Picking up a call and finding you can't hear the caller (or they can't hear you) is one of the most disruptive bugs in a phone app. On Windows it's almost always a Bluetooth, permission, or sound-mixer issue. This article walks through the fixes that resolve the majority of Windows audio tickets.

On macOS or Linux? Try Audio issues on macOS or Audio issues on Linux.

Quick checks (try these first)

Plug your headset's USB dongle straight into the laptop, not a hub. See "Use the USB dongle" below.
Open Audio Settings in Cradle (click the speaker icon in the top right of the app, or the headset icon in the lower left of the in-call screen) and confirm the input, output, and ringtone devices are set to the headset's USB dongle, not "Default" or your laptop's built-in audio.
Check Windows microphone permission for Cradle (steps below).

Use the USB dongle, not built-in PC Bluetooth

If your Jabra headset came with a small USB adapter (a Jabra Link 380 or similar), use it. Don't pair the headset directly to your laptop's built-in Bluetooth.

The dongle gives the headset its own dedicated radio link for voice. Built-in PC Bluetooth has to share airtime with your mouse, keyboard, and other office Bluetooth devices, and the result is robotic audio, choppy calls, and dropouts. We don't support audio issues that come from built-in Bluetooth. Switch to a manufacturer dongle, a wired headset, or a DECT headset before troubleshooting further. See Bluetooth headsets for the longer story.

Plug the dongle into a USB port on your laptop.
Wait for the LED on the dongle to turn blue or purple. That means your headset is paired to it.
In Audio Settings, choose the dongle (for example, Jabra Link 380) as both your input and output device.

Calls drop immediately after pickup: check microphone permission

If you answer a call and it ends within a second or two, often with a short tone, Windows is probably blocking Cradle from accessing your microphone.

Press the Windows key and type Microphone privacy settings.
Open the settings page.
Find Cradle in the list of desktop apps and switch the toggle On.

If you don't see Cradle in the list, restart the app once and try again. Windows registers desktop apps the first time they request the microphone. There's also a separate per-OS guide at Microphone permission on Windows.

The "double connection" conflict

A common silent-call cause is the headset being connected to your computer two ways at once. Audio goes down one path while Cradle uses the other, and you get silence. There are two forms.

Paired to built-in Bluetooth as well as the dongle

Windows can remember the headset twice: once via the USB dongle and again via built-in Bluetooth.

Press the Windows key and type Bluetooth and other devices settings.
Look at the list of audio devices.
The dongle (for example, Jabra Link 380) should be there.
If your headset itself is also listed by its product name (for example, Jabra Evolve 2 65), select it and click Remove device.

You want Windows to only know about the dongle, not the headset directly.

The USB cable plugged in as well as the dongle

The second form of double connection is a wireless Jabra headset (an Evolve2 65 or 75, for example) plugged into the computer by its USB cable while it's also connected through its dongle. People often do this to charge the headset at their desk. The headset is then connected two ways at once, and after a call it can keep its call audio on the cable while Cradle uses the dongle.

What you'll notice: calls connect but neither you nor the caller can hear anything, often several calls in a row, until you switch the headset off and on again.

To fix it:

Right now: switch the headset off and on again.
For good: in Jabra Direct, select the headset, click Settings, open the Softphone tab, turn off Audio over USB cable, and click Save. The headset restarts. The cable then only charges and updates the headset, and call audio always goes through the dongle.
Or: unplug the cable while you're on calls. Charging in a desk stand is fine.

Cradle desktop app 26.10.3 and later handle this for you. When Cradle sees the headset connected both ways, it shows a notice once (and a note in Settings, Audio) explaining the setting below. After each call it frees a headset left stuck, and if the headset is still stuck when a call starts, it moves that call to the headset's cable and tells you ("Call moved to your headset's cable"). Your chosen devices don't change. A call also only ever uses the microphone you chose. Turning off Audio over USB cable still stops it happening in the first place.

Windows is overriding Cradle's audio device

Even after you've set the right device in Cradle, Windows can shift app audio mid-call if you have several playback devices enabled.

Right-click the speaker icon in the Windows taskbar (near the clock).
Choose Open Volume Mixer.
Find Cradle in the list and expand its row.
Set both Output and Input to the dongle (for example, Jabra Link 380), not Default.

Hard-coding the device per app stops Windows from swapping the audio to your laptop speakers when something changes elsewhere.

For the longer "disable everything you don't need" approach, see Windows audio setting recommendations.

Jabra Direct: firmware, naming, and motion sensors

If you use a Jabra headset, install Jabra Direct. It's worth it for three reasons:

Firmware updates. Out-of-date headset firmware causes most of the obscure audio bugs we see.
Naming. Set the headset name (for example, "Tom's Headset") so it doesn't connect to a teammate's dongle by mistake in shared offices.
Disable motion-detection if it's hurting you. If your audio cuts when you move your head or there's a delay answering, switch off Motion detection or Auto sleep in Jabra Direct.

If you hear two ringtones (one in the headset and one through your laptop), turn off Ringtone in Headset in Jabra Direct.

Audio drops when your phone gets a notification

Many Jabra headsets pair to the USB dongle and your mobile phone at the same time. If your phone gets a call, text, or notification, Bluetooth can hand audio focus to the phone and silence your Cradle call mid-conversation.

If this keeps happening, disconnect the headset from your phone's Bluetooth menu while you're at your desk. Or move the phone out of Bluetooth range.

There's a specific symptom article on this: Audio cuts out on Windows with a Bluetooth headset.

Still stuck?

If you've tried the steps above and the call audio is still wrong, send us the details and we'll dig in.

Email help@cradle.io with the make and model of your headset, the dongle name (if any), and a description of what happens.
Cradle support hours are 8:30 am – 5:00 pm New Zealand time, Monday to Friday.

Audio and headset issues on Windows