New Video API 2.33: Client Observability and Platform Updates

Introduction

We are excited to announce the release of Vonage Video API 2.33. This update brings significant improvements to client-side observability, introduces granular controls for publisher video quality on both Web and Native platforms, and expands our platform support to include Apple Silicon Macs and Debian 13.

Here is an overview of the new features and improvements available in this release. As always, we recommend checking out the full release notes for all changes.

Enhanced Client Observability

Gaining insight into the end-user experience is critical for maintaining high-quality video sessions. Version 2.33 introduces a comprehensive set of new metrics and quality events for the Client SDKs. These enhancements allow developers to monitor publisher and subscriber performance more effectively, providing deeper visibility into the network and device conditions affecting user endpoints. These new data points are designed to help you proactively identify and troubleshoot quality issues in real-time.

For Publishers, you now have access to:

• Simulcast/SVC layer metrics, including encoded frame dimensions, output frame rates, and bitrate for each layer

• Quality limitation insights that tell you exactly why quality is being reduced—whether it's bandwidth, CPU, or other constraints

• Detailed bitrate breakdowns separating the actual video payload from protocol overhead

• Scalability mode and codec information for fine-grained optimization

For Subscribers, new statistics include:

• Decoded resolution and frame rate to understand exactly what users are receiving

• Video freeze and pause detection with precise duration tracking

• Rendering performance metrics to identify bottlenecks in media playback

Video Quality Changed Events provide real-time notifications when significant quality changes occur, enabling you to build proactive quality management features into your applications.

These observability enhancements empower you to:

• Diagnose quality issues faster and more accurately

• Build smarter adaptive experiences based on real conditions

• Provide better support to your end users with concrete metrics

• Optimize network and compute resource usage

Read the Client Observability Guide.

Publisher Preferred Resolution and Frame Rate API (JS Web)

Applications often require dynamic control over video quality to adapt to changing UI layouts or bandwidth constraints. The JavaScript Web SDK now includes new APIs that allow you to adjust a publisher's preferred resolution and frame rate after it has been initialized. This feature allows developers to lower a client's resolution and frame rate when the original settings are causing quality issues, ensuring efficient resource utilization and that the published video meets the application's specific requirements.

// Set preferred resolution
await publisher.setPreferredResolution({ width: 1280, height: 720 });

// Set preferred frame rate
await publisher.setPreferredFrameRate(30);

Important note: While you can set preferred values, the actual quality delivered will ultimately be determined by available network bandwidth and device capabilities. The new values should be a lower resolution or frame rate than the original initialized values.

Learn more about Publisher Video Constraints.

Publisher Degradation Preference (Native SDKs)

For mobile and desktop applications running on native platforms, managing how video behaves under stress is vital for retaining users. 

The Native SDKs now support a Publisher Degradation Preference parameter. This setting allows you to specify how a publisher’s stream should react to poor CPU or network conditions—for example, choosing to degrade resolution to maintain frame rate, or vice versa.

This control is particularly useful for optimizing performance on constrained devices, ensuring the best possible experience even when resources are limited, or when certain applications have a very specific need to prioritize one metric over another. For example, a healthcare application may want to preserve video quality over audio quality at all times, while an application that streams gaming or sports content may favor a consistent frame rate over visual fidelity.

See the guide on Setting Publisher Degradation Preference.

Expanded Platform Support

iOS SDK on Mac (Apple Silicon)

We have officially added support for the Vonage iOS SDK on Mac machines equipped with Apple Silicon. Leveraging the architectural similarities between Apple’s mobile and desktop silicon, this update provides Mac users and developers with a robust, native SDK option for building macOS applications.

View the iOS SDK Overview.

Debian 13 Support

Our Linux support continues to evolve with the addition of Debian 13. Developers can now deploy the Vonage Video API on the latest distribution of Debian, ensuring compatibility with modern infrastructure standards.

Generally Available (GA) Features

Subscriber Downlink Estimation

Previously in beta, the Subscriber Downlink Estimation feature is now generally available. These observability metrics provide an estimation of the available bandwidth a participant has for receiving video traffic. This data is essential for implementing adaptive logic that adjusts subscription quality based on the user's actual network capacity.

Check out the documentation for Sender-Side Stats for Client Observability.

Google Chrome for iOS

We now provide full support for Google Chrome on iOS, ensuring a consistent and reliable video experience for users accessing your application via Chrome on Apple mobile devices.

Getting Started

Ready to upgrade? Here's what you need to know.

Installation for JavaScript/Web:

npm install @vonage/client-sdk-video@2.33.0

For native SDKs, visit our documentation for platform-specific installation instructions.

Conclusion

We hope that all the additional quality metrics and the ability to adjust quality on the fly will help you build more efficient video applications. With real-time access to these metrics, developers can build better user interactions in their apps.