The other person can't hear me

If you can hear the caller but they can't hear you, your microphone audio isn't reaching the call. There are five common causes and the fix is usually obvious once you know where to look.

Work through these in order. The first three resolve most cases.

Quick checks (try these first)

Check the Mute button on Cradle's in-call screen. If it's on, click it once to turn it off.
Check that your microphone has access to Cradle at the OS level (see "Microphone permission" below).
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 input device is the headset you're actually wearing.

1. Mute is on

The Mute button is the single most common cause of "they can't hear me" tickets. When it's on, your microphone is off. The caller still hears the call, just not you.

Look at the in-call screen. The Mute button has an on / off state. If it's on, click it once.

2. Microphone permission

If you've never used Cradle for a call before, or you've just installed it, your OS may be blocking microphone access.

Per-OS instructions:

A telltale sign of a permission issue is the call ending within a second or two of pickup, often with a short tone, before anyone has had a chance to say anything.

3. Wrong microphone selected

Cradle picks a microphone from the OS's device list. If the OS lists three microphones and Cradle has picked the wrong one (your laptop's built-in microphone instead of your headset, for example), the caller hears whatever room the wrong microphone is in.

Open Audio Settings in Cradle (speaker icon top right when not on a call, headset icon lower left when on a call).
Set the input device to the microphone you're actually using.
Speak. The meter next to the device should move with your voice. If it doesn't, try a different microphone in the list.

If you've just plugged in or unplugged a device, reopen Audio Settings and choose the device fresh. Cradle doesn't always re-grab a device after a hot-plug.

4. The boom microphone isn't near your mouth

If you wear a headset with a boom microphone, it has to be near your mouth to pick up your voice clearly. A few millimetres of movement can make a big difference.

Position the boom about a finger's width from the corner of your mouth.
Don't aim it directly at your mouth; angle it slightly off to the side so it doesn't get hit by air from breathing.
If your headset has a flexible boom, bend it so it stays in place.

5. Windows-specific: another app has grabbed the microphone

On Windows, some apps (video conferencing, voice recording, streaming software) can hold exclusive access to the microphone. Cradle then has nothing to send.

Close any other apps that use audio: Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS, Audacity, Loopback.
Try the call again.

If this fixes it, you can usually run both apps at once afterwards. The exclusive lock is only an issue if the other app is in a particular state.

Diagnose by platform

Windows

Microphone permission is the top cause on Windows. See the per-OS article linked above.
The Volume Mixer can pin Cradle to a specific input device. See Audio and headset issues on Windows.

macOS

First-launch microphone permission is the top cause. See Microphone permission on macOS.
If you're using AirPods, swap to a wired or dongle-paired headset for a test. AirPod microphones produce poor call audio even when they sound fine to you.

Linux

Check the microphone is unmuted in pavucontrol's Input Devices tab.
See Audio issues on Linux for sound-server-level routing.

Still stuck?

If you've worked through the steps above and the caller still hears silence, send us the details.

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