The other day, my buddy Dave started experiencing issues with his wireless headphones.
The Bluetooth simply would not connect. Without the ability to connect, a pair of wireless headphones is no good. At that point none of the other specifications matter – form factor, sound quality or comfort.
I decided to give Dave a hand with resolving this issue. I know how much he loves his JBL headphones. The good news is I was able to resolve the issue. This post documents my journey and I hope it’s useful to others as well.
Table of Contents
Basic Troubleshooting
First check to see if your headphones are able to pair with the phone or media device.
To enter pairing mode, after turning your JBL headphones on, locate the Bluetooth button on one of the ear cups and press it for three seconds. The LED light indicator will start flashing blue, indicating that your Bluetooth headphones are in pairing mode.
Check out this video below that shows this process
If your headphones are in pairing mode, but your phone or tablet cannot find or discover them in the Bluetooth device list, this post will provide solutions.
Other related issues you might be having:
- you have to pair your Bluetooth headphones every time to connect,
- your headphones don’t connect to the app at all.
Next Steps
The recommended steps below are in the event your phone, tablet or PC can’t find the JBL headphones in their pairing list. A related problem is if the headphones’ LED indicator doesn’t go from white to blinking blue on pressing the Bluetooth button.
- Ensure that your headphones are turned ON.
- Connect the charging USB cable and leave it plugged into the power source
- Press the power button to turn them OFF but don’t let go of the power button for at least ten seconds after the indicator goes off.
- Now unplug the charging cable
- Then turn your headphones back on and keep holding the power button. The LED indicator lights should flash white at first. After ten to fifteen seconds, they will turn blue.
- Try pairing your headphones now.
- If they don’t pair after this process, factory reset them by pressing volume up and down, and repeat the steps.
Connecting headphones to a PC
If you are trying to connect your JBL headphones to a new PC and your PC does not recognize the headphones, follow the instructions below.
Make sure the headphones are not connected to any other device like an older PC or phone. Bluetooth only allows one connection at a time. As well make sure that the PC is not connected to any other Bluetooth audio output device. I have seen this problem many times. Check the BT device list to be sure.
You might actually have to forget the headphones on your older PC.
If you’re using the JBL app, you might have to follow these steps:
- Factory reset them in the app
- Remove the headphones from the list of BT devices on your phone
- Now pair the headphones with your PC and that should work.
Some helpful links:
Reinstall Bluetooth Drivers
If, for some reason, your JBL headphones are
- not connecting to Windows Bluetooth
- they keep disconnecting
- don’t connect automatically on PC startup,
it might be time to reinstall the Bluetooth drivers.
This link explains the process.
Forget and Reset Your JBL Headphones
If you are stuck in a situation where you have to pair your headphones to your phone every time, and they don’t connect automatically, follow the steps below:
- Pair the headphones with your phone and go to Bluetooth settings.
- Click on the device name and click Forget Device.
- Reset the headphones by pressing the volume+ up and volume- down buttons for five seconds.
- Now turn off the Bluetooth on your phone. Then turn it back on.
- Try pairing the headphones again.
- This should fix the issue, and you can check by disconnecting and reconnecting these Bluetooth headphones to see whether they connect automatically.
Remove Bluetooth Headphones From All Devices
Sometimes your JBL headphones connect successfully to your phone but can’t connect to the app. In that case, follow the steps below:
- Forget the headphones from all previously paired Bluetooth devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, or PCs.
- Now update the app on your phone and reset the JBL headphones.
- Pair and connect them again, and it will fix the issue.
Use The Power Button
You might encounter a situation where your JBL headphones don’t connect to previously paired or new Bluetooth devices. Also, the headphones don’t turn off after a few minutes minutes of inactivity. The white light returns as long as the power button is released.
In that case,
- Press and hold the power button of the headphones for at least 30 seconds to one minute.
- Release the button, and they will go off
- Turn them back on. Did this solve the problem?
- If it did not, press/slide the power button on your headphones three times.
Yet another solution is to connect the JBL headphones to the laptop through a USB cable. The white light (that wasn’t switching to blue, neither was turning off) will go off. Press the power button, and the headphones will return to normal.
Summary
We have discussed multiple issues you might face while connecting your JBL Bluetooth headphones.
Each issue has a solution right after to help you escape the frustration that comes with the problems.
Note that even if your headphone problem is other than those mentioned above, apply these troubleshooting tips individually to see which one fixes your issue. These solutions can apply to all JBL models of headphones.
PS. Sometimes, the only problem is low????or dead battery. Don’t forget to charge your headphones????completely before trying other solutions.
References
[1] Reddit thread on E55BT troubleshooting
[2] Forum post on JBL 500 BT problem and solution
Other JBL Troubleshooting Guides
- Flip not showing up on Bluetooth
- Blinking White Light on the Flip – What does it mean?
- JBL Headphones Blinking Light – How to Fix