Are you experiencing the frustrating “Voice Service Unavailable” error while playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3)?
This issue can hinder your gaming experience, especially when communication is essential. Fortunately, there are effective solutions to resolve this problem and get back to enjoying seamless voice chat in MW3.
In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the steps to troubleshoot and fix the “Voice Service Unavailable” error in MW3 with ease.
How To Fix MW3 Voice Service Unavailable Error?
To fix the Voice Service Unavailable error in MW3, you can validate the Lobby voice chat and audio input and output settings, and restart the game. Moreover, you may also run MW3 as administrator, and refresh the system to fix the issue.
Below is a detailed explanation of all the above-mentioned fixes:
1. Check Lobby Voice Chat Settings
Some players have reported that selecting “Party Only” for their lobby voice chat settings can resolve the Voice Service Unavailable error.
To check the lobby voice chat settings in MW3, follow these steps:
- Launch MW3 and navigate to the main menu or lobby screen.
- Look for an icon resembling a gear or cog in the user interface. Click on this icon to access the game settings.
- Within the settings menu, locate the audio or voice chat settings. This may involve scrolling through different tabs or sections until you find the appropriate option.
- Once in the audio settings, look for the voice chat options. Ensure that the voice chat is enabled and set to the desired configuration, such as “Party Only” or “Everyone.”
- After verifying and adjusting the voice chat settings, save any changes made and exit the settings menu.
2. Verify Audio Input And Output Devices
Ensure that your audio input and output devices are correctly chosen in your Windows settings. This can help address any issues related to voice chat not working in MW3.
To verify your audio input and output devices, follow these steps:
- Right-click on the speaker icon in the system tray and select “Open Sound settings” to access the sound settings directly.
- In the Sound settings, navigate to the “Output” section. Here, you can see a list of available output devices such as speakers or headphones.
- Verify that the correct output device is selected as the default playback device. You can test the selected device by playing a sound and observing the sound output.
- Next, navigate to the “Input” section in the Sound settings. Here, you can see a list of available input devices such as microphones.
- Ensure that the correct input device is selected as the default recording device. You can test the selected device by speaking into the microphone and observing the input level.
3. Restart MW3
If you encounter the Voice Service Unavailable error, try turning voice chat off, exiting the game, starting a new game, and then turning on voice services.
To do the same, follow these steps:
- Access In-Game Settings: While in the game, navigate to the settings menu and locate the voice chat options.
- Turn Off Voice Chat: Within the settings, disable or turn off the voice chat feature.
- Exit the Game: Completely exit MW3 and ensure that it is no longer running in the background.
- Relaunch the Game: Restart MW3 by launching it again from your game library or desktop shortcut.
- Start a New Game or Load a Save: Begin a new game or load a previous save file, depending on your progress in the game.
- Turn On Voice Services: Once in the game, navigate back to the voice chat settings and enable or turn on the voice chat feature.
4. Run MW3 As Administrator
Running MW3 as an administrator may help resolve the Voice Service Unavailable error in some cases.
To run MW3 as an administrator, you can follow these steps:
- Locate the Game Executable: Navigate to the installation directory of MW3 on your computer. This is typically where the game files are stored, such as in the “Program Files” or “Program Files (x86)” folder on Windows.
- Right-click the Game Executable: Once you’ve located the MW3 executable file (often ending in “.exe”), right-click on it to open the contextual menu.
- Select “Run as administrator”: From the contextual menu, select the “Run as administrator” option. This will launch MW3 with elevated privileges.
5. Refresh The System
Turn off your PC and then turn it back on after around 30 seconds. This can allow your system to refresh itself, potentially fixing the Voice Service Unavailable error.
To turn off your PC, simply click on the “Start” menu, select “Power,” and then choose “Shut down.” Wait for the PC to power off completely.
To turn it back on, press the power button on the PC case or the power button on the keyboard if it’s configured to turn on the PC.
6. Contact Activision Customer Support
In addition to the previously mentioned steps, if the issue persists, you can consider reaching out to Activision customer support for further assistance.
They will guide you with better options to get rid of the above error.