The -Power- button on the Sony SRS XB21 speaker.

How to Connect to Sony SRS XB21

This post shows how to connect the Sony SRS XB21 Extra Bass wireless speaker by way of Bluetooth to common portable devices. E.g. These  include the iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad line of Apple phones, media players, and tablets.

How to Connect Sony SRS XB21, Step by Step

With your SRS XB21 powered OFF (power button is dark), run through these directions to connect it to your source BT mobile device. We’re using an iPad Air computer for this demo.

1. Go to the Home Screen on your Source Device

Firstly, press the Home button to reveal the smart device’s Home screen.

2. Find the Settings App

We found ours on the second page of the Home screen, as shown next.

Picture of an iPad Home screen, with the Settings app highlighted by an arrow. How to Connect Sony SRS XB21.
iOS Home Screen with Settings App Highlighted

3. Bring up the Settings App

Thirdly, touch the Settings app icon.

The smart device then shows the first page of its settings, as shown in the next step.





4. Go to the Bluetooth Settings  Page to Continue with How to Connect to Sony SRS XB21 

Our Bluetooth Settings screen displays as follows. Note that our Bluetooth is enabled here. But since our Sony SRS XB21 is currently shut OFF (is not in Bluetooth discovery mode), it does not show up in the BT devices list. Also, we don’t see it since we’ve never connected to this speaker from this test mobile device before.

Screenshot of the iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page showing nothing discovered
iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page showing nothing discovered

5. Turn On the Speaker

Power up the speaker by quickly pressing its  Power-Pairing  button. See this, pointed at by the cyan arrow, in the next picture.

The -Power- button on the Sony SRS XB21 speaker.
Sony SRS XB21 -Power- button.

The unit then boots, and its status lamp glows white, as we see in the next picture.

The glowing -Power- light on the Sony SRS XB21 speaker.
Sony SRS XB21 -Power- lamp glowing.

But since our tablet does not know about this speaker, the SRS XB21 will not connect with it automatically.

6. Put the XB21 in Discovery Mode

Now, to see your XB21 on your BT device, place it into Bluetooth pairing mode. To do that, press and hold the Power-Pairing button, and release when you hear the rising pitch beep sequence and the speaker announces, “Bluetooth connecting,” in a lady’s voice. Find this button as pictured above.

In addition to the voice announcement,  the Bluetooth Status lamp begins flashing fast.

The flashing -Bluetooth Status- light.
The blinking -Bluetooth Status- lamp.

7. Find the Speaker on your Mobile Device to Continue with How to Connect to Sony SRS XB21

See the screen shot next. We found our XB21, as pointed at by the yellow arrow.

Screenshot of the The iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page, showing Sony SRS XB21 speaker as Discovered but not Connected.
The iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page, showing Sony SRS XB21 speaker as Discovered but not Connected.

8. Now Connect to the XB21

Tap the listed speaker in the discovered devices list.

Your mobile device then connects with the Bluetooth speaker.

E.g. The the mobile device’s Bluetooth Settings screen might then change to look something like the following.  Note the now-connected SRS XB21 entry, as pointed at by the green arrows in the next screenshot.

Screenshot of the iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page, showing the Sony SRS XB21 speaker as Connected.
iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- screen, showing the Sony SRS XB21 speaker as Connected.

9. Done with How to Connect to Sony SRS XB21 !

At last, we have now successfully connected to the XB21 BT speaker on a common mobile device.

Other Posts About the Sony SRS XB21

    1. Sony SRS XB21 Pairing Two Speakers
    2. Sony SRS XB21 Buttons Explained
    3. How to Bass Boost Sony SRS XB21 Speaker
    4. Sony SRS XB21 Battery Life, How Much Play Time
    5. How to Connect Sony SRS XB21 to Alexa Echo Devices

Related Posts to How to Connect to Sony SRS XB21

    1. How to Connect to the Sony SRS XB20 Speaker
    2. How to Connect to Sony SRS XB12 Speaker
    3. Connecting to the Sony SRS XB10 Waterproof Speaker
    4. How to Connect to a Sony SRS XB01 BT Speaker
    5. Connecting to the Sony SRS X11 Bluetooth Speaker

References for How to Connect Sony SRS XB21

    1. Sony SRS XB21 Product Page at Sony.com

Revision History

    • 2022-10-09: First published.