[SOLVED] JBL Flip Not Showing Up On Bluetooth

My JBL Flip is easy to use, sounds amazing and works great except when it doesn’t connect.

Sometimes my JBL Flip speaker doesn’t show up on my phone’s list of Bluetooth devices

The good news is that I was able to solve the problem. In this post I have documented my research. If you have a connectivity problem read on to solve the problem

Let’s start with the basics

  • Make sure your JBL speaker is turned On.
  • Is your speaker’s battery sufficiently charged?
  • Ensure that it is is in pairing mode. To turn on the pairing mode of your speaker:
    • Press the power button once on your JBL speaker to turn it on.
    • Next, press the Bluetooth button once to turn its pairing mode on. 
    • You can tell that the speaker is in pairing mode if its power light is blinking blue. 
    • If the power light is solid blue, the JBL speaker is connected to some Bluetooth device. 

Here is a video that shows how to connect your phone to the speaker

If the above steps didn’t work. Try the following:

  • Turn off any other nearby Bluetooth devices. Move the speaker away from Wi-Fi access points. These devices operate in the same 2.4 GHz frequency bands and can cause Radio Frequency Interference and separating them will reduce the impact. 
  • Check that the speaker isn’t connected to the any other Bluetooth phone. This can easily happen if multiple phones and tablets have been used to control the speaker.
  • Ensure that the speaker is within Bluetooth range (under 10 meters or 33 feet). In a high interference environment or indoors, the range can be smaller.
  • Try restarting the phone you are trying to connect your speaker with. 
  • As well, try restarting your JBL speaker.
  • Try pairing your speaker to another phone to ensure it isn’t an issue with the one you’re trying to use.
  • Upgrade your JBL speaker’s firmware using JBL Portable App (Android / Apple)

Try These Button Combinations

Your JBL Flip isn’t showing up in your phone’s Bluetooth because it might be connected to a previously paired Bluetooth device.

To disconnect it:

  • Press the Power button. 
  • Now press the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ buttons together. 
  • While pressing these buttons, press the Bluetooth pairing button until the button starts blinking blue. 
  • It shows that the speaker has disconnected from the other devices previously connected and is now in discovery mode. 

Try Turning Off the PartyBoost / Connect+

JBL Flip 5 and 6 have a feature called PartyBoost. There is a PartyBoost button on the JBL speakers. When this button is enabled it allows pairing of multiple JBL speakers through Bluetooth. 

JBL Flip 4 has a similar feature with the name connect+ that connects the speaker with all the JBL speakers having the same feature, e.g., the JBL charge speaker. This feature helps to enjoy the multi-room audio experience. 

You might have interconnected multiple speakers through Bluetooth first and now trying to connect the parent speaker to the phone or laptop. We suggest you unpair the connected speakers by pressing the PartyBoost button on connected JBL speakers and let the parent jbl speaker first connect with the device. 

Hard Reset Your JBL Speaker

Sometimes hard resetting your JBL Bluetooth speaker is the only solution to the Bluetooth connection issues. Hard resetting will clear all previously connected devices’ history and return the speaker to the default factory settings. 

To hard reset the JBL speaker:

  • Turn it On
  • Press the Volume Up and Play buttons and keep holding until you hear a warning beep that indicates that it is turning off. 
  • Turn it back On, and your speaker will have all the default settings restored. 
  • Now, you can let the Bluetooth pairing mode be enabled and look for a new device.

Send For Repair

If a hard reset also didn’t resolve the issue, there might be a hardware issue. This issue is most often due to a faulty Bluetooth transmitter in case of connectivity issues. 

Although you can find a handful of videos on YouTube that teach you to get into the hardware circuits and troubleshoot, it might be safer to send it in for repair, especially if it is still under warranty.  

Summary

I hope this guide has been useful for you. By following the troubleshooting steps outlined above, you should be able to solve the Bluetooth problem. If it persists, contacting customer care is a good idea. 

Other Troubleshooting Guides

  • JBL Blinking White Light – What does it mean?
  • JBL headphones bluetooth not working