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Charles R. Portwood II edited this page May 6, 2026 · 13 revisions

Getting Started with Bedrock Voice Chat

A High Performance, Low Latency, Secure Voice Chat server for Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Servers

Bedrock Voice Chat (BVC) is a proximity voice-chat system for Minecraft Bedrock, Minecraft Java, and other games (e.g. Hytale). Players hear each other based on in-game distance. BVC is cross-platform (Bedrock + Java) and cross-device (PC, mobile, console).

How BVC Works

BVC has three components:

  1. A server-side addon/mod that relays player positions to the BVC server:
    • Behavior pack for Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS), or
    • Fabric / PaperMC mod for Java/Geyser servers, or
    • the appropriate mod for other supported games (e.g. Hytale).
  2. The BVC server — a standalone Rust executable that handles all voice traffic. It runs separately from your Minecraft server.
  3. Client apps (Windows, iOS, Android) that connect directly to the BVC server.

The BVC server is not a plugin — it's a standalone executable. Most commercial Minecraft hosts won't let you run it alongside your game server, so you'll typically run BVC on your own VPS, dedicated box, or k8s cluster.

Exception: the Java mod can run BVC embedded in-process. This is fine for small/always-on servers but not recommended for low-end hosts or hosts that suspend.

Installation — In Order

Video walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ciAc_d81a0

1. Install the addon/mod on your game server

Server type Guide
Bedrock Dedicated Server BDS Server Pack Installation
Fabric / PaperMC (incl. Geyser) Minecraft Java Support
Hytale Hytale Java Support

All assets are on the GitHub Releases page under Assets.

2. Run the BVC server

Required unless you're using the Java mod's embedded mode. Follow the BVC Server Installation guide. The server needs:

  • A reachable host (VPS, dedicated, k8s, or your own machine).
  • Public network reachability (port forward / firewall configured).
  • A domain or static IP.
  • A valid TLS certificate (Let's Encrypt / win-acme / any ACME).
  • A shared access_token configured in config.hcl and mirrored in your game-server addon/mod.

3. Whitelist players

BVC is deny-by-default. Operators whitelist players via the CLI before they can log into the client app. See Logging In to Bedrock Voice Chat Client and the Command Line Interface reference.

4. Distribute the client apps

Platform Where
Windows bvc-windows-client-x64.exe from Releases — portable, no install.
macOS / Linux desktop Coming soon.
Android Early-access invites going out daily — see the pinned post in #bedrock-voice-chat-discussion on Discord.
iOS / iPadOS Released once we hit our funding goal (covers App Store legal/maintenance). Help via Patreon or YouTube Membership.
Console (Xbox, Switch, PlayStation) Use the mobile app — there is no on-console client.

Troubleshooting

If voice isn't working, verify:

  • The game-server addon/mod is installed and points at the correct BVC server URL.
  • The BVC server is running and publicly reachable (test https://your.bvc-server.tld/api/config).
  • Firewall + port forwarding are correct (TCP/UDP for both HTTP and QUIC ports).
  • Players are connecting to the BVC server, not your Minecraft server.

Still stuck? Make sure all four steps above are complete before asking for help — the most common cause is the BVC server being unreachable. Help channels: Discord or open a GitHub issue.

Supporting BVC

Sponsorship funds new features, faster bug fixes, support for more games and launchers, and platform releases (e.g. iOS). Supporters and Sponsors get early access to new features. Details: https://github.com/Alaydriem/bedrock-voice-chat/discussions/31

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