Picture of the JBL Charge 2 Plus BT speaker alongside an Echo Dot 4 speaker clock.

How to Connect JBL Charge 2 Plus to Alexa

This post shows how to connect the JBL Charge 2 Plus portable Bluetooth speaker to Alexa smart speakers. Since this pairing occurs between the JBL and Echo devices directly, you need not turn Bluetooth on in the mobile device you’re using to set up this connection.

How to Connect JBL Charge 2 Plus to Alexa: Step by Step

With your Charge 2+ powered OFF (status lamp is dark), run through this routine to connect it to your Alexa Echo, Show, Studio, Input, and Dot models. We use an iPad Air tablet to set this up.

1. Find the Alexa App on your Mobile Device

We found the app on the iPad Air as shown in the next shot. In this exercise, the app is in a custom folder we set up, called Smart Speakers, pointed at by the green arrow.

Screenshot of the the Alexa App Icon in Folder on iPadOS.
The Alexa App Icon in Folder on iPadOS.

2. Run the Alexa App

The app displays its Home screen as we see in the next screenshot.

Screenshot of the More option on the Alexa app Home screen.
The More option on the Alexa app Home screen.

3. Tap the More Item to Continue with How to Connect JBL Charge 2 Plus to Alexa

Find the hamburger item in the lower right corner of the screen. We point at this with the green arrow in the last screenshot.

This brings up the Alexa app’s main menu, as follows.

Screenshot of the -Settings- item on the Alexa app main menu.
The -Settings- item on the Alexa app main menu.

4. Tap the  Settings   Option on the Main Menu 

The  Settings   option is pointed at by the green arrow in the last photo.





This brings up the  Settings   screen, as we see in the next screenshot.

Screenshot of the -Device Settings- item on the -Settings- page.
The -Device Settings- item on the -Settings- page.

5. Tap the  Device Settings   Option

Touching   Device Settings   brings up the  All Devices   page.

Screenshot of an Echo Dot 4 entry on the -All Devices- page.
An Echo Dot 4 entry on the -All Devices- page.

From here, choose which Echo device you wish to pair with your JBL Charge 2+ speaker.

6. Tap the Alexa Device you Wish to Connect

This takes you to the device-specific settings screen for the speaker you chose.

In this demo, we’re pairing from our  Thomas’s 2nd Echo Dot 4   speaker to our Charge 2 Plus, and so, its device specific settings screen looks as follows.

Screenshot of the -Connect a Device- item on the Echo Dot 4 Settings page.
The -Connect a Device- item on the Echo Dot 4 Settings page.

7. Tap the  Connect a Device  Item

Find the  Connect a Device  option pointed at by the  green  arrow in the last screenshot.

This brings up the   Setup   screen, as we show next.

Screenshot of the -Pair Bluetooth Device Setup- page.
The -Pair Bluetooth Device Setup- page.

At this point, your Alexa device scans for nearby Bluetooth devices that are in pairing mode. Here, we selected an Echo Dot 4  earlier. So, this speaker will be the one that scans for BT devices.

Note that our Dot speaker found no devices so far.  But it will in the next steps, when we turn on the JBL Charge and put it in pairing mode.

8. Power Up the JBL Charge 2 Plus

Bring your speaker close to your Alexa device to pair, and power up that speaker by pressing and releasing the Power button as we show in the next picture.

Picture of the dark -Power- button on the JBL Charge 2 Plus.
The dark -Power- button on the JBL Charge 2 Plus.

The speaker boots and beeps, and then the Power button lights up.

Picture of the glowing -Power- button.
The glowing -Power- button.

9. Place the Speaker into Pairing / Discovery Mode

Put your speaker into pairing mode by pressing and releasing the Pairing button.

Picture of the dark -Bluetooth Pairing- button on the JBL Charge 2 Plus.
The dark -Bluetooth Pairing- button on the JBL Charge 2 Plus.

The speaker responds by decreasing volume sequence of beeps, and this button begins flashing white.

Picture of the glowing -Bluetooth Pairing- button.
The glowing -Bluetooth Pairing- button.

10. Find the JBL Charge 2 Plus on the Alexa App SETUP Page

When you put the speaker into discovery mode, it should then appear in the Alexa app, on the Pair Bluetooth Device… page, as we see next.

Screenshot of a JBL Charge 2 Plus showing as discovered on the Setup page in the Alexa App.
A JBL Charge 2 Plus showing as discovered on the Setup page in the Alexa App.

Note that if your speaker does not show up on this page at this point, then try moving it very close to the Alexa speaker, closing and restarting the Alexa app, and then repeating steps 3 through 7 along with step 9 above.  We usually find that this gets the speaker to appear here as it should.

11. Find your JBL Charge 2 Plus on the Discovered Devices List 

See the last screenshot above.  Our test speaker is there.

12. Finally, Pair your Alexa with your JBL Charge 2 Plus

Pair to the speaker by tapping its corresponding entry on the  Pair Bluetooth Device…  screen, we see in the last screenshot above.

Your Alexa smart speaker then pairs with the Plus speaker.

The app then takes you back to the Thomas’s 2nd Echo Dot 4 screen, which looks something like the following.

Picture of the JBL Charge 2 Plus connected to an Echo Dot 4 on the -Device Settings- page.
The JBL Charge 2 Plus connected to an Echo Dot 4 on the -Device Settings- page.

Note that our Bluetooth speaker now shows as connected.  Also, the JBL speaker makes the Speaker Paired sound (a sequence of rising pitch beeps), and its Bluetooth light glows solid white.

13. Done with How to Connect JBL Charge 2 Plus to Alexa !

We can now ask Alexa to play music or news, and those programs will come out of the JBL Charge 2. Be sure though, to speak to the Echo speaker when making requests, and not the Bluetooth speaker.  Even though this Charge is now paired with Alexa, the Echo is still the speaker that hears your voice commands through its internal far field microphones.

Other JBL Charge 2 Plus Posts

    1. How to Connect JBL Charge 2 Plus to iPhone
    2. How to Hard Reset JBL Charge 2 Plus
    3. JBL Charge 2 Plus Firmware Update
    4. JBL Charge 2 Plus Battery Indicator
    5. JBL Charge 2 Plus Battery Capacity mAh

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References for How to Connect JBL Flip to Alexa

    1. Official Product Page for the JBL Charge 2 Plus at JBL.com
    2. The Official Alexa Home Page at Alexa.com

Revision History

    • 2022-09-11: First published.