Installing Cradle on Linux

Cradle runs on Linux, but it's a best-effort platform — automatic updates don't work, and a couple of OS integrations behave differently to Windows and macOS. We'll be upfront about that throughout this article.

If Linux is your daily driver and you're comfortable with the terminal, you'll be fine. If you're new to Linux, ask whoever manages your machine to help with the install.

Before you start

You're on a recent Ubuntu or Debian release for the .deb path, or any distro that runs AppImage files.
You know how to open a terminal and run sudo commands.
You have a working microphone and headset. Headset controls (mute / volume buttons) need a small bit of extra setup on Linux for Jabra devices — covered below.

Pick your package

Cradle is published in two formats on Linux:

.deb — for Ubuntu, Debian, and most Debian-derived distros. Available in x64 and arm64 builds.
AppImage — a single executable file that runs on any modern Linux distro. Available in x64 and arm64 builds.

Both come from the download page. The version is included in the filename — for example cradle_*.deb — so when you upgrade later you'll be replacing one file with a newer one of the same shape.

Install — .deb

Download the .deb for your architecture from the download page. Most x64 PCs and laptops want the x64 build; arm64 is for ARM Linux machines.
Open a terminal and cd to wherever the file downloaded — usually ~/Downloads.
Install it:
```
sudo dpkg -i cradle_*.deb
```
If dpkg complains about missing dependencies, run:
```
sudo apt --fix-broken install
```
then re-run the dpkg -i command.
Launch Cradle from your application menu, or from the terminal with cradle.

Install — AppImage

Download the AppImage for your architecture from the download page.
Make the file executable:
```
chmod +x Cradle-*.AppImage
```
Run it:
```
./Cradle-*.AppImage
```
Most desktop environments also let you double-click the AppImage to run it once it's executable.

Optional: Jabra headset support

If you use a Jabra headset and you'd like the headset's mute and volume buttons to work with Cradle, you need a udev rules file. Run these from any directory:

sudo wget https://io-cradle-desktop.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/80-jabra.rules -O /etc/udev/rules.d/80-jabra.rules
sudo udevadm control --reload

You may need to unplug and re-plug the headset for the rules to take effect.

ChromeOS via the Linux container

If you're installing Cradle inside the Linux container on a Chromebook, run a couple of extra commands the first time around so the keyring works:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt --fix-broken install
sudo apt install gnome-keyring

Then install Cradle the same way as above and launch it with cradle.

Two more things on ChromeOS:

In ChromeOS Settings, allow Linux to access your microphone.
If you're using a Jabra headset, switch on the headset under Manage USB devices so the Linux container can see it.

Updating

Auto-update doesn't run on Linux. When there's a new version, you'll need to download the installer again and replace what you have.

.deb — re-download the latest cradle_*.deb and re-run sudo dpkg -i cradle_*.deb. The new version overwrites the old one.
AppImage — replace the existing AppImage file with the new one.

There's more on this in Updating the Cradle desktop app.

What you should see

Cradle appears in your application launcher and opens to the welcome screen. From a terminal, cradle launches the app. Sign in with your work account — see Signing into the Cradle desktop app.

If it doesn't work

dpkg complains about dependencies. Run sudo apt --fix-broken install, then re-run the dpkg -i command.
The AppImage won't run. Make sure you ran chmod +x on the file. Some distros also need FUSE installed — your distro's docs will say if so.
No microphone access. On Linux, microphone permission is handled by the system, not by Cradle. Check your sound settings (GNOME Control Center, KDE System Settings, or pavucontrol) and confirm your microphone is enabled and set as the default input.
Headset buttons don't work. The Jabra udev rules above are the usual fix. For non-Jabra headsets, behaviour varies by distro and audio server.
Cradle won't launch on ChromeOS. Make sure you installed gnome-keyring — Cradle uses it to store sign-in credentials inside the Linux container.