WebRTC API Capability Assessment for Communication Services
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users experience negative interactions with WebRTC-based communication services due to being presented with unavailable service alternatives, leading to a poor user experience as they are misled into initiating communication sessions that cannot be provided by their devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing WebRTC APIs in a new manner to determine and present only the communication capabilities supported by a user's device and potentially connected devices, using unattached media stream tracks and RTCSessionDescription objects to assess and indicate available communication types without accessing real media data, thus preventing misleading user expectations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If WebRTC service presents all possible communication alternatives to users, then service versatility is improved, but user experience deteriorates due to misleading unavailable options
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary capability assessment by creating RTCPeerConnection objects and generating RTCSessionDescription objects before presenting service alternatives to users. This preliminary action determines which communication types (audio, video, data) are actually supported by the user's device, ensuring that only available services are presented, thus avoiding misleading users while maintaining service versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from RTCSessionDescription objects to determine device capabilities and adjust the presented service alternatives accordingly. By analyzing the session description information, the system receives feedback about what communication types are supported and modifies the available options to match actual capabilities, resolving the contradiction between showing diverse services and maintaining user experience reliability
2Measurement precision
If WebRTC accesses real media data to determine capabilities, then measurement precision is improved, but user privacy and security worsen due to unnecessary media access
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts capability information from RTCSessionDescription objects without requiring access to real media data. By taking out the necessary capability indicators from the session description structure, the system achieves sufficient measurement precision for determining supported communication types while avoiding the harmful effect of unnecessary media access and associated privacy risks
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses RTCSessionDescription objects as a copy or representation of media capability information without needing to access actual media streams. This copying approach provides sufficient information for capability determination while eliminating the need to access real microphones, cameras, or other media devices, thus protecting user privacy and security
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, server nodes and associated methods related to communication services applying webRTC are disclosed. The method performed by a device includes creating an RTCPeerConnection object and instructing the RTCPeerConnection object to create a RTCSessionDescription, SDesc_1, for a session containing audio and video components. The method further includes determining which capabilities that are supported by the device based on information in the SDesc_1, and further indicating information related to the determined capabilities to a first user on a user interface. A first user, when using the service, is enabled to select a type of user communication, based on the indicated information, that can be provided by the device.