We've updated our Terms of Use — what's changed and why

We've updated the Cradle Terms of Use. Here's an honest summary of why, what's changed, and what (if anything) you need to do.

Why we updated the terms

When our previous terms were written, Cradle was primarily a way to make and receive phone calls. The product you use today does much more:

• Deeper integrations. Cradle now connects into the tools your practice runs on — HubSpot, Xero and Xero Practice Manager, FYI and others — syncing contacts, logging calls and attaching recordings and notes to your client records. Data no longer just passes through a phone line; it flows between systems you've chosen to connect.
• Call recording and transcription. Recording is now a core feature, with retention controls and CRM attachment.
• AI features. Cradle can transcribe and summarise conversations, pulling out key points and follow-up tasks.
• Messaging. SMS and other messaging channels now sit alongside calling.

Our old terms simply didn't describe this product. Rather than stretch old wording, we rewrote them to say clearly what the service does, who's responsible for what, and what commitments we make about your data. We also fixed genuine housekeeping problems — links to help pages that no longer exist, and references to legal documents that hadn't been touched since 2017.

What's changed

Your data, stated plainly. You own your data — including recordings, transcripts and AI summaries. We now include a full Data Processing Agreement (the kind of document your own privacy obligations may require you to have with suppliers), a published sub-processor register, and a named list of the countries where your data may be stored.

A commitment on AI. We will not use your data to train general-purpose AI models, or models made available to other customers, unless you expressly opt in — and we require the AI providers we use to make the same commitment. AI summaries are a huge time-saver, but they can make mistakes, so the terms also ask you to have someone review AI output before relying on it.

Recording responsibilities, spelled out. Different countries have different rules about recording calls. The terms now set out clearly what you're responsible for when you switch recording on — things like notifying callers where the law requires it and setting retention appropriately for your industry.

Integrations, clarified. When you connect Cradle to another product, you're choosing to share data with it. The terms now say this explicitly, so there's no ambiguity about where our responsibility ends and your agreement with the other provider begins.

Phone numbers and porting. Your rights around numbers are now written down: how numbers are allocated, that we'll assist with porting and won't obstruct a port-out, and that nothing in our terms overrides your legal porting rights.

Emergency calling. As with any internet-based phone service, you should not rely on Cradle for emergency calls. This was true before and remains true — the terms restate it prominently.

When the new terms apply

• New customers — the updated terms apply from when you sign up or accept a proposal.
• Existing customers — the version of the terms that applied to your account before this update continues to apply until 13 August 2026, after which the updated terms apply. If you'd like a copy of an earlier version, email legal@cradle.io.

What you need to do

Nothing is required. If you use call recording or AI summaries, this is a good moment to check your own notice and consent practices — your Cradle admin can review recording settings at admin.cradle.io. If you have questions about the changes, contact legal@cradle.io and we'll give you a straight answer.