
So you bought a JBL speaker, and you wanna connect it to your iPhone?
Well, it’s pretty easy!
I swear you can get it done in just a few minutes. And without getting out of your seat.
Just make sure to strictly follow every step to avoid errors.
So, shall we?
Read on to know:
- How to put a JBL speaker into pairing mode.
- 5 easy steps to connect JBL speakers to iPhone.
- How many JBL speakers you can connect to an iPhone.
- Reasons why you can’t connect JBL speakers to iPhone.
- And much, much more…
How to connect JBL speakers to an iPhone?
To connect JBL speakers to an iPhone, turn the speaker into pairing mode. To do that, press and hold the Bluetooth button on the speaker. Then, enable the Bluetooth of the iPhone by going through the settings. Finally, search for your speaker in the Bluetooth list, and tap it to pair your devices.
5 steps to connect JBL speakers to iPhone
#1: Turn ON the speaker
Before you begin, make sure that your JBL speaker is powered ON.
To activate it, press the power button on the speaker once. Just look for the button with a circle-with-a-line-on-top icon.
Once you’ve pressed it, you should see the button backlight illuminate for a few seconds. Depending on your JBL speaker model, it should be blue or white.
“I’m pressing the power button. But my speaker won’t turn ON.”
Well, there are 2 possible reasons for that. Either that your speaker has:
- Faulty power button.
- Low or drained battery.
If you see a solid or blinking red light on one of its LED lights, then it means that your JBL speaker has a low battery.
But if it doesn’t light up at all, the battery must be drained. And you should recharge it immediately.
To do that:
- Locate and open the input cover on the speaker.
- Search for the charging port. Usually at the left side.
- Plug one end of the charging cable into the speaker port.
- Plug the USB adapter into an AC power socket.
- Then, wait for your speaker to be fully charged.
Note: The speaker is fully charged once all the LED lights illuminate.
If you can’t still turn ON your device after charging it, contact JBL support for service. As your speaker button may be faulty.
#2: Press the Bluetooth button on the speaker
Now, for the actual procedure of pairing your JBL speaker to an iPhone…
Put your speaker into Bluetooth pairing mode. So that your iPhone can detect it and connect with it.
Note: If your JBL speaker is brand new, it’ll automatically go into pairing mode once you’ve powered it ON. And so, you can jump to step #3.
But if not, here’s how to do it:
- Locate the Bluetooth button on the speaker.
- Press and hold it for about 3 seconds.
After this, you should see the LED lights flash white. This indicates that your JBL speaker is ready to pair and is searching for a source.
“My JBL speaker automatically connects to my other device…”
Well, that’s bound to happen if you’ve connected your speaker to another device before.
You can disconnect your speaker from your other device to resolve this issue. Just go to the device’s Bluetooth settings and unpair your JBL speaker.
Or you can just simply follow the instructions above. Press and hold the Bluetooth button for 3 seconds.
This disconnects your speaker from the previous device. And put your speaker in pairing mode.
#3: Enable Bluetooth on your iPhone

Next, enable Bluetooth on your iPhone.
To do that:
- Open your iPhone.
- Go to settings.
- Select “Bluetooth.”
- Then, toggle the Bluetooth switch ON.
Consider disconnecting other devices connected to your iPhone. So that your JBL speaker and iPhone can easily detect each other.
Also, here 3 helpful tips you can follow to avoid pairing issues:
- Remove previous pairings on your JBL speaker.
- Keep your JBL speaker and iPhone close to each other.
- Remove other Bluetooth-supported devices nearby to prevent interference.
“Can’t I just enable Bluetooth through the quick access panel?”
You can.
But the next step would require you to scan your Bluetooth device list. So, you’ll still have to go to your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings.
If you can’t enable your iPhone’s Bluetooth function for some reason, restart it. Doing this helps resolve glitches and connectivity errors with your device.
You may also wonder: Can You Stream Video Over Bluetooth?
#4: Select your speaker on the list
After enabling Bluetooth on your iPhone…
Search for your JBL speaker on the device list. You should be able to find it in the “Other Devices” section.
And it should appear as the model name of your speaker.
For example, if you’re using a JBL Flip 3. Your speaker device should appear as “JBL Flip 3” on your iPhone’s Bluetooth device list.
If you can’t find your speaker on the list, try to restart either your iPhone or speaker. Just make sure to enable their Bluetooth function again.
Once you’ve found it on the list:
- Tap your speaker device name.
- Click “Pair.”
- Then, wait for your devices to connect.
After this, you should see a “Connected” label next to your speaker device name. And it should be automatically moved from the “Other Devices” to the “My Devices” section.
Plus, the LED lights on your JBL speaker should turn solid white. This indicates that your speaker is already linked to a device.
“I’m connecting more than 2 JBL speakers to my iPhone…”
Just repeat the same pairing process. Do it until all your JBL speakers are paired to your iPhone.
But before you can stream music on all your speakers at once, you have to connect your JBL speakers together.
To do that, you have to tap the connect button on each speaker, one by one. Let the first connection finish first before connecting with another speaker.
Note: Your iPhone can only support a limited number of Bluetooth devices at once. Usually, up to 7 devices.
So, if you can’t seem to connect your other JBL speakers, this must be why.
#5: Play music from your iPhone
And to test whether the pairing process is successful…
Play any music from your iPhone. You can use any music service app such as Apple Music or Spotify.
Suppose you hear the sound coming from your JBL speaker, congratulations! You’ve just successfully connected it to your iPhone.
But if not…
Try increasing the volume level of your iPhone and JBL speaker.
You can increase the volume level of your speaker by pressing the VOLUME + button on the device. Continue pressing it until you reach your desired level.
If that didn’t help, disconnect and reconnect your speaker to your phone.
To disconnect it:
- Go to your phone’s settings.
- Select “Bluetooth.”
- Search for your speaker device name.
- Tap it once.
- Then, press “Unpair.”
Right after this, reconnect your speaker. Here’s how to do it:
- Stay on the Bluetooth settings page.
- Search for your speaker device name again.
- Tap it once.
- Then, press “Pair.”
If the problem persists, troubleshoot your devices. Visit Apple support and JBL support for solutions.
Watch this video to learn how to connect JBL Flip 4 to iPhone 7 Plus:
BONUS: Connect the speaker to the JBL Portable app
You can play music on your JBL speaker directly from your iPhone’s music service app.
So, this step is optional.
But if you want to play music on several speakers at once, I recommend using the JBL Portable app.
In this app, you can change your speaker setting to “PartyBoost” or “Stereo.” Plus, you can adjust the equalizer on each speaker to suit your taste.
Here are some more things you can do within the app:
- Rename your speaker device.
- Update the speaker’s software.
- Turn ON or OFF the feedback tone.
- Access the user guide on each speaker.
- Change the color mode on JBL Pulse models.
Note: However, this app is only applicable to certain JBL speaker models.
Here’s the complete list of the compatible models:
- Pulse 3, 4, and 5.
- Charge 3, 4, and 5.
- JBL Flip 3, 4, and 5.
- Xtreme, Xtreme 2, and 3.
- Boombox and Boombox 2.
If you use any of these speaker models, download the JBP Portable app. So that you can customize and control your devices however you want.
Why aren’t my JBL speakers connecting to my iPhone?
Your JBL speakers aren’t connecting to your iPhone because your speakers aren’t in pairing mode. Or they’re connected to other devices.
If you want to pair your iPhone to your JBL speakers, you must enable their Bluetooth function.
And here’s how to do that:
Step 1: Locate the Bluetooth button on the speaker.
Step 2: Press and hold it for about 3 seconds. Or until the LED lights flash.
Step 3: Repeat steps 2 to 3 until all your speakers are in pairing mode.
Only after this can you find your speakers’ device names on your iPhone’s Bluetooth device lists.
If that isn’t the problem, then it must be because:
- The speakers are out-of-range.
- The speakers are low in battery.
- There’s connection interference.
- The speaker or iPhone has glitches.
And here are some ways to resolve them:
Method 1: Update the iPhone’s software.
Method 2: Charge the speakers until full.
Method 3: Restart the speakers or the iPhone.
Method 4: Move the speakers to a close range.
Method 5: Remove other Bluetooth devices nearby.
Method 6: Move your iPhone close to the speakers.
Method 7: Update the speakers’ software via the JBL Portable app.
How many JBL speakers can you connect to one iPhone?
In theory, you can connect up to 7 JBL speakers on one iPhone at a time. But that can go as low as 2 to 4 devices, depending on your iPhone model and speaker type.
But also, keep in mind that not all JBL speakers can connect to one another.
There are 3 types of JBL speakers. And you can only connect speakers together that are of the same type.
To help you out, here’s a quick guide on which models you can connect together:
JBL PartyBoost: JBL Pulse 4 andJBL Flip 5.
JBL Connect: JBL Clip 2, JBL Pulse 2, JBL Flip 3, and JBL Charge 3.
JBL Connect+: JBL Boombox, JBL Xtreme 2, JBL Pulse 3, JBL Flip 4, and JBL Charge 4.
And to connect them together, you have to press the connect button on each speaker. This allows the JBL speakers to detect each other.
Note: The connect button is the one that has an hourglass-like icon. Depending on the speaker type, the actual design varies.
So if there are 3 types of JBL speakers, there are also 3 different designs of connect buttons.
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