How to Connect to Sony XG 500

The Bluetooth pairing / discovery button on the Sony SRS XG500 speaker.

This post shows how to connect to the Sony XG 500 boombox party speaker from typical wireless devices. E.g. These include the iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad line of Apple phones, media players, and tablets. A similar routine also works with Android tablets and phones as well.

How to Connect to Sony XG 500, Step by Step Guide

With your XG 500 powered OFF (power button is dark), run through these directions to connect your source BT device to this speaker. We’re using an iPad Air tablet computer for this demo.

Left front view of the Sony XG 500 wireless speaker.

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.

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 XG 500

Our Bluetooth Settings screen displays as follows. Note that our Bluetooth is enabled here. But since our Sony XG 500 is currently shut OFF (and so, is not in Bluetooth discovery mode), it does not appear in the Other Devices list. Also, we don’t see it since we’ve never linked this speaker with our mobile device before.

iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page showing nothing discovered

5. Turn On your Sony SRX XG 500 Boombox

Additionally, turn on the XG 500 by quickly pressing and releasing its Power button. See this, pointed at by the green arrow, in the next picture.

The -Power- button on the Sony XG 500.

The speaker then powers up, and its status lamp glows green, as we see in the next picture.

But since our iPad does not know about this speaker, the XG 500 will not connect with it automatically.

The -Power- lamp glowing green.

6. Put the XG 500 into Pairing Mode

Now, to see your speaker on your device, place it into Bluetooth discovery / connecting mode. To do that, press the Pairing button, and release after a quarter second.

Find this button as we see in the next picture, pointed at by the green arrow. It’s the second button in from the left on the buttons panel, and is shaped like the Bluetooth logo.

The Bluetooth connecting / discovery button on the Sony XG 500.

Then the speaker announces, “Bluetooth pairing.” Also, the Bluetooth Status lamp begins flashing in a pulse-pulse-pause-pulse-pulse-pause pattern.

The Bluetooth status light glowing blue.

7. Find the Speaker on your Mobile Device to Continue with How to Connect to Sony XG 500

See the screen shot next. We found our 500, as pointed at by the green arrow.

The Sony XG 500, showing as discovered on the Bluetooth Settings page on iPadOS.

8. Connect with your Speaker

Tap the listed speaker in the discovered devices list.

Your mobile device then connects with the XG 500.

E.g. The the mobile device’s Bluetooth Settings screen might then change to look something like the following. Note the now-connected SRS-XG500 entry, as pointed at by the green arrows in the next screenshot.

The Sony XG 500 showing as connected on iPadOS.