Cradle

Getting started

Updating the Cradle desktop app

On macOS and the standard Windows build, updates apply when you quit and reopen Cradle. Microsoft Store installs update via the Store. Linux is a manual download.

Most of the time you don't need to do anything — the standard Windows and macOS builds check for updates on launch and apply them in the background. The two reasons you'd want to update on demand are:

  • Cradle has emailed you saying Action required: please update Cradle desktop today (a security or behaviour fix you shouldn't sit on).
  • Your version is approaching end of life and you'd rather not be caught out.

Before you start

  • Save your work in any other app you're running — updates apply when Cradle restarts, but you'll be quitting Cradle to trigger them.
  • If you're on a call, finish the call first.

Check your version and install type

Open Cradle and click the Settings tab. Scroll to the bottom — the version number is listed there, and on Windows you'll also see the install type. The install type decides how you update:

  • nsis — the standard .exe installer. Cradle updates itself when you quit and reopen (see below).
  • windows store — installed from the Microsoft Store. Updates come from the Store, not from Cradle. See Windows — Microsoft Store install.

If support asks for your version, this is the number to give them.

Windows — standard install (nsis)

Auto-update is on by default. To pull the latest version:

  1. Press Ctrl + Q with Cradle in focus to quit. Or right-click the Cradle icon in the system tray and choose Quit.
  2. Reopen Cradle from the Start menu.
  3. On launch, Cradle checks for an update and downloads anything new. If an update is waiting, you'll see a brief progress indicator before the dial pad loads.

Windows — Microsoft Store install

If your install type is windows store, updates are handled by the Store — Cradle won't update itself on relaunch.

  1. Open the Microsoft Store app.
  2. Click Library in the sidebar.
  3. Click Get updates. The Store will check all installed apps and update Cradle if a newer version is available.
  4. Once the update finishes, quit and reopen Cradle to start using the new version.

To have updates apply automatically, open the Microsoft Store, go to Settings, and turn on** App updates**.

macOS

Auto-update is on by default. To pull the latest version:

  1. Press Cmd + Q with Cradle in focus to quit. Or right-click the Cradle icon in the Dock and choose Quit.
  2. Reopen Cradle from Applications or Spotlight.
  3. On launch, Cradle checks for an update and applies anything new before the dial pad loads.

Linux

Linux doesn't have auto-update. To move to a newer version:

  1. Quit Cradle (Ctrl + Q).
  2. Download the latest installer from the Cradle install page.
  3. Install it the same way you installed Cradle the first time:
    • .deb (Ubuntu, Debian): sudo apt install ./cradle_*.deb
    • Fedora, RHEL, openSUSE: use the AppImage — there's no first-party .rpm. Re-download the new AppImage and replace the old one.
    • AppImage: replace the existing AppImage file and run it.
  4. Open Cradle.

What you should see

After updating, the app opens and signs you in as normal. Your dial pad, recent calls, contacts, and presence are all where you left them — Cradle stores almost everything online, not on your computer.

If it doesn't work

  • The app won't quit. Force quit it: Cmd + Option + Esc (macOS), Task Manager → End task (Windows), or kill from a terminal (Linux). Then reopen.
  • The update download keeps failing. Check your network — corporate firewalls sometimes block update traffic. Try a different network briefly to confirm.
  • You quit and reopened on Windows but nothing changed. Check your install type in Settings. If it says windows store, updates come from the Store — not from quitting and reopening. See the Microsoft Store section above.
  • You're stuck on an old version on Linux. Linux installs don't auto-update; you need to download the new installer and run it.

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