[IMPLEMENT] Add setVisibility support for Android to hide specific controls

[jakubjuraszek]

What needs to be implemented

The setVisibility(visibility, controls) method currently only works on iOS. There is no equivalent way to hide specific UI elements (like the fullscreen button) on Android. We need to extend this functionality to Android.

How should it be implemented

• Extend the setVisibility method to support Android in jwplayer-react-native.
• Allow hiding individual UI elements (e.g., fullscreen button) instead of disabling all controls via setControls(false).

Acceptance Criteria

• Calling setVisibility(false, ['fullscreen']) should hide the fullscreen button but leave other controls visible.
• The feature should work consistently across Android devices.
• The new functionality should not interfere with iOS behavior.
• Documentation should be updated to reflect this change.

Additional context
This request originates from a use case where some videos (e.g., top card videos) should not allow fullscreen mode, but still require other controls (play, pause, seek, etc.).
Currently, the only workaround is disabling all controls using setControls(false), which is not ideal.

Additionally, in the existing source code, setVisibility is explicitly restricted to iOS:

setVisibility(visibility, controls) {
  if (RNJWPlayerManager && Platform.OS === 'ios') {
    RNJWPlayerManager.setVisibility(
      this.getRNJWPlayerBridgeHandle(),
      visibility,
      controls
    );
  }
}

We would like to understand if there is a technical reason for this restriction or if it can be extended to Android.

JWP Ticketing
To expedite resolution and maintain confidentiality, submit a JWP request in addition to this new Issue. A JWP request offers the following benefits:

• Associates the Issue with your company
• Permits securely share sensitive information related to the bug, request, or question
• Enhances JWP's ability to track progress and provide timely updates
• Enables you to track and manage multiple issues through a single platform

ℹ️ While Issues are valuable for open-source collaboration, a JWP request ensures that you will receive clear timelines and efficient support.

[cheynewallace]

++ 1 for this
The inability to hide controls or effectively configure styles are the main reasons holding us back from using this library.

[Jmilham21]

TLDR: Android cannot support this right now, and it hasn't been prioritized, but we will consider your pain point in planning for the rest of this year.

@jakubjuraszek @cheynewallace I understand this is an annoyance, but there isn't a great way to hide/show specific views via the JWP Android SDK. The only option is to hide a UIGroup, which will hide/show everything in that container of views (like the control bar, center controls, etc.). If you attempt to target a single view manually and set it to .gone, the driving ViewModels can and will reshow it when internal triggers occur.

I will leave this open and create an internal ticket around hiding individual views. I will say that hiding/showing single views goes against the original design philosophy for this codebase (I understand iOS works differently, and this has been a pain point for developers). If you needed a custom UI, that was up to you to implement (and this makes things even more complicated in the React-Native space). I will update this thread if/when we can progress this, but for now, this is unactionable without some sub-optimal hacking.