If you are trying to connect your Bluetooth speaker to your laptop, computer, phone, TV or other device, but it does not connect, then look carefully and apply the solutions from this article. In the process of connecting a wireless speaker, various problems and errors may occur. According to my observations, the most popular problem is when a laptop or phone does not see the Bluetooth speaker. It also happens that the column does not turn on (indicators off, no beep). On the part of the devices to which we connect the speaker, there are also various errors, or there is simply no sound after connection.
The solutions in this article are suitable for all speakers: JBL, SONY, Xiaomi, Marshall, Bose, Sven, etc. Both portable and floorstanding / desktop (regular Bluetooth speakers that work from the network). Same for soundbars. Their working principle is the same. To begin with, we will look at possible problems and solutions from the side of the Bluetooth speaker itself. Then we will find out what problems can be with the phone. (Android, iPhone) and laptop or computer.
In my experience, this the three most common reasons why a bluetooth speaker does not connect:
- Due to connection mode. More precisely, due to the fact that the connection mode is not activated on the column and it is not visible to other devices. And/or connected to other devices. Therefore, the same phone or laptop simply does not see it.
- Due to Bluetooth issues on the device itself. This option is especially relevant for laptops and PCs. The fact is that Bluetooth on the computer itself may simply not work. The driver is not installed, there is no adapter at all, etc.
- Due to reconnection issues. This is when the speaker has connected to a certain Bluetooth device before, but it cannot be reconnected.
What can be checked and done on the column?
It doesn’t matter which device has a connection problem, I recommend checking the speaker first.
Power, charge level, breakdown
Any portable Bluetooth speaker (Battery powered), or an acoustic system that is powered directly from the mains, its operation is signaled by an indicator or a sound signal. I understand that for some, these tips may seem too simple and obvious, but still, make sure that your speaker is turned on and it works.
Perhaps the column is simply discharged and needs to be charged. It should turn on and somehow signal this. If the column does not turn on at all, there is no reaction to the power button, the indicators do not light up and there is no sound signal, then it is either discharged or out of order. You can try to fix the problem with charging by replacing the cable and power supply. If this does not help, you will have to contact the service center for diagnostics and repair.
Connection mode (Bluetooth activation on the speaker)
This is a very important point! In order for a laptop, phone, or any other device to be able to detect the speaker and connect to it, the connection mode must be activated on the speaker. It must be discoverable by other devices. On most speakers, this mode is activated immediately after switching on. But provided that the column was not paired with other devices that are nearby. Otherwise, it will immediately connect to this device after being turned on and will not be available for search.
By opening the search for new Bluetooth devices on your phone or laptop – check, and if necessary activate pairing mode on the Bluetooth speaker itself. In most cases, this can be done like this:
- Click on a special, separate button. Usually there is a Bluetooth icon or the inscription “Pairing” on it, or near it. This button may need to be held down for a few seconds. This is how it is organized on the popular JBL speakers.
- Use the power button to activate Bluetooth, which you need to hold for a few seconds. Like on my Sony speaker. or use the column mode switch button for this.
You will learn about the activation of the connection mode either by the behavior of the indicator, or thanks to the sound signal “Bluetooth Pairing”. Only after that, the phone, laptop or other device will be able to find the speaker and connect to it.
Reset Bluetooth speaker settings
I can’t say absolutely for all the speakers, many have a reset function. And often this is an excellent solution to various connection problems.
Usually, to reset the settings, you need to hold down the Bluetooth button and the volume up button “+” on the speaker. You need to clamp them for 3-10 seconds. You will most likely understand that the reset has occurred by the behavior of the indicator, or by the sound signal.
This method works exactly on JBL and Xiaomi speakers. However, I’m not sure that on all models. See instructions (paper, or search on the Internet) specific to your column.
Why won’t my Bluetooth speaker connect to my phone?
It doesn’t matter what phone you have. This is Android, or iPhone on iOS, the connection principle is the same there:
- Open the settings and go to the Bluetooth section.
- Turn on Bluetooth and select your speaker from the list of available devices.
After a few seconds, the speaker will be connected to the phone and the sound will be output through it.
If the phone does not see the Bluetooth speaker, see the solutions from the first part of this article. Especially where I wrote about activating the Bluetooth connection.
Delete pairing and reconnect
This method can only be applied if you have previously connected this speaker to this phone.
Just open Bluetooth settings. There will be connected devices. Among them should be an acoustic system. Open its properties ((i) button on iPhone and gear button on Android). There will be an item “Forget device”, “Unpair”, or “Delete device”. Click on it and confirm the deletion. On the iPhone it looks like this:
The same is true for Android smartphones.
After deletion, you need to reconnect the speaker to this phone.
Additional Solutions
- Reboot phone.
- Update software on your phone.
- Install an application from the manufacturer of your Bluetooth speaker on your phone and try to connect through it.
- Turn off Wi-Fi on your phone while connecting.
- Keep your phone close to the speaker.
If the Bluetooth speaker does not connect to a laptop or computer
I have already prepared more than one article on this topic. Therefore:
- Be sure to look at the detailed connection instructions: how to connect a Bluetooth speaker to a laptop or computer. There I showed in detail the entire connection process in Windows and even wrote about solving some problems.
- If your problem is that the laptop or computer does not find the speaker, then see this article: the laptop does not see the Bluetooth device. Well, see the solutions directly with the column itself at the beginning of this article.
- If the speaker connects, but there is no sound, then this article will come in handy: Bluetooth headphones do not play sound from a laptop. It is written on the example of headphones, but with speakers in this regard, everything is exactly the same. And if you have Windows 11: no sound in Bluetooth headphones (speaker) in Windows 11.
- If you have a normal computer (system unit), then it most likely does not have built-in Bluetooth. Although, now it is already integrated in many motherboards. But this article may be useful to you: how to make Bluetooth on a computer if it is not there.
- Another error that happens in Windows, both with headphones and speakers, is the “Connection lost” and “Connected voice” status.
In the event that the Bluetooth column does not reconnect to the Windows laptop (previously connected)then just delete it in the Bluetooth settings and try to connect again.
I recommend not to ignore the links to other articles that I left above.
By tradition, I will ask you to leave comments in which you share useful information on the topic of the article and ask questions.