An audio
system (1) comprising an audio device (10) and a charging cradle (20) for storing the audio device (10). The charging cradle (20) comprises a cradle housing (200) with a device bay (201), a status
detector (202), a cradle input interface (203), a rechargeable battery (204), and a cradle controller (205). The device bay (201) is configured to accommodate the audio device (10) when the audio device (10) is stored in the charging cradle (20). The status
detector (202) is configured to detect whether the audio device (10) is stored in the charging cradle (20), determine a corresponding storing status, and provide the determined storing status in a cradle status
signal (CS) to the cradle controller (205). The cradle input interface (203) is configured to detect
user input actions and provide indications of detected
user input actions in a cradle input
signal (UC) to the cradle controller (205). The rechargeable battery (204) is configured to receive
electric energy from an
external energy source, store the received electrical energy, and provide stored
electric energy (P) to the audio device (10) through the cradle controller (205) and / or the device bay (201). In the audio
system (1), the cradle controller (205) is configured to provide a user output
signal (UO) comprising an indication of control commands in response to receiving indications of detected
user input actions in the cradle input signal (UC) and / or in dependence on the cradle status signal (CS), such that, for identical indicated user input actions, the control command indication in the user output signal (UO) differs for different storing status indications in the cradle status signal (CS). This enables using the controls of the cradle input interface (203) for different purposes, depending on whether the audio device (10) is stored in the charging cradle (20), and may thereby reduce the number of user controls required on the audio device (10) and / or the charging cradle (20).