I can't hear the other person

If the caller can hear you but you can't hear them, audio from the call isn't reaching your speakers or headset. There are five common causes. Work through them in order; the first two cover most cases.

Quick checks (try these first)

Check your headset is on, powered, and (if Bluetooth) connected to its manufacturer USB dongle.
Check your system volume isn't at zero, both in your OS and on the headset itself.
Open Audio Settings in Cradle (speaker icon top right when not on a call, headset icon lower left when on a call) and confirm the output device is your headset, not "Default" or your laptop speakers.

1. The output device in Cradle is wrong

Cradle picks an output device from the OS's device list. If it has picked your laptop speakers (or worse, a device that's not even connected), you won't hear anything in the headset.

Open Audio Settings.
Set the output (speaker) device to your headset.
If you've just plugged in or unplugged a device, pick the device fresh. Cradle doesn't always re-grab a device after a hot-plug.

2. Volume is too low

Cradle doesn't have its own volume control. There's no Cradle volume slider, and no per-app volume inside the Cradle desktop app. Volume is your operating system's job. Two places to check:

OS volume. Windows speaker icon in the taskbar, macOS menu bar volume slider, or your Linux distro's sound applet.
The headset's own volume. Buttons, dial, or wheel on the headset hardware.

On Windows specifically, the Volume Mixer can mute or quiet a single app like Cradle without changing your overall volume. Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar, choose Open Volume Mixer, find Cradle, and make sure its slider isn't down at zero.

Bring all of these up to a normal level.

3. Your headset isn't connected

If your headset is Bluetooth and connected via a USB dongle, check the dongle's LED. Blue or purple means it's paired with the headset; flashing or off means it's not.

If the headset has slipped out of pairing range, walk back closer to the dongle. If the headset's battery is flat, plug it in and wait a minute.

If your headset is wired, unplug and replug it. Some USB ports occasionally lose the connection, and a different port sometimes helps.

4. Another app has stolen audio focus

Some apps grab exclusive audio access. If Zoom or Teams is open in the background with a call going, or if your operating system has switched audio to a different output (an external monitor with speakers, a Bluetooth speaker that was paired earlier), Cradle's audio gets sent to the wrong place.

Quit other audio apps and try again.
On Windows, the Volume Mixer is an OS-level tool that shows which output device each app is routed to, including Cradle. Right-click the speaker icon, choose Open Volume Mixer, find Cradle, and set the output device to your headset.
On macOS, click the Sound icon in the menu bar (or open System Settings → Sound) and confirm system output is your headset.

5. The audio is going to the wrong Bluetooth profile

Some Bluetooth headsets have two profiles: a high-quality stereo profile for music, and a lower-quality profile for calls (HSP/HFP). When you start a call, the headset is meant to switch to the call profile, but it sometimes doesn't.

If you can hear music fine but not Cradle calls:

End the call.
Disconnect the headset (Bluetooth off and back on).
Reconnect and try Cradle again.

If this is a chronic issue, switch to a USB-dongle setup. See Bluetooth headsets.

Diagnose by platform

Windows

The Windows Volume Mixer is the right tool for "Cradle is going to the wrong output" and for "Cradle is quieter than everything else". Both are Windows audio settings, not Cradle ones. See Audio and headset issues on Windows.
If Windows keeps switching output mid-call, see Windows audio setting recommendations.

macOS

Check System Settings → Sound → Output for what macOS is currently using.
If you're using AirPods, see Audio issues on macOS for the AirPod caveats.

Linux

Open pavucontrol's Playback tab and confirm Cradle's output stream is routed to your headset.
See Audio issues on Linux.

Still stuck?

If you've worked through these and you still can't hear the caller, let us know.

Email help@cradle.io with your OS, headset model, and what you've already tried.
Cradle support hours are 8:30 am – 5:00 pm New Zealand time, Monday to Friday.