Fix: ‘Voice Service Unavailable’ in Call of Duty MW 2 on PC

The “Voice Service Unavailable” error message in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II occurs during online or multiplayer gaming. This issue is often caused by misconfigured audio settings, malfunctioning audio drivers on your computer, or incorrect input and output devices selected in the game settings.

In addition, another reason that can cause this problem is the antivirus application on your computer. This is quite common for third-party security programs, as they restrict access to certain applications running in the Windows environment.

In the case of consoles, the issue can often be connected to the voice settings. The problem can arise on a PlayStation if you have the ‘Mute Game Voice Chat’ option enabled. In this article, we will guide you through a number of methods that demonstrate how to eliminate the ‘Voice Service Unavailable’ error message.

1. Enable voice chat.

The first thing you should do when starting to troubleshoot the problem in question is to make sure voice chat is not disabled from the game settings menu. If the voice chat feature is disabled from the settings menu, you will naturally not be able to use it which can prompt the Voice Service Unavailable error message.

You can check the voice chat feature quite easily via the audio settings in the game. Follow the instructions below to enable voice chat in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.

1. First, open the game on your PC.
2. After that, navigate to the Settings menu by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner.

   

3. From the Settings menu, choose Audio.

   

4. In the Audio settings section, locate the Voice Chat option.

   

5. Make sure it is set to ON. 
6. Apply the change if it was disabled. You should now be able to use the voice chat feature.

2. Check the voice chat settings.

If you are encountering the issue even with the Voice Chat option enabled, you must make sure your audio settings in the game are correct. Oftentimes, when the game audio settings are misconfigured, you will not be able to hear the game sound or communicate with other players.

This often happens when the game tries to use the wrong input and output devices on your computer. In such a scenario, selecting the appropriate playback and input devices in the game’s audio settings should resolve the issue for you. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. First, open Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II on your computer.
2. After that, click on the Settings icon in the top-right corner to bring up the settings menu.

   

3. Navigate to Audio settings.

   

4. Under Audio settings, locate the Voice Chat Output Device option.

   

5. Make sure the correct playback device is selected here. 
6. After that, under Microphone settings, ensure the game is using the correct Microphone Input Device.

   

7. Once you do that, click Apply and restart the game. See if that fixes the issue. 

3. Restart your computer.

If changing the voice chat settings in the game does not fix the problem for you, it is possible that your microphone or headset is malfunctioning. In such a scenario, you can resolve the issue by restarting your computer. Restarting the PC will reinitialize the devices connected to your computer, and the drivers will be reloaded, which can often resolve such inconsistencies.

Therefore, if you have not yet restarted your computer, go ahead and perform a system reboot to reinitialize the audio devices on the subsequent boot. Once your PC boots up, open Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and see if that resolves the Voice Service Unavailable issue. If the problem persists, proceed to the next method below.

4. Test audio devices.

In some scenarios, the problem can arise due to a hardware issue with the audio devices on your computer. This can happen over time when the lifecycle of the components inside your devices reaches its limit. Alternatively, misuse or damage to your headset or microphone can also result in their malfunctioning and ceasing to function.

Therefore, it is important to ensure that your microphone and headphones are not damaged and are working properly. There are various ways to test the input and output devices on your computer. For starters, if you can hear sound in the game menu or any other media, your headset is not the issue. To check your microphone, navigate to the Sound settings menu to see if it is picking up any input.

Follow the instructions below to check your microphone capture:

1. First, open the Control Panel by searching for it in the Start Menu.

   

2. In the Start Menu, click on the Hardware and Sound option.

   

3. After that, click on the Sound option provided.

   

4. On the window that appears, switch to the Recording tab.
5. Locate your microphone and start talking into it. 
6. If the audio level next to it increases, your microphone is picking up input. If the audio level does not rise, there is something wrong with your microphone, and it cannot pick up any input.

   

5. Run COD Modern Warfare 2 as an administrator.

In some cases, the problem may originate if the game process lacks sufficient permissions to access the required devices in the Windows environment. When this occurs, you can easily resolve the issue by granting the game process administrative privileges.

Upon starting the game process with administrative permissions, it will allow access to the audio devices on your computer properly and override any restrictions placed by other applications. To run the game with administrative privileges, please follow the instructions provided below:

1. First of all, open the File Explorer window.

   

2. After that, navigate to the installation directory of Call of Duty Modern Warfare II.
3. In the installation folder, right-click on the cod.exe file and choose Properties from the drop-down menu.

   

4. In the Properties window, switch to the Compatibility tab.
5. There, check the ‘Run this program as an administrator’ checkbox and click Apply.

   

6. Finally, click ‘OK‘ and open the game through your respective client. Check to see if that resolves the issue.

6. Reinstall the audio drivers.

Another potential cause for the error message in question could be the audio drivers installed on your computer. In some scenarios, the audio driver files on your computer may get damaged due to a recent update, which can lead to the drivers malfunctioning.

This can impact all of the audio devices on your computer, which might also be why the error message in question is occurring. In such a scenario, the inconsistency with the audio drivers can be resolved by reinstalling the drivers on your computer.

Windows automatically downloads the latest drivers available in its repository and installs them on your computer, making the process hassle-free. To initiate this process, simply uninstall your current audio drivers.

Follow the instructions below to do this:

1. First, open the Start Menu and search for the Device Manager. Then, open it.

   

2. In the Device Manager window, expand the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers list.

   

3. After that, right-click on your audio driver and choose the “Uninstall device” option from the drop-down menu.

   

4. Once you do that, restart your computer. 
5. Windows will reinstall the drivers automatically on the next boot-up. See if that fixes the error message. 

7. Disable third-party antivirus.

Third-party antivirus programs are known to trigger various issues with the applications you use on your computer. This often happens due to the overprotective policies put in place by the security program and the continuous monitoring of other processes in the Windows environment to keep your system safe.

In such efforts, the antivirus program blocks various requests from the applications on your computer, preventing them from accessing their required resources. If your antivirus program is interfering with the Call of Duty Modern Warfare II process, you will need to disable it temporarily to see if that resolves the issue.

If the problem goes away after you have disabled the third-party antivirus program, you can overcome the issue by whitelisting the Call of Duty Modern Warfare II process in your security program. Once you do that, it will not be able to interfere with the game process, and the issue should remain resolved even with the antivirus running in the background.

8. Allow COD Modern Warfare II to pass through the Windows Firewall.

In some scenarios, the Windows Defender Firewall can block specific network requests made by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, which can result in the voice chat service not working.

Windows Defender Firewall is responsible for managing all inbound and outbound requests on your computer, which is why you will need to whitelist COD Modern Warfare II in the firewall settings to mitigate such issues. Allowing an app through the firewall removes any restrictions or blockages the firewall has placed on the app.

Follow the instructions below to allow COD Modern Warfare II through the Windows Firewall:

1. First, open the Control Panel by searching for it in the Start Menu.

   

2. In the Control Panel window, navigate to System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall.

   

3. After that, click the Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall option.

   

4. There, click on the Change settings button.

   

5. Follow this up by clicking the Allow another app option.

   

6. Click the Browse option and navigate to the installation directory of COD Modern Warfare II. Open the cod.exe file. 
7. After that, click on Network Types.

   

8. Tick both the Public and Private checkboxes, and then click OK.
9. Finally, click the Add button to allow the game through the Windows Firewall. 
10. Once you do that, restart your computer. 
11. After your PC boots up, open the game to see if the problem still exists.

9. Update the Console Controller (if applicable).

The controller you use on your respective platforms also has dedicated firmware that needs to be updated occasionally. In some scenarios, an inconsistency in the controller’s firmware can cause voice service unavailability issues in Call of Duty Modern Warfare II.

If this case is applicable, you will need to update the firmware of your console. This process can vary slightly for PlayStation and Xbox controllers. We have provided instructions for both down below, so there is nothing to worry about. You will need access to a Windows machine to update the controller. Follow the instructions that apply to you.

PlayStation.

1. First, download the firmware updater from the official link by clicking here. 
2. Once you have downloaded the updater, run it and follow the on-screen prompts. 
3. You may be asked to download additional software during the installation process, depending on your controller.
4. Once the updater has been installed on your computer, connect the controller to your system using a USB cable.
5. Finally, open the firmware updater and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update.

Xbox

1. Begin by installing the Xbox Accessories app on your computer through the Microsoft Store.
2. After that, launch the Xbox Accessories app. 
3. Connect your controller to the PC via a USB cable.
4. Once you do that, an update message will appear if there is one available. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the update.

After you have updated the firmware of your controller, connect it to your console and see if the problem disappears.

10. Reinstall COD: Modern Warfare II.

Finally, if none of the above methods have resolved the issue for you, the problem is likely caused by the installation files of the game on your computer. In some instances, repairing the installation files may not fix the corruption or damage present, which is why the problem persists.

If all else has failed, you will have to resort to uninstalling the game from your computer and then downloading it again. A fresh copy of the game on your computer is likely to mitigate the issue in question. To uninstall the game via Steam, follow the instructions below:

1. First, open the Steam client on your computer.
2. Navigate to the game library and right-click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.
3. From the drop-down menu, choose Manage > Uninstall.

   

4. Once the game has been uninstalled, start downloading it again and wait for it to finish.
5. After the game is installed, the problem should no longer be present.