[Resolved] Mic not detected in OW - works in battle.net but in-game shows "input unknown"

Technical Support
1

Hey guys, I’ve searched a lot of threads on here and on the internet and I’m exhausted by this issue. My microphone isn’t being detected in the game, but it works fine when I test in the settings under battle.net

This worked in the past but after an update some time ago it stopped.

Steps I’ve done:

  • verified mic is detected and working in Windows. Under the Sound settings I can see my Microphone set up as a Recording device. I can talk to it and the bars clearly flash in response to my voice.

  • made sure the mic is set up as a “default” device (since no other recording devices are present I don’t think I have the option to make it otherwise)

  • I uninstalled my audio drivers, plugged my devices back in and let them re-install.

  • I’ve tried every port. Different set of headphones (I have a USB set and one with just a 3.5mm jack, there is no difference whichever one I use) with no luck.

  • yes I went under Win 10 Privacy settings and my mic is enabled

  • made sure “exclusive access” is unchecked under Advanced

Please let me know why this is such a pain and I’ll be grateful if you can point me towards success. What is puzzling to me is why battle.net can clearly detect my microphone and show that it is working, but it is not reflected in the OW application. Thank you for any help

2

Aside from the exclusive access, did you try the rest of the advanced steps, like port forwarding? Also, is this a bluetooth mic? Sometimes these devices can’t process data fast enough to work with Overwatch.

Advanced Troubleshooting
  1. If your voice chat is set to Push To Talk , try changing the keybind for Voice Chat: Push To Talk to a different key in the Controls menu.
  2. Check your network configuration to find any issues with your firewall, router, or port settings.
  3. Close all other applications to resolve software conflicts and free up resources.
  4. Make sure Exclusive Mode is disabled.
3

I think I fixed my problem, I’ll leave his here in case it helps anyone in the future.

After doing all the above steps, in battle.net settings I switched to the System Default Device for the Microphone option, then in-game, I switched to “Default Comms” - I think this was the missing step!

I’m not sure where it changed, or if it is different because I’m now on Windows 10.

It’s a USB Headset, I also have a 3.5mm one which I tested with the same results.

Thanks!

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