Idle Timeout - CometChat Docs

Configure automatic session termination when a user is alone in a call. Idle timeout helps manage resources by ending sessions that have no active participants.

How Idle Timeout Works

When a user is the only participant in a call session, the idle timeout countdown begins. If no other participant joins before the timeout expires, the session automatically ends and the onSessionTimedOut callback is triggered. The timer also restarts when other participants leave and only one user remains in the call. This is useful for:

Preventing abandoned call sessions from running indefinitely
Managing server resources efficiently
Providing a better user experience when the other party doesn’t join

Configure Idle Timeout

Set the idle timeout period using setIdleTimeoutPeriod() in SessionSettingsBuilder. The value is in seconds.

SessionSettings sessionSettings = CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder()
    .setIdleTimeoutPeriod(120) // 2 minutes
    .setType(SessionType.video)
    .build();

CometChatCalls.joinSession(
  sessionId: sessionId,
  sessionSettings: sessionSettings,
  onSuccess: (Widget? callWidget) {
    debugPrint("Joined session");
    // Add callWidget to your widget tree
  },
  onError: (CometChatCallsException e) {
    debugPrint("Failed: ${e.message}");
  },
);

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`idleTimeoutPeriod`	int	300	Timeout in seconds when alone in the session

Handle Session Timeout

Listen for the onSessionTimedOut callback using SessionStatusListener to handle when the session ends due to idle timeout:

CallSession? callSession = CallSession.getInstance();

callSession?.addSessionStatusListener(SessionStatusListener(
  onSessionTimedOut: () {
    debugPrint("Session ended due to idle timeout");
    // Show message to user and navigate away from call screen
    showMessage("Call ended - no other participants joined");
    Navigator.of(context).pop();
  },
  onSessionJoined: () {},
  onSessionLeft: () {},
  onConnectionLost: () {},
  onConnectionRestored: () {},
  onConnectionClosed: () {},
));

Flutter listeners are not lifecycle-aware. You must manually remove listeners in your widget’s dispose() method to prevent memory leaks.

Disable Idle Timeout

To disable idle timeout and allow sessions to run indefinitely, set a value of 0:

SessionSettings sessionSettings = CometChatCalls.SessionSettingsBuilder()
    .setIdleTimeoutPeriod(0) // Disable idle timeout
    .build();

Disabling idle timeout may result in sessions running indefinitely if participants don’t join or leave properly. Use with caution.

​How Idle Timeout Works

​Configure Idle Timeout

​Handle Session Timeout

​Disable Idle Timeout

How Idle Timeout Works

Configure Idle Timeout

Handle Session Timeout

Disable Idle Timeout