The app is slow to start

If the Cradle desktop app takes longer than usual to open and show your dial pad, the cause is almost always one of a handful of routine things. Most of them only happen once, the first time you launch after an update or on a new computer.

Quick checks (try these first)

Wait a little longer. First-launch after an update can take 30 to 60 seconds. The next launch will be quick.
Check status.cradle.io. If the service itself is having an issue, sign-in waits longer.
Quit Cradle fully and reopen. A clean restart fixes a surprising number of stuck loaders.

Most common cause: first launch after an update

Cradle auto-updates on Windows and macOS. The first time the app opens after applying an update, it does extra one-off work: checking the new files, refreshing your local cache, and synchronising any data that's changed shape between versions. This can take longer than a normal launch.

It's a one-off. The next launch should be back to normal. If launch number two is still slow, keep reading.

Sign-in is waiting on Google or Microsoft

The first part of every Cradle launch is the sign-in step. Cradle asks Google or Microsoft "is this user still valid?" before showing your dial pad. If Google or Microsoft is slow, or your internet is slow, this step takes longer.

You'll see this most often:

First thing in the morning on a Monday, when your work account's token has expired over the weekend.
After a password change or multi-factor reset.
When your internet is shaky.

If your work email is also slow in a browser at the same time, the slowness is on Google's or Microsoft's side, not on Cradle's.

Contact sync on first sign-in

When you sign in to Cradle on a brand-new device, or the first time after Logout and Clear Data, the app pulls your contacts down fresh. If you have a large CRM-linked contact list, this can take a few minutes the first time.

It only happens once per device per sign-in. The app is usable while sync runs, you can make and take calls, you just won't see all your contacts in search until sync finishes.

Antivirus or endpoint security scanning the app on launch

This is the most common slow-launch cause we hear about on Windows. Corporate antivirus and endpoint security suites scan every executable the first time it runs, and sometimes every time it runs.

If you've just installed Cradle, your antivirus will scan the install on first launch. This is a one-off and should be quick on subsequent launches.
If launches stay slow indefinitely, your antivirus may be re-scanning Cradle every time. Ask your IT team to whitelist Cradle in your endpoint security policy.

Low system memory

Cradle is a modern desktop app and it likes a bit of memory to launch quickly. If you have many other apps open and your computer is under memory pressure, Cradle takes longer to start.

To check:

Windows: open Task Manager and look at the Memory column on the Performance tab. If you're consistently above 90% memory use, closing a few other apps will help.
macOS: open Activity Monitor, click the Memory tab. Look at the Memory Pressure graph. If it's yellow or red, close apps.

If your computer has 8 GB of RAM or less and a lot of apps open, Cradle will feel slow against any of them. Adding RAM, or closing other apps, is the fix.

Diagnose by platform

Windows

Slow launches on Windows are most often endpoint security scanning. Ask IT to whitelist Cradle if it persists.
Check Task Manager → Startup apps to see how many other apps launch at login. The more you have, the slower each new launch feels.

macOS

macOS Gatekeeper checks the app's signature on first launch and after some updates. This adds a few seconds. Normal.
Check System Settings → General → Login Items to see how many apps launch at login.

Linux

Launch performance on Linux depends heavily on the distro and desktop environment. AppImage launches are slower than .deb / .rpm installs because the AppImage extracts itself on each run.
If you installed Cradle via AppImage and want faster launches, consider switching to the packaged install for your distro.

Still stuck?

If Cradle is consistently taking more than 30 seconds to show the dial pad, and none of the causes above fit:

Note your OS and version, how much RAM you have, and how long the launch takes.
Note whether the slowness is at the sign-in step (you see the welcome screen for a long time) or after sign-in (you see a loading spinner for a long time).
Email help@cradle.io with the detail.
Cradle support is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm New Zealand time.