Voice Chat: Resolving Lag and Stuttering with a Jitter Buffer

Voice Chat: Resolving Lag and Stuttering with a Jitter Buffer

The problem you described—delays between words like "We should --(delay 1s)-- have dinner"—is caused by jitter, the uneven arrival time of sound packets.

1. How the Jitter Buffer Makes Things Better

A Jitter Buffer is a queue that sits between your network receiver and your audio playback speaker. It works by converting an unpredictable, stuttering delay (jitter) into a predictable, constant delay (buffer time).

The "Safety Cushion" Mechanism

1. Initial Delay: When the conversation starts, the buffer waits until it has collected a minimum number of packets (the Threshold). This intentionally introduces a small, fixed amount of lag (e.g., 50–100ms).

2. Cushioning Spikes: When the network suddenly gets slow (a "jitter spike") and a packet is delayed, the audio player simply consumes the packets that are already lined up in the buffer's cushion. The user doesn't hear the delay because the player didn't run out of data.

3. Preventing Underrun: By using the cushion to bridge these momentary gaps, the conversation flows smoothly, preventing the jarring, silent stutters you were experiencing.

The trade-off is simple: you accept a tiny, constant extra delay (the buffer size) to guarantee much smoother, continuous audio quality.

2. Pseudo-Code Implementation

This pseudo-code demonstrates the core logic you would implement on the receiving client (your Kotlin Android app).

// ---------------------------------------------- // Data Structure: What goes into the buffer // ----------------------------------------------
STRUCTURE AudioPacket { SequenceNumber: Integer // For keeping packets in order Data: Byte Array // The actual sound chunk Duration: Integer // Typically 20ms of audio }

// ---------------------------------------------- // Jitter Buffer Class Logic // ----------------------------------------------
CLASS JitterBuffer {
// Properties
PacketQueue: Queue of AudioPacket // The core storage
Threshold: Integer = 5 // Minimum packets to start playback
MAX_CAPACITY: Integer = 10 // Max size to prevent excessive lag

// ------------------------------------------
// 1. RECEIVE (Called when a network packet arrives)
// ------------------------------------------
METHOD PutPacket(newPacket) {

// A. If buffer is too full, drop the packet (too much latency risk)
IF PacketQueue.Size > MAX_CAPACITY {Print("WARNING: Buffer Full. Dropping late packet.")RETURN
}// B. Add the packet, ensuring it's kept in sequence
PacketQueue.Insert(newPacket, sorted by SequenceNumber)

}

// ------------------------------------------
// 2. PLAY (Called by the audio system every 20ms)
// ------------------------------------------
METHOD GetNextPacket() {

// A. Initial Wait (Create the Cushion)
IF PlaybackHasNotStarted AND PacketQueue.Size < Threshold {Print("Waiting for buffer to fill...")RETURN SILENCE // Play nothing or play comfort noise
}// B. Buffer Underrun (The Failure Case)
IF PacketQueue is Empty {// This is when the network was too slow for the buffer to handlePrint("ERROR: Buffer Underrun! Stutter detected.")RETURN SILENCE // Play silence/comfort noise until data arrives
}// C. Successful Playback (Smooth Audio)
nextPacket = PacketQueue.Dequeue()
RETURN nextPacket.Data // Send sound data to speaker

}