerobotics.com/
Caveat: Their SDK only used WebRTC voice and video. Data channel anyone?

Time for
quick
demo…
Try it!

http://blog.uppersideconferences.com/award-winners-webrtc-2014-conference-expo/
Data
Channel
award

“Communication as a Function”
…makes perfect sense in many
desktop-based scenarios

Side-note: Desktop goes “mobile” too…
Source: http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2012/02/21/ubuntu-for-
android-could-turn-your-phone-into-a-powerful-desktop-computer/
Source: https://www-ssl.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html
Source: https://www.apple.com/macbook/

“Communication as a Function”
…can be done with several
Telecom or Web technologies

Native or hybrid application logic Web-application logic
WebRTC API(s)
in some other
programming
language(s)
Implementation of the “Web” API part of WebRTC
This API is standardized by the WEBRTC group in W3C
(including interactions with other parts of HTML5)
Implementation-specific API
Implementation of the “RTC” mechanisms of WebRTC
These mechanisms are standardized by the RTCWEB group in IETF
(NAT traversal, media negotiation, mandatory codecs, and the like)
Underlying platform

• Enhanced ICE-based NAT Traversal
• Secure media and data transport
• Common subset of media codecs
• Signaling over existing peer connection
• and more

“Communication as a Function”
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“Communication as a Function”
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WebRTC on Mobile? Choices, choices…
Web App
Native
Mobile App
Hybrid
Mobile App

WebRTC-related Considerations
• WebRTC libraries for native apps
• WebRTC direct support in WebView
• WebRTC in embedded browser
• WebRTC in 3rd-party browser apps

Some General Considerations
• Native “look and feel” on target platforms
• Application responsiveness. Usage of gestures.
• Native platform capabilities. Storage options.
• Support of external H/W devices / accessories
• Access to local media sources and outputs

Some More Considerations
• End-customer preferences / requirements
• Support for prev. versions (platform / browser)
• Required skillset and dev tools

WebRTC Options on Android
Open-source libs
• Google WebRTC
• OpenWebRTC (Ericsson)
WebRTC in WebView Starting 5.0 “Lollipop”
Embedded browser Starting 5.0 (with Chrome) ++
3rd-party browsers Chrome, Firefox, “Bowser” *
* For more details on “Bowser” visit https://getbowser.appspot.com/
++ Not guaranteed in case of vendor-customized Android firmwares

WebRTC Options on iOS
Open-source libs
• Google WebRTC
• OpenWebRTC (Ericsson)
WebRTC in WebView No native support *
Embedded browser No
3rd-party browsers “Bowser” *
* iOS apps can use WebRTC in WebView, including a W3C-specs compliant JavaScript API.
For example, look at “Bowser” (https://getbowser.appspot.com/)
or Cordova plug-in “iosrtc” (https://github.com/eface2face/cordova-plugin-iosrtc).

WebRTC Open-Source Implementations*
* Mozilla plans to “join the club” too, offering their Firefox WebRTC engine.
* For ORTC, the ORTC project offers their own open-source prototype.
OpenWebRTC

Diversity of H/W Platforms and Options

Preserve video proportions
UI and UX with WebRTC
One screen layout may not fit all
Device orientation affects both
UI layout and “camera layout”
Preview of local front camera
normally “mirrors” the user

WebRTC App Behavior
Background mode considerations
“Wi-Fi only” / “Wi-Fi and Cellular”
Lighter comm. channel options
for narrow-bandwidth conditions
Handle “edge cases” and errors

Advanced and “hack-ish” topics
Codec ordering in SDP matters.
Changing it may help, but you
must know well what you do.
(Pre-)balance UX and system load
with WebRTC constraints
Find out what codecs, if any, enjoy
H/W acceleration on platform/lib

Hybrid Mobile Applications
A typical definition:
“Applications combining
elements of both
native applications and
Web applications.”

How Well Can “Web” Play “Native”?
App / domain
logic and models App UI*
Performance-demanding
features and capabilities
* This may work great for certain apps and customers. Yet, generally, be careful.

JS-Hybrids: More Than One Approach
Approach Example dev options
Packaged web apps Microsoft ManifoldJS
“WebView UI” apps Cordova / PhoneGap
JS-based apps with
“shared” native UI
NativeScript
JS-based apps with
“per-platform” UIs
React Native

Source of photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/befuddledsenses/2904000882

Between here and the horizon…
• WebRTC official standard (“WebRTC 1.0”)
• “Object RTC” (ORTC) and “WebRTC 1.1”
• Microsoft Edge with ORTC on board
• Screen sharing. Many other additions.
• WebAssembly + WebRTC

The Centaur icon is by EliRatus from the Noun Project.
Other icons used in this presentation were made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com.
mera.com
@VladimirTechMan
linkedin.com/in/vladimirtechman
Thank you for your time and attention!
Vladimir Beloborodov
Technical Manager / CTO at Mera Software Services