Bluetooth Speakers

How to Connect JBL Speaker to Alexa

This post shows how to connect JBL speaker to Alexa smart speakers.  That is, it details how to connect a common Bluetooth speaker with some of the popular Alexa speakers. Since this connecting happens among the JBL and Alexa devices, you need not turn Bluetooth on in the mobile device on which you’re running the Alexa app, while setting up this connection.

How to Connect JBL Speaker to Alexa, Step by Step

With your JBL speaker powered OFF (power button is dark), run through this routine to connect it to your Alexa speaker. We’re using an iPad Air tablet to establish this connection.

1. Find the Alexa app on your Mobile Device

We found the app on an iOS iPad Air as shown in the next screenshot. In our case, the Alexa app is on the third home screen page, pointed at by the blue arrow.

iOS Home screen, showing the Alexa app Icon highlighted.

2. Run the Alexa App

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

Alexa app on iOS, showing its -Home- screen, with the hamburger control highlighted.

3. Tap the Hamburger Control to Continue with How to Connect JBL Speaker to Alexa

Find the hamburger item in the top left corner of the screen. This is pointed at by the blue arrow in the last screenshot.

This brings up the Alexa app’s menu, as shown in the next screenshot.

The app’s control menu, with the -Settings- option highlighted.

4. Tap the  Settings Option on the Main Menu

The  Settings  option is highlighted by the blue arrow in the last screenshot.

This brings up the   Settings   screen, as shown in the next screenshot. From here, choose which Alexa device you wish to pair with your JBL Flip 4 Bluetooth speaker.

The -Settings- screen, with our -Bedroom Dot- speaker highlighted.

5. Tap the Alexa Device you Wish to Connect to your JBL Speaker

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

In this demo, we’re connecting from our   Bedroom Dot  Alexa to our JBL Flip 4 speaker.

The Alexa app on iOS, showing its -Settings- screen. This is for our -Bedroom Dot- speaker, with the -Bluetooth- option highlighted.

6. Tap the Bluetooth Item to Continue with How to Connect JBL Speaker to Alexa

Find the Bluetooth option pointed at by the  blue  arrow in the last screenshot.

This brings up the   Bluetooth Devices   screen, as shown next.

At this point, you’re ready to start a Bluetooth scan by your Alexa speaker. You’ve selected this speaker in the last step. So, that one will be the smart speaker that scans for Bluetooth devices.

But don’t press the   Pair a New Device   button just yet. We must first power up your JBL speaker and put it into pairing discovery mode.

The Alexa app on iOS, showing its Bluetooth Settings screen. This is for our -Bedroom Dot- speaker, with the -Pair A New Device- button highlighted.

7. Turn On your JBL Bluetooth Speaker

Put down your mobile device for a bit, and turn on the JBL speaker by quickly pressing its  Power  button. See this circled in green, in the next picture.

A JBL speaker turned OFF, with its Power button circled.

The speaker then powers up.

But since our Alexa speaker does not know about this BT speaker, the speaker will not pair with it automatically. Not yet anyhow.  Thus, the power switch light denotes this not-paired state by glowing white, as shown next.

Note that some JBL speakers may flash blue, especially if you’ve never paired them with a device since the last hard reset. If so, then skip the next step (Step 8) and pick up with Step 9.

The JBL 4 Flip series speaker, top view, powered ON.

8. Put your JBL Speaker into Bluetooth Pairing Mode

Now, to allow the Alexa speaker to find your JBL speaker, place the speaker into Bluetooth discovery mode. To do that, press and release the Bluetooth button, as shown in the next picture.

The JBL speaker, showing its Bluetooth button highlighted.

When you press the   Bluetooth Discovery Mode   button, the speaker makes a repeating single pluck guitar note sound several times. Also, for Flip series JBL speaker models, the Power button changes from a solid white glow to flashing blue. See this next. Other speakers might flash white, or flash their Bluetooth button instead of the Power button shown here.

The Flip 4 speaker in Bluetooth discovery mode. Showing the Power button, flashing blue, highlighted with the yellow arrow.

9. Go Back to your Mobile Device to Continue with How to Connect JBL Speaker to Alexa

The screen with the blue   Pair a New Device   button should still show, as in the next screenshot.

The Alexa app on iOS, showing its Bluetooth Settings screen. This is for our -Bedroom Dot- speaker, with the -Pair A New Device- button highlighted.

10. Tap the   Pair a New Device   Button

This starts your Alexa scanning for any nearby Bluetooth devices that are themselves in Bluetooth discovery mode.  Your JBL speaker is now in Bluetooth discovery mode.  So Alexa should find it.

Then after a short pause, you should see something like the screen we got.  Shown next.

The Alexa App on iOS, showing its -Bluetooth Setup- screen. Showing the -Toms Flip 4- JBL speaker that the app discovered, highlighted.

In our demo, the Alexa app found our JBL speaker, named  Tom’s Flip 4.

11. Find your JBL Speaker on the Discovered Devices List

See the screenshot above. Our scan found two devices.  It found a JBL speaker as well as our Roku player.  See our speaker in the scan results list, as pointed at by the blue arrow in that picture.

12. Finally, Connect your Alexa with your JBL Speaker

Connect to the JBL speaker by tapping the listed speaker in the  Bluetooth Setup   screen, shown in the last screenshot above.

Alexa then connects with the JBL speaker (“Tom’s Flip 4” in this demo).

The Alexa App’s   Bluetooth Settings   screen then changes to look something like the following.

The Alexa App on iOS, showing its -Bluetooth Devices- screen with -Toms Flip 4- speaker paired and highlighted.

Also, the JBL speaker makes the   Speaker Paired  sound (the three ascending guitar notes).  Note that the Bluetooth symbol to the left of the listed speaker item turns blue in the last screenshot.

The JBL speaker is now connected with your Alexa speaker.  Plus, the BT speaker’s Power button now glows solid blue (or white depending on speaker model), which means successful connecting, as shown next.

JBL speaker, top view, powered ON, paired, showing blue power lamp.

13. Done with How to Connect JBL Speaker to Alexa !

We have now successfully connected a JBL Flip 4 speaker with our Alexa  speaker.  So we may now ask Alexa to play music via that talking speaker. Then those tunes will play on the wonderful sounding JBL Flip 4.  Enjoy!

Other Posts About the JBL Speaker

  1. How to Charge JBL Speaker Quickly
  2. JBL Speaker Bluetooth Pairing Instructions
  3. How to Connect JBL Speaker to Echo Dot
  4. JBL Speaker Button Functions, Meanings

Related Posts to How to Connect JBL Speaker to Alexa

  1. How to Connect Google Mini to Bluetooth Speaker
  2. Connect Google Home Mini to Bluetooth Speakers, How To
  3. How to Connect Pandora to Alexa
  4. Connect Bluetooth Speaker to Google Home, How To
  5. Can you Connect Echo Dot to JBL Speaker ?

References for How to Connect JBL Speaker to Alexa

  1. How to Pair your Alexa Smart Speaker with a Bluetooth Speaker, from CNet

Revision History

  • 2020-06-23: First posted.
Tom Hesley

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