The first time I used my JBL 500BT headphones, the process was extremely simple. The fact that I simply turned them on meant that they were instantly recognised by my phone.
However, when they became unpaired later on, I had a difficult time re-establishing the connection.
Putting my JPL 500BT headphones back into pairing mode took me an inordinate amount of time to figure out.
What is the best way to put my JBL 500BT into pairing mode?
When the JBL Tune 500BT and the JBL Live 500BT are powered on for the first time, they are automatically placed in pairing mode. To put your 500BT back into pairing mode, press and hold the button in the middle of the volume up and down buttons for several seconds.
Instead, for the LIVE 500BT, press and hold the button located at the bottom of the right ear cup.
In order to indicate that the device has entered Bluetooth Pairing mode, the LED should turn blue and flash rapidly.
To connect your headphones to your device after they have been placed in pairing mode, you will need to access the Bluetooth settings menu on the device you are trying to pair them with.
You can quickly access the Bluetooth settings menu on Android devices by tapping the notification bar at the bottom of the screen. Drag the bottom of the screen down from the top of the screen. Then press and hold the Bluetooth icon for a few seconds; some phones may only require a single tap on the icon. When this happens, the Bluetooth settings menu will appear.
To access the Control Center on iOS devices, swipe up from the bottom of the screen from the bottom of the screen. Then tap and hold the Bluetooth icon until it appears.
To begin using Windows, press the Start button. You can either use the search bar in the start menu to find the Bluetooth Settings or use the settings gear wheel to navigate to the Bluetooth Settings. Devices can be found under the Settings menu. Then, on the left-hand sidebar, select Bluetooth.
For Mac users, go to the Apple menu at the top of the screen and select Bluetooth from the drop-down menu. Afterwards, select “Bluetooth Preferences” to access the Bluetooth configuration menu.
Once you are in the Bluetooth settings menu, look for the device with the 500BT prefix in the list of available devices. On iOS, the available devices will be referred to as “Other Devices” and will appear below the list of Bluetooth devices that have been paired.
What is the best way to connect my JBL 500BT to my Bluetooth device?
Activate pairing mode on your JBL TUNE or LIVE 500BT by pressing and holding the Bluetooth button on the LIVE for three seconds, or by pressing and holding the play button on the TUNE for three seconds.
Then, from the Bluetooth settings menu on the device you want to connect to, select the Bluetooth signal of your JBL 500BT from the list of available signals.
It is possible that the LED indicator is flashing a different colour.
For a quick overview of what the different colours and rhythms mean, refer to the chart below:
- The device is powered on when the light is solid white.
- The device is in Bluetooth Pairing mode, as indicated by the blue flashing light.
- The device is connected to the computer via Bluetooth when the light is solid blue.
- Slowly flashing red light indicates that the device’s battery is running low.
- The device is currently charging, as indicated by a solid red light.
- The device’s TalkThru or Ambient Aware features are activated when the device is white with a slow blue flashing light.
- When there is no light when the device is plugged in, the charging process is complete.
Both the TUNE and LIVE models of the 500BT are capable of connecting to two devices at the same time.
It is only possible to play audio from one device at a time through the headphones.
The two models pair with a second device in slightly different ways, depending on the manufacturer.
Using a second device to communicate with the TUNE 500BTs
Once you’ve successfully paired the first device with your TUNEs using the method described above, you’ll need to switch your TUNEs to the second device pairing mode.
For five seconds, instead of pressing and holding down the play button between the volume up and volume down buttons, hold down both the play and volume up buttons simultaneously.
The LED will flash in the same manner as it did during the initial Bluetooth pairing.
If you want to connect a second device to the headphones, go to the Bluetooth settings menu on the first device and select the TUNE 500BT signal name from the list.
Your headphones will be connected to both devices from that point forward.
Switching audio from one device to another is as simple as pausing the audio from the current device and playing audio from the other device.
Whatever phone number is receiving an incoming call will take precedence over all other audio sources, regardless of which phone the call is being directed to.
The LIVE 500BTs can be paired with a second device.
In order to pair the second device with the Live 500BTs, you must press the dedicated Bluetooth pairing button located on the right ear cup.
Then, using the Bluetooth settings menu, establish a connection with the second device.
The LIVE 500BTs will not automatically remain connected to both pairs of headphones unless they are manually disconnected.
It will be necessary to return to the first device that was connected to the headphones and select the headphones name from the list of known devices.
This should cause the first device to reconnect without causing the second device to lose connection with the first device.
The LIVE uses the same audio sources as the TUNE, and you can switch between them in the same way.
Pause the audio that is currently playing, and when you play audio from the second device, the headphones will automatically switch to that second device to continue playing audio.
All other activities will be put on hold if there are any incoming telephone calls.
This means that if either phone begins to receive a call, the ringtone and volume of the call will be heard over any other audio source.
How to Disconnect Bluetooth Connections from a JBL 500BT
Occasionally, in life, you may find yourself in possession of a new smartphone or tablet to replace your previous equipment.
This will frequently necessitate the disconnection of old device connections and the pairing of your accessories with your new device.
In the event that you have only previously connected your LIVE or TUNE 500BTs to a single device, you will only need to pair your device with the new device.
It is possible that, if you have already used up the device’s maximum of two connections, you will need to unpair the headphones’ Bluetooth settings from your old smartphone, computer, or tablet before pairing them to the new device.
To delete the Bluetooth profile associated with your headphone from your old device, navigate to the Bluetooth settings menu.
You’ll want to choose the name of your headphones from this point forward.
There should be two options available: “Remove” and “Disconnect/Connect.” Remove the item by selecting it from the drop-down menu.
This will cause your device to delete the Bluetooth profile that was previously created.
There is no need to worry about losing connectivity because you can simply restart the Bluetooth pairing process on the headphones whenever you need to reconnect with them.
You may need to perform a factory reset on your headphones if you have successfully removed the Bluetooth Settings profile from the old device but are still having trouble pairing with the new device.
How to Reset the JBL 500BTs to its Factory Settings
- Check to see that the headphones are turned on. Either a solid white light or a solid blue light should be produced by the LED.
- For five seconds, press and hold the volume up and volume down buttons on your keyboard.
Your headphones should be powered down and then powered back on after a few seconds.
When they have been reset to factory settings, they will emit a ‘ping’ sound in order to indicate that they have been reset.
If any of your devices still has Bluetooth settings for the headphones, you’ll want to unpair them and pair the headphones as if they were a completely different device from the rest of your devices.
Conclusion
The JBL 500BT headphones are lightweight and comfortable to wear.
Because the TUNE model is a more affordable alternative, it’s encouraging to see JBL give the same level of attention to the quality of life features and accessibility as they do to the more expensive models.
Aside from the quality of the audio drivers and the dedicated Bluetooth button on the LIVE model, both headphones are essentially the same device with a price difference of a hundred dollars between them.
The simplicity with which the 500BT’s Bluetooth connections and multipoint features can be switched and managed makes it an excellent choice for anyone looking for high-quality Bluetooth headphones that aren’t too complicated or expensive.
Overall, troubleshooting any issue that may arise is a quick and simple process that can be completed quickly.
JBL deserves to be congratulated on a fantastic product.
Frequently Asked Questions are listed below.
Is it possible to connect my JBL 500BTs to more than one device at the same time?
Yes, both the TUNE and LIVE 500BTs allow you to connect up to two devices at the same time.
What would be the point of connecting my headphones to two devices at the same time?
In some situations, you may want to be able to switch between your phone and a tablet or computer with relative ease.
This allows you to get more use out of your headphones while also making it simpler to switch between them.
There is also a requirement for people who are issued business devices to be able to make and receive phone calls from the device that was issued to them by their employer.
They frequently want to listen to audio on their personal device while also making sure they don’t miss any important communications on their professional device.
My JBL 500BTs is plugged in, but the LED light on the front of the speaker is still off. Is it possible that my headphones are faulty?
No. If the LED light indicator is not illuminated when your device is plugged in, this indicates that the headphones have been completely charged.
I’ve connected my JBL 500BTs to two different devices, but neither of them is producing any audio. What exactly is the problem?
You can only listen to audio from one source at a time through your headphones. It’s possible that one of your devices has the media paused and is in command of the headphones.
Simply close any apps that might be a source of audio and then play the audio you want from the device you want to play it on (if applicable).
