The most common problems with JBL Bluetooth speakers

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The JBL speaker brand is still a customer favorite, offering benefits in sound quality, durability and battery performance. Unfortunately, JBL speakers aren’t perfect, which means you may occasionally need to try some troubleshooting techniques. Some of the most common problems with JBL speakers include the devices not turning on, not being able to maintain a battery charge, not maintaining a Bluetooth connection, creating crackling sounds when playing music, causing skips in music, and beeping while charging.

Before we get into common specific issues with JBL speakers, resetting the speaker to its factory settings is a universal solution that can fix many of them. However, this process erases all settings in memory and you will need to pair the speaker to your devices again. One of the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy is the JBL Charge 6, so let’s use that as an example of resetting the device: Turn on the Charge 6, then press and hold the volume up and play buttons at the same time for at least 3 seconds. This should complete the factory reset. For other versions of JBL speakers, you may need to turn them on and press the volume up and Bluetooth buttons simultaneously for at least 10 seconds. If you have a Wi-Fi-enabled JBL speaker, try pressing the heart icon and play buttons at the same time for at least 10 seconds.

It’s common to experience issues when pairing the JBL speaker with your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. To resolve this issue, try turning off the Bluetooth connection on the source device and take a slight break before turning it back on. Otherwise, make the smartphone “forget” pairing with the speaker, then try pairing the speaker and smartphone again.

Charging and battery-related issues are also common with JBL portable speakers. If you have charging issues, you need to connect the USB cable to the JBL speaker and see if the connector moves. If so, the device may have internal damage causing intermittent charging. Try wiggling the connector until the charging light turns on.

If the device simply won’t charge, the USB connector cable may be faulty. Try another one. Make sure the electrical outlet you are using has power. With some JBL speaker models, you can reset the Battery Management System (BMS) by resetting the entire device to its factory settings, which may allow the battery to charge properly. If the speaker works normally when plugged into a wall outlet but does not play when unplugged, you might have an old battery that needs to be replaced. JBL claims that a healthy battery should still retain at least 70% of its original capacity after 500 charge cycles.

JBL is one of the best Bluetooth speaker brands in terms of sound quality. However, you may occasionally experience audio issues, such as crackling when playing music or audio cutting out. If you don’t have a water and dust resistant JBL speaker model, exposure to water and debris can cause these issues. Use compressed air or a soft-bristled brush to clean the dust from the speaker grill section. If you suspect water damage to the speaker grille, shake it to remove excess water and allow it to dry completely before trying to use it again.

Bluetooth issues can also cause crackling or intermittent sound, so you may need to pair the speaker and smartphone again. Try using the JBL app to check for firmware updates that might fix the speaker audio issue. Otherwise, a factory reset may fix the audio problem.

If your JBL speaker beeps, it will interfere with your audio quality. This beep alerts you of a problem with the charging process, usually indicating that water, dust, or another contaminant is blocking the charging port and causing charging issues. To stop the beep, remove the charging cable. Before trying to charge it, clean debris from the charging port with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. To remove moisture from the charging port, wipe away all the water you can reach. Then let the port air dry before trying to charge the speaker.