The undisputed champions of kid-friendly online gameplay is in a unique position with Splatoon 2. A lot of the adult players want to be able to chat with teammates during matches to be more effective, but that environment for most other games is notoriously not kid-friendly. To resolve this, and give the Switch console less to do while gaming, Nintendo built voice chat into a separate app you install on iOS or Android.
Sound a little complicated? That's because it is, but we've got a quick guide here for setting up voice chat for your private Splatoon 2 matches.
New to Splatoon 2? Check out our Tips and Tricks guide to get you started!
Here's how it works
If you want voice chat in Splatoon 2, there are a few important things to know. First, you can only have this feature for private matches in the game. Any public matchmaking games will be played without Splatoon 2, including ranked matches. Second, you must have the Nintendo Switch Online app installed for any of this to work.
Finally, this features is almost exclusively for people you know, as Nintendo has limited the ability to invite to:
- Social Media accounts
- Nintendo Switch Friends
- People you've played with already in Splatoon 2
In order to successfully invite someone to a match, that player must also have the Nintendo Switch Online app installed on their phone with their Nintendo Account logged in. This app will confirm you have the game installed on your Switch, and will work with your Switch to connect you to the correct room and enable voice chat features. Once you're in a room with a friend, you'll be able to chat with friends for as long as you are all in the Private Match Lobby in Splatoon 2.
Step by Step Instructions
- Walk to the battle arena in-game
- Scroll down to Online Lounge
- Select Create Room
- Select OK to confirm a private match
- Select Send Notification to My Smart Device
- Tap notification on your phone to open app
- Invite friends from social media, Switch friends list, or players you've recently battled with
- Return to your Switch and start playing!
