Did you refuse to play Splatoon 2 because of the messy communication system? Are you angry with Nintendo for forcing you to download an external app in your phone just to play the game with your friends? Well, turns out there is an in-game voice chat, but only for LAN sessions.
This is the third and least used multiplayer option for the Switch. You can connect up to 12 consoles to a compatible router to enjoy every game mode, from Turf Wars to Salmon Run, as Nintendo explains in this LAN play tutorial.
NeoGaf user PetrCobra discovered by playing this way with friends that they could perfectly hear another player who was in the same room using a headset with the microphone on. In the same thread, someone called eRonin shared what they found after some tests:
• You can hear everybody in the lobby.
• You can hear your teammates in Salmon Run.
• You can't hear your rivals in competitive matches.
Now, the big question is, why did Nintendo decide to block integrated voice chat for the rest of the game? Maybe there were network problems for online games with voice chat? Or maybe the system needs further iteration and will be added via a future update?