diff --git a/selfdrive/manager.py b/selfdrive/manager.py
index c5990f4fdf7aa3..f107b6cd7b86e6 100755
--- a/selfdrive/manager.py
+++ b/selfdrive/manager.py
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ def unblock_stdout():
 import selfdrive.crash as crash
 
 from selfdrive.loggerd.config import ROOT
+from selfdrive.ui.spinner.spinner_manager import Spinner
 
 # comment out anything you don't want to run
 managed_processes = {
@@ -305,32 +306,38 @@ def cleanup_all_processes(signal, frame):
 # ****************** run loop ******************
 
 def manager_init(should_register=True):
-  if should_register:
-    reg_res = register()
-    if reg_res:
-      dongle_id, dongle_secret = reg_res
+  params = Params()
+  spinner_text = "chffrplus" if params.get("Passive")=="1" else "openpilot"
+  init_text = "initializing {0}".format(spinner_text)
+  with Spinner() as spinner:
+    spinner.update(init_text)
+    if should_register:
+      reg_res = register()
+      if reg_res:
+        dongle_id, dongle_secret = reg_res
+      else:
+        raise Exception("server registration failed")
     else:
-      raise Exception("server registration failed")
-  else:
-    dongle_id = "c"*16
+      dongle_id = "c"*16
 
-  # set dongle id
-  cloudlog.info("dongle id is " + dongle_id)
-  os.environ['DONGLE_ID'] = dongle_id
+    # set dongle id
+    cloudlog.info("dongle id is " + dongle_id)
+    os.environ['DONGLE_ID'] = dongle_id
 
-  cloudlog.info("dirty is %d" % dirty)
-  if not dirty:
-    os.environ['CLEAN'] = '1'
+    cloudlog.info("dirty is %d" % dirty)
+    if not dirty:
+      os.environ['CLEAN'] = '1'
 
-  cloudlog.bind_global(dongle_id=dongle_id, version=version, dirty=dirty, is_eon=True)
-  crash.bind_user(id=dongle_id)
-  crash.bind_extra(version=version, dirty=dirty, is_eon=True)
+    cloudlog.bind_global(dongle_id=dongle_id, version=version, dirty=dirty, is_eon=True)
+    crash.bind_user(id=dongle_id)
+    crash.bind_extra(version=version, dirty=dirty, is_eon=True)
+
+    os.umask(0)
+    try:
+      os.mkdir(ROOT, 0o777)
+    except OSError:
+      pass
 
-  os.umask(0)
-  try:
-    os.mkdir(ROOT, 0o777)
-  except OSError:
-    pass
 
 def system(cmd):
   try:
@@ -495,17 +502,31 @@ def update_ssh():
       raise RuntimeError
 
 def manager_update():
-  update_ssh()
-  update_apks()
+  params = Params()
+  spinner_text = "chffrplus" if params.get("Passive")=="1" else "openpilot"
+  update_text = "updating {0}".format(spinner_text)
+  with Spinner() as spinner:
+    spinner.update(update_text)
+    update_ssh()
+    update_apks()
 
 def manager_prepare():
-  # build cereal first
-  subprocess.check_call(["make", "-j4"], cwd=os.path.join(BASEDIR, "cereal"))
-
-  # build all processes
-  os.chdir(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
-  for p in managed_processes:
-    prepare_managed_process(p)
+  params = Params()
+  spinner_text = "chffrplus" if params.get("Passive")=="1" else "openpilot"
+  loader_text = "loading {0}".format(spinner_text)
+  with Spinner() as spinner:
+    spinner.update(loader_text)
+    # build cereal first
+    subprocess.check_call(["make", "-j4"], cwd=os.path.join(BASEDIR, "cereal"))
+
+    # build all processes
+    os.chdir(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+  
+    process_cnt = len(managed_processes)
+    for n,p in enumerate(managed_processes):
+      loader_text = "loading {0}: {1}/{2} {3}".format(spinner_text, n+1, process_cnt, p)
+      spinner.update(loader_text)
+      prepare_managed_process(p)
 
 def uninstall():
   cloudlog.warning("uninstalling")
@@ -583,21 +604,9 @@ def main():
   if params.get("Passive") is None:
     raise Exception("Passive must be set to continue")
 
-  # put something on screen while we set things up
-  if os.getenv("PREPAREONLY") is not None:
-    spinner_proc = None
-  else:
-    spinner_text = "chffrplus" if params.get("Passive")=="1" else "openpilot"
-    spinner_proc = subprocess.Popen(["./spinner", "loading %s"%spinner_text],
-      cwd=os.path.join(BASEDIR, "selfdrive", "ui", "spinner"),
-      close_fds=True)
-  try:
-    manager_update()
-    manager_init()
-    manager_prepare()
-  finally:
-    if spinner_proc:
-      spinner_proc.terminate()
+  manager_update()
+  manager_init()
+  manager_prepare()
 
   if os.getenv("PREPAREONLY") is not None:
     return
diff --git a/selfdrive/ui/__init__.py b/selfdrive/ui/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6
diff --git a/selfdrive/ui/spinner/__init__.py b/selfdrive/ui/spinner/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6
diff --git a/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner b/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner
index 65c198aabda3d2..50f2bce6e7bab7 100755
Binary files a/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner and b/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner differ
diff --git a/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner.c b/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner.c
index 3ec36e7403f3de..95780d2623f258 100644
--- a/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner.c
+++ b/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner.c
@@ -16,13 +16,14 @@
 
 #include "common/framebuffer.h"
 
-int main(int argc, char** argv) {
+int main() {
   int err;
-
-  const char* spintext = NULL;
-  if (argc >= 2) {
-    spintext = argv[1];
-  }
+  fd_set readfds;
+  FD_ZERO(&readfds);
+  struct timeval timeout;
+  timeout.tv_sec = 0;
+  timeout.tv_usec = 0;
+  char spintext[50];
 
   // spinner
   int fb_w, fb_h;
@@ -49,6 +50,11 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
   assert(spinner_comma_img >= 0);
 
   for (int cnt = 0; ; cnt++) {
+    FD_SET(STDIN_FILENO, &readfds);
+    if (select(1, &readfds, NULL, NULL, &timeout)) {
+      fgets(spintext, sizeof spintext, stdin);
+      spintext[strcspn(spintext, "\n")] = 0;
+    }
     glClearColor(0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 1.0);
     glClear(GL_STENCIL_BUFFER_BIT | GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
     glEnable(GL_BLEND);
@@ -85,11 +91,9 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
     nvgFill(vg);
 
     // message
-    if (spintext) {
-      nvgTextAlign(vg, NVG_ALIGN_CENTER | NVG_ALIGN_TOP);
-      nvgFontSize(vg, 96.0f);
-      nvgText(vg, fb_w/2, (fb_h*2/3)+24, spintext, NULL);
-    }
+    nvgTextAlign(vg, NVG_ALIGN_CENTER | NVG_ALIGN_TOP);
+    nvgFontSize(vg, 96.0f);
+    nvgText(vg, fb_w/2, (fb_h*2/3)+24, spintext, NULL);
 
     nvgEndFrame(vg);
     eglSwapBuffers(display, surface);
diff --git a/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner_manager.py b/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner_manager.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..a16e09c12b0ebf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/selfdrive/ui/spinner/spinner_manager.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import os
+import subprocess
+from common.basedir import BASEDIR
+
+class Spinner(object):
+  def __enter__(self):
+    self.spinner_proc = subprocess.Popen(["./spinner"], stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+      cwd=os.path.join(BASEDIR, "selfdrive", "ui", "spinner"),
+      close_fds=True)
+    return self
+
+  def update(self, spinner_text):
+    if os.getenv("PREPAREONLY") is None:
+      self.spinner_proc.stdin.write(spinner_text + "\n")
+
+  def __exit__(self, type, value, traceback):
+    self.spinner_proc.stdin.close()
+    self.spinner_proc.terminate()
\ No newline at end of file