I’ve synced my JBL headphones (great) with my iPhone dozens, if not hundreds, of times on the road.
I couldn’t get my JBLs to connect to my iPhone the other day for no apparent reason.
Faced with the thought of a day without music, I went online to learn how to link my JBL headphones to my iPhone.
Why can’t my JBL headphones connect to my iPhone?
The most common reason your JBL headphones won’t connect to your iPhone is that they weren’t properly detached from the previous device with which they were linked. Hardware difficulties (low/dead battery) and software issues are other possible causes (update required).
There are several reasons why your JBL headphones are unable to connect to your iPhone.
- It’s possible that the Bluetooth capability on your iPhone has been deactivated.
- It’s possible that the headphones’ batteries have run out.
- It’s possible that your headphones are already linked to another device.
- It’s possible that your iPhone has two Bluetooth profiles for your headphones.
- It’s possible that your iPhone is running an old version of iOS.
- The last device with which your JBL headphones were associated was not properly disconnected.
Continue reading to learn how to determine why your JBL headphones are unable to connect to your iPhone and, more importantly, how to resolve the issue.
Troubleshooting JBL Headphones and iPhones
First, double-check that your JBL headphones are working.
If they can’t turn on on their own, there might be a hardware problem.
Due to the wear and tear of continuous usage, older headphones are more likely to have suffered damage over time.
It’s not a bad idea to connect the headphones to the charger and check if getting them fully charged improves their performance.
Unfortunately, the internal battery of the headphones will ultimately fail to retain a charge over a lengthy period or a large number of recharge cycles.
Kudos to you if you were able to open the headphones and discover a replacement battery.
This signifies that the headphones have reached the end of their useful life for the rest of us.
It’s time to get some new earbuds.
If your JBL headphones appear to be in good working order, it’s time to investigate what’s wrong with your Bluetooth connection further.
JBL headphones can only connect to one Bluetooth device at a time.
This means that if you wish to pair them with another device, such as your laptop or desktop computer, you’ll have to reset the headphones and disconnect the Bluetooth connection profile from the current device.
How to Reset Your JBL Headphones
- Check to see if the headphones are charged and turned on. If your JBL headphones don’t have a button, move the power switch to the on position.
- Find the volume up and volume down buttons.
- For 10 seconds, hold both buttons down.
To indicate that your headphones have been reset, they should switch off and produce a ‘ping’ sound.
Remove the Bluetooth profile settings from the device with which you linked the headphones.
The previous profile will no longer operate, and the headphones will have to be linked as a new device.
Make sure your headphones are set to pair.
Probably, your headphones aren’t in pairing mode if you can’t find their name in the Bluetooth available connections list.
Locate the Bluetooth button on the right ear cup to manually force the headphones into pairing mode.
Hold this button down for three seconds. The headphones should be in pairing mode at this point.If your headphones are still not showing up in the list of accessible devices, you may need to reset them and delete any Bluetooth settings profiles for them on your smartphone.
What is the best way to remove Bluetooth profile settings?
It appears to be more difficult than it is.
When you link a Bluetooth device with your smartphone or computer, the smartphone or computer develops a unique information profile for the connection parameters sent by the device.
When you manually link a Bluetooth device from the Bluetooth settings menu, you’ll see this profile, which is established automatically. Navigate to the Bluetooth settings menu to delete a profile.
You may access the Control Center, the Settings icon in the app tray, or ask Siri to take you there. I strongly advise you to use the Control Center.
To access the Control Center menu, simply slide up from the bottom of the screen.
Then, while holding down the Bluetooth symbol, tap and hold it.
On the screen, the Bluetooth settings menu should appear.
In the list of your associated devices, look for the device’s name. After that, tap it.
To delete the device, tap the choices. When it asks whether you’re sure, say yes.
You may now re-pair your headphones with your iPhone or a different device.
JBL Headphones and iPhone Issues
I’ll go over some of the problems you could have if your JBL headphones aren’t correctly linked or are defective.
Each problem will be followed by a brief solution or suggestion.
This is not a thorough JBL headphones repair guide, but rather a few pointers to help you prevent some frequent issues.
JBL headphones do not appear in the list of available devices in Bluetooth settings.
The most typical reason that your headphones don’t show up in the Bluetooth devices list is that they aren’t in pairing mode.
Verify that the headphones are turned on.
Then, on the right ear cup, press and hold the Bluetooth button for three seconds to enter pairing mode.
If the headphones appear to be attached to a device that isn’t your iPhone, they might be paired to another Bluetooth-enabled device.
Remove the connection and reset your JBL headphones if you use the headphones with another Bluetooth device in your house.
If the headphones are not pairing to anything and not showing the Bluetooth settings available devices list, try a factory reset on your headphones.
You can perform this by powering the headphones on and holding both the volume up and volume down buttons for ten seconds.
Your headphones should power down and back on in pairing mode.
If none of these solve your issue, your JBL headphone’s Bluetooth transmitter may be faulty.
This will require that you seek help from the manufacturer or replace the headphones when possible.
The audio is breaking in and out.
A poor connection, a bad audio source, or a mistake in audio compression can all cause audio problems.
Your Bluetooth connection is most likely incorrect if the music is largely smooth and clear with a few hiccups.
It’s an audio compression issue if all of the sound coming from the headphones is strange.
Audio sources from the internet are sometimes the source of the problem.
Make sure no other devices are attempting to connect to your headphones to fix a problematic connection.
JBL’s Bluetooth headphones can only be used with one device at a time.
Another device may be attempting to connect to your headphones, causing your intended device to disconnect.
You may be too far away from your device if you experience an audio breakdown.
Bluetooth signals are only supposed to function within a thirty-foot range (about 10 meters).
If all of the audio coming from your headphones is distorted, it’s either because the device’s audio compression is failing or because a speaker has blown out.
The sort of sound produced by the speakers will reveal this.
A blown speaker will become silent and occasionally emit crackles and pops.
Digital sounding distortions are common as a result of audio compression difficulties.
It is possible to improve audio compression. It’s time to replace a blown speaker.
Reset your JBL headphones to factory settings and delete the Bluetooth settings from your iPhone to repair audio compression difficulties.
Although the headphones are properly paired and are operating, no audio is coming out of them.
Make sure your audio output is set to your headphones if you can connect your headphones to your iPhone but no audio is playing.
If you possess Apple goods such as the HomePod, Beats, AirPods, iMac, MacBook, and others, you’ll most certainly have various audio outputs around your house.
With so many options, it’s easy to forget that your iPhone needs to know which speaker to play sound from. The options for which audio output may be found in your iPhone’s settings.
Disconnecting the Bluetooth connection from any other audio device is the easiest option.
If no other device is prioritized, your iPhone will use your JBL headphones as the default audio output.
Conclusion
There aren’t many people who will be confronted with these issues.
If they do, it’ll very certainly be because JBL has to be reset and deleted from prior devices before pairing with a new one.
Reset your gadgets if you’re unsure.
It may seem absurd, but with today’s technology, the hardware is less likely to be the source of the problem than the software.
It’s akin to kicking a speaker to make a shaky audio connection go away.
It’s banal and appears to be stupid, yet it works most of the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I don’t have the device my JBL Headphones were previously paired with?
Don’t panic; if the device will never attempt to connect to your headphones again, you won’t need to erase the Bluetooth settings profile.
The purpose of removing the Bluetooth settings profile is to ensure that your headphones stay connected to the appropriate device and that signal disruptions are avoided.
If you don’t have access to the previous device, simply restarting your JBL headphones should suffice.
I bought a new iPhone and transferred my data to it. Do I still have to reset my JBL Headphones?
Yes. It may seem cumbersome, but your new phone’s Bluetooth profile settings may require specialization.
Some of the features of your JBL headphone may not operate if it is not correctly linked.
