Pokémon Unite: How to use voice chat

Pokémon Unite has been available on Nintendo Switch for a few months, but now iPhone and Android players have joined the fray for some awesome global teamups. Rounds consist of teams of up to five players battling against each other to score the most points within an allotted amount of time.

If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that playing with your friends, especially the ones you trust, makes victory a whole lot easier to obtain. While you could rely on the slow in-game messaging, speaking between yourselves makes the whole thing more efficient, so I’ll show you how to do that. Unfortunately, voice chat is currently not available on the mobile version, but we’ll update if that changes.

NOTE: With the 13.0.0 update, Nintendo recently made it possible to connect Bluetooth headphones directly to the Switch without needing any dongle or adapters. So the process just got easier for wireless headset owners.

How to use voice chat in Pokémon Unite

You’ll have to get to Trainer Level 6 before you have access to voice chat. As long as the Nintendo Switch recognizes your headset, you’ll be able to use it. Follow these steps to make it happen.

1. Either connect or plug in a compatible headset to your Nintendo Switch.

2. If you haven’t done so yet, start Pokémon Unite.

   

   Source: Rebecca Spear / iMore and iMore

3. Start up a Unite Battle. Note, you cannot talk to each other in lobbies, only during a match.

4. When you are on the battle arena, press the + button on your Switch controller to bring up a settings menu.

   

   Source: iMore and Rebecca Spear / iMore

5. Now press the – button on your Switch controller for additional settings.

6. Scroll down to Voice Chat Settings.

   

   Source: iMore

7. If you want to hear other people, turn Incoming to On.

8. If this is your first time doing this, you’ll need to press the X button to agree to terms and conditions to proceed.

   

   Source: iMore

9. If you only want invited friends to be able to hear you, switch the Incoming Range to Team: Invited. The Team: All option makes it so you can hear anyone on your team.

10. If you want other people to be able to hear you, turn Outgoing to On.

    

    Source: iMore

With voice chat turned on, you’ll be able to talk to your teammates and strategize ways to win during battles.

Other Voice Chat options

It’s really frustrating that you cannot talk to other people while in the Pokémon Unite main menu or the lobby. If you want to be able to talk to your teammates more easily, I suggest you use your phone to access Discord or start an Instant Meeting in Google Meet to talk to your friends while you play. This might prove more difficult on mobile since the voice chat service you use could pop up on screen and block your view of the game. You’ll just have to experiment and see which one works best for you.

Can you hear me now?

Voice chat is a necessity with any team-based game, and the same goes with Pokémon’s brand new MOBA. Make sure you have the best headsets available to make gameplay easier whether you’re playing from iPhone, Android, or Nintendo Switch.