Described are techniques for establishing video communication between devices while reducing delays associated with initialization of a camera system. When a command from a sender device to initiate a communications session with a recipient device is received, the command may include recipient information indicative of the recipient device. Correspondence between the recipient information and sender contact data may be used determine a recipient profile identifier. Prior to providing a communication request to the recipient device, an initialization command may be provided to the recipient device to cause the recipient device to begin initializing a camera system. Providing the initialization command to the recipient device responsive to the command from the sender device, in advance of the communication request, enables the communications session to be initiated more rapidly than if the recipient device began to initialize the camera system responsive to the communication request.