Ever since I bought my first JBL Flip speaker years ago, I’ve been in love with JBL Bluetooth speakers. And I didn’t stop at JBL Flip. Today, I also have a pair of Pulse 3 speakers, JBL Flip 4, JBL Xtreme 2, JBL Charge 3 and Charge 5, and the latest JBL Boombox 3 speaker.
I love my JBL speakers for so many reasons. They are well-built and extremely rugged, most of them are waterproof or water-resistant, the controls are super-easy to use, and the sound is amazing. Additionally, the batteries used in JBL speakers are strong and offer long playtimes, longer than most Bluetooth speakers in the same price range. They are almost too good to be true. Almost…
One of the most common issues users have with their JBL speakers is when the speakers suddenly refuse to turn on or off. It happened to me once with my JBL Xtreme 2. It also happened to my friend with his JBL Flip 6.
Recently, I’ve experienced the same issue with my JBL Charge 5. The speaker wouldn’t turn on unless I connected the charger to it and, even then, it wouldn’t connect to my phone and play music. Luckily, I knew exactly what to do and fixed the issue in seconds.
In this post, I will list all the potential reasons why your JBL Charge 5 won’t turn off/on and guide you through the troubleshooting process. Hopefully, one of my fixes will make your speaker work again.
Key Takeaways
- A number of reasons can cause your JBL Charge 5 to refuse to turn off or on. Some are easily fixable, others require advanced skills and lots of patience.
- Best-case scenario – you accidentally put your JBL Charge 5 in the so-called SERVICE MODE. This mode blocks all the buttons on your speaker. To deactivate the SERVICE MODE, connect the speaker to the charger and press the Bluetooth and PLAY buttons simultaneously until the speaker turns off. When you turn it back on, it should be working properly.
- Firmware glitches can also cause your JBL Charge 5 speaker not to turn off/on. If the speaker is already on and you can’t turn it off, try resetting it or updating its firmware.
- If your Charge 5 speaker is turned on and won’t turn off, you can leave it playing until the battery is drained. Then, charge it until the battery is full.
- If you have charged the speaker overnight and you can’t turn it on, try connecting it to a charger for a few seconds. Disconnect it and try turning it on again.
- If the speaker was not used for quite some time, the battery might be over-discharged. Leave it charging for some time (or overnight), and see if that helps.
- If the power button is clogged or stuck, the speaker may refuse to turn on or off. Try fiddling with the power button and pressing it multiple times. if those things don’t work, you may have to take your Charge 5 apart and clean the Power button contacts.
- If the speaker is a few years old and was used intensively, the battery might be dead. You could try replacing it on your own. The replacement parts can be found online (Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, etc.).
- If you can’t fix the issue on your own, contact JBL customer support and ask for their help. If the speaker is under warranty, do not try to replace the battery or take the speaker apart. That will void the warranty.
Recommended Reading :
Why Is Your JBL Charge 5 Not Turning OFF/ON?
Numerous reasons could cause your Charge 5 to refuse to turn off or on. If your speaker is relatively new and not visibly damaged, there’s a good chance that you can fix it fairly quickly.
With older speakers, the number of potential causes increases, but most issues are still fixable.
If you’re dealing with a damaged/dead internal component (dead battery, damaged PCB, dead speaker drivers, etc.), you may have to replace it. If you don’t feel confident enough to do this on your own, it’s probably smarter to contact a licensed repair center.
Let’s now start with the troubleshooting process.
Service Mode Is Enabled – Disable It
You won’t find information about the Service Mode in your speaker’s user manual or on the official JBL’s website. It’s like it doesn’t exist.
I honestly don’t know who (or how) discovered secret button combos that activate different features (Service Mode, Bass Mode, etc.), but those features do exist and can be activated by pressing different buttons simultaneously.
The feature in question (Service Mode) blocks all the control buttons making it impossible to do anything with the speaker. You can’t even turn it on or off.
This feature is activated by pressing the PLAY and Bluetooth buttons simultaneously. You (or someone else) may have pressed the buttons accidentally and blocked your speaker.
Pressing the PLAY and BLUETOOTH buttons simultaneously will activate/deactivate the Service Mode.
To disable the Service Mode, connect the speaker to a charger (THIS IS IMPORTANT STEP). You will hear the speaker powering on, but you still won’t be able to use it. Press the PLAY and BLUETOOTH buttons simultaneously until the speaker turns off. Disconnect the charging cable and press the power button. The speaker should turn on normally.
How to Deactivate the Service Mode When Your Charge 5 Won’t Turn On?
Firmware Bugs and Glitches – Reset Your Speaker If You Can
Firmware glitches could cause all kinds of issues. They may prevent your speaker from connecting to your phone, cause frequent Bluetooth signal dropouts, or even prevent your speaker from turning on or off.
Luckily, there’s a universal solution to all these problems. Reset your JBL Charge 5, and the problem should magically disappear.
To reset it, press the PLAY and VOL + buttons simultaneously. Hold them until the LED ring surrounding the Power and Bluetooth buttons lights up briefly, and the speaker powers off. After the speaker powers off, turn it back on and connect it to your phone.
Keep in mind that resetting your speaker will restore all of its settings to factory defaults. This will erase all pairing information about previously paired devices, so the speaker won’t automatically connect to your phone. You need to do it manually.
Press the PLAY and VOL UP buttons simultaneously for 2 seconds to reset your JBL Charge 5.
How to Reset JBL Charge 5
Leave the Speaker On Until the Battery Is Drained
Sometimes, time may cure the issue without your intervention. You just need to be patient. If you can’t turn the speaker off, leave it playing until the battery drains completely. Charge the battery and try turning the speaker on. If everything works fine, your problem is solved.
If the speaker won’t turn off, leave it playing until the battery is drained, and then charge it and try to turn it back on.
With this, you are basically restarting the speaker. Since you were not able to turn it off manually, you let it turn off by itself.
Firmware Is Outdated – Update It
Although unlikely, outdated firmware might prevent your JBL Charge 5 from turning on or off. Updating it might fix the issue.
To update your JBL speaker, you need to use the JBL Portable app (iOS/Android). Your speaker needs to be turned on and connected to your phone.
Here are the steps:
Open the JBL Portable app. If the speaker was previously connected to the app, you should see a popup message at the top of the screen informing you about available updates. Tap on this message, then tap on Update, and follow the onscreen instructions.
JBL Portable App – Updating JBL Charge 5
How to Update JBL Charge 5 – Step-by-Step Guide
Prolonged Charging Is Causing the Issue
This happened to me once with my electric toothbrush. I don’t know if it’s a good analogy, but it might help. I left my toothbrush charging overnight, and when I tried to turn it on the next morning, nothing happened. The toothbrush wouldn’t turn on, no matter how many times I pressed the power button.
I put the toothbrush on a charger for just a few seconds until the indicator appeared, and then removed it from the charger and tried to turn it on. And it worked! Why? I have absolutely no idea.
So, try doing the same thing with your speaker. If the speaker was charging overnight and the battery is full, but you can’t turn it on, connect it to the charger for just a few seconds. When the charging indicator lights up, disconnect the charger and try powering your speaker on.
The Battery Is Over-Discharged – Charge It Overnight
If the speaker hasn’t been used for quite some time, the battery might be over-discharged. On such occasions, you won’t be able to turn on the speaker right after you connect it to the charger. Sometimes, you need to leave it charging for a few hours (or overnight) before trying to turn it on again.
If the battery is over-discharged, leave your JBL Charge 5 charging overnight.
The Power Button Is Clogged or Stuck – Try Fiddling with It
JBL speakers are very rugged but aren’t indestructible. Even regular wear and tear affects the buttons on your speakers (as well as internal components). If the power button gets stuck or clogged with dirt, or if a few drops of water manage to pass through the speaker’s protective jacket, they might cause various power issues. For example, the speaker might refuse to turn on/off, or it might start to turn off by itself.
For starters, you could try pressing the power button multiple times rapidly. If this helps, you are probably dealing with a malfunctioning button. Pressing it multiple times might work temporarily, but it’s not a viable permanent solution. At some point, your speaker will simply refuse to turn on or off completely, and you won’t be able to turn it off/on by pressing the button multiple times.
Some users reported that pressing the power button 5 times rapidly and then pressing and holding (on the fifth press) for 10 seconds helped them turn off their JBL speaker that wouldn’t turn off. The speaker was not JBL Charge 5, but you can still try this.
Some users managed to turn off their JBL speaker by pressing all the buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds. Again, nobody tried this with JBL Charge 5, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
The Battery Is Dead – Replace It
If none of the fixes suggested above help, it’s time to consider internal component failure. The first suspect, when it comes to internal parts, is always the battery, especially if your JBL Charge 5 is a few years old. If it’s a new speaker or if it’s still under warranty, do not try to open the speaker. Instead, contact JBL customer support or send them a warranty request.
If the speaker is older than one year, you have two options. If you’re an experienced DIYer, you could try replacing the battery on your own. The second option is contacting JBL’s licensed repair service and sending them your speaker for repair.
If you decide to replace the battery on your own, you will first need to find a replacement. You can buy it on Amazon or eBay.
JBL Charge 5 OEM Battery
Charge 5 Battery Specs
JBL Charge 5 Battery Replacement
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You don’t have to take everything apart to replace your JBL Charge 5 battery. However, you have to remove the protective jacket and unscrew a few screws to remove the plastic cover protecting the battery compartment. Then, you need to unplug the battery and replace it with a new one.
STEP 1 – Remove the protective jacket.
STEP 2 – Unscrew three screws and remove the cover protecting the battery compartment.
STEP 3 – Remove the battery.
STEP 4 – Install the new battery.
STEP 5 – Put the plastic cover back on.
STEP 6 – Reinstall the protective jacket.
JBL Charge 5 – Replacing the Battery
The Speaker Is Dead/Damaged – Contact JBL
If the problem is not in the battery, you might be dealing with a more serious problem. For example, the wiring connecting the control buttons with the PCB or the PCB itself might be damaged. The PCB is also replaceable, but you can’t get a new one from JBL. Still, you can find a used original PCB on eBay. Or you could try experimenting with Chinese PCBs from AliExpress.
JBL Charge 5 Printed Circuit Board
To replace the PCB, you have to take the whole speaker apart, so it will be harder than replacing the battery.
JBL Charge 5 Teardown
If you don’t want to do it, you should contact JBL’s nationwide repair center (HDTECH Repair). Or, if the speaker is under warranty, file a warranty claim.
HDTECH Repair
Frequently Asked Questions
- Question: What should I do if my JBL Charge 5 won’t turn off?
- Answer: First, check if the Service Mode is Enabled and try disabling it. Connect the speaker to the charger and press the Bluetooth and PLAY buttons until the speaker turns off. Furthermore, try updating or resetting your JBL speaker. If the suggested fixes don’t work, leave the speaker playing until the battery is drained. Charge it and see if you can turn it on and off. The worst-case scenario is a damaged PCB. In this case, you need to contact JBL’s repair center or replace the PCB on your own.
- Question: How do I force my JBL Charge 5 to turn off?
- Answer: You could try fiddling with the power button, pressing it multiple times, or pressing it 5x and holding the button on the fifth press for 10 seconds until the speaker turns off. Furthermore, try disabling the Service Mode if it’s enabled, update your Charge 5, or reset it.
- If the suggested fixes don’t work, leave the speaker playing until the battery is drained, and then charge it. Try to turn it on and then off.
- The worst thing that could cause your JBL Charge 5 to refuse to turn off is a damaged PCB.
- Question: How do I reset my JBL Charge 5?
- Answer: While the speaker is turned on, press the PLAY and VOL UP buttons until the speaker turns off. This will reset your JBL Charge 5.
- Question: Does JBL Charge 5 turn off automatically?
- Answer: Yes, JBL Charge 5 has the Auto Off feature. Your JBL Charge 5 should turn off after a set period of inactivity (approx. 30 minutes).
- Question: How long does JBL Charge 5 last?
- Answer: The battery inside JBL Charge 5 has the advertised playtime of 20 hours (at moderate volumes). As far as JBL Charge 5 lifespan is concerned, it all depends on how you take care of your speaker. It might last for 5+ years, but it also might die after a year or so.
- Question: Can I overcharge my JBL charge 5?
- Answer: All JBL Bluetooth speakers have overcharge protection, so it should be safe to leave it connected to a charger for prolonged periods.
- Question: Can JBL Charge 5 get wet?
- Answer: JBL Charge 5 can certainly get wet. The speaker is IP67-certified, which means it’s fully dustproof and waterproof (up to 1m depth for 30 minutes).
- Question: Can I use JBL Charge 5 while charging?
- Answer: Yes, you can use your JBL Charge 5 while charging.
- Question: Is it okay to charge the JBL speaker overnight?
- Answer: All JBL speakers have overcharge protection, so it should be safe to leave them charging overnight. However, doing this too often might cause some glitches or malfunctions.
- Question: Can I bring JBL Charge 5 in the shower?
- Answer: Technically speaking, the speaker should be fine. A few splashes should not damage it since It has an IP67 rating.
- Question: How do I know when my JBL Charge 5 is fully charged?
- Answer: There’s an LED battery indicator on the front panel of JBL Charge 5, below the JBL logo. When the speaker is fully charged, the whole LED strip should be glowing white.
Conclusion
JBL Charge 5 is a fantastic speaker, but it’s not flawless. Nothing is… Your Charge 5 might refuse to turn on or off at some point, which is a common issue with Bluetooth speakers in general, not just JBL speakers or just JBL Charge 5. The good news is that this issue is usually caused by some kind of firmware glitch that can be easily fixed.
I hope this guide helped you troubleshoot and fix your JBL Charge 5 speaker that wouldn’t turn on or off.
Feel free to share ideas and fixes that were not mentioned in this post. If something else worked for you, I would love to know what it was.
