Left front view of the Sony SRS XB31 speaker.

How to Check Sony SRS XB31 Battery

Covers how to check the battery in the Sony Extra Bass SRS XB31 Bluetooth speaker.  We also discuss how to tell if the battery life is shortening over time and when it may be time to replace the battery.

How to Check Sony SRS XB31 Battery, Current Charge

1. First, Turn ON the XB31

You won’t be able to read battery charge status unless the speaker is ON.

Picture of the -Power- button on the Sony SRS XB31 speaker.
Sony SRS XB31 speaker -Power- button.

To turn on the speaker, press and release the Power button, pointed at by the green arrow in the last picture.

The small lamp just above that button should then light, as we see next. Plus, the speaker may make a high-low beep sound if it pairs to a nearby device.  If it does not turn on, then the battery could be dead all the way.

Picture of the -Power- lamp glowing. How to Check Sony SRS XB31 Battery.
The Sony SRS XB31 speaker -Power- lamp glowing.

But as long as there’s some energy in the battery, the speaker should power up.  When it does, move ahead to the next step.

2. Look at the CHARGE Lamp on the XB31

Note that this speaker has no battery meter to let you know exactly how much percentage of charge is left.  But with a quick-glance you can tell if the battery is close to going dead by looking at the CHARGE lamp. E.g. When the battery is not critically low, this lamp is dark. But when the speaker has very little charge left, the lamp slow-pulses orange. The next picture shows the lamp location.  It’s just above the USB input port.

The orange glowing -CHARGE- light.
The -CHARGE- lamp glowing orange.

3. Have the Speaker Announce the Percentage of Charge Remaining

With the unit running, press and release the LIGHT-BATT button in the port compartment in the back of the unit. The speaker then says the percentage of battery power left in a female voice.





How to Check Sony SRS XB31 Battery, Overall Battery Condition

When the speaker is new, and using a full power USB charger, the battery charge time is about four and a half (4.5) hours. And, the fully charged battery should last for around sixteen (16) hours of play time before going dead again, when played at medium volume levels. This assumes that you run the party lights on this unit, and use the default Extra Bass mode as well. But you get significantly longer play if you turn both of these off.

A sign of a deteriorating battery, is that it goes dead too fast. Or it takes less than four hours or more than six hours to recharge. So if you fully charge your speaker, but it only plays for under twelve hours before dying, its battery may be going bad. Thus, it can no longer hold a full charge anymore.

Picture of the dark -CHARGE- light.
The -CHARGE- lamp dark.

It might mean also, that the charger you’re using is not strong enough to recharge the speaker in the specified charge time of 4.5 hours. So be sure to use a full-power USB charger, one that outputs 5 volts at up to 2.4 amps.

Also, slow (or no) charging might happen because your charge cord is frayed, or too thin.  Thus for best results, we again suggest a full-current USB cable (one that easily carries 2.4 amps). 

Finally, when all these checks pass, it may be that your speaker itself has gone bad. So it may be time to buy a new one.





Other Posts About the Sony SRS XB31

    1. How to Charge Sony SRS XB31 Speaker
    2. Sony SRS XB31 Charge Time for Full Recharge
    3. Sony SRS XB31 Bluetooth Pairing Instructions
    4. Replacement Charger for the Sony SRS XB31 Speaker
    5. Sony SRS XB31 Not Recharging, How to Fix

Related Posts to How to Check Sony SRS XB31 Battery

    1. How to Check Sony SRS XB23 Battery
    2. Checking the Battery in the Sony SRS XB22 Speaker
    3. How to Check Sony SRS XB21 Battery
    4. Testing the Sony SRS XB20 Battery
    5. How to Test the Battery in the Sony SRS XB13 BT Speaker

References for How to Check Sony SRS XB31 Battery

    1. Sony SRS XB31 Official Product Page at Sony.com

Change History

    • 2022-08-18: First published.