How to Make Sony X3 Discoverable

The Sony SRS X3 speaker showing as discovered on iPadOS.

To pair your X3 Sony Bluetooth speaker with a BT source device for the first time, or to refresh stale connection data in that device, you need to understand how to start up discovery mode on this unit first. Now in discovery mode, the speaker digitally announces its name and linkage data over Bluetooth, so that nearby devices can find and join with it. Then once paired, the source device can stream audio to the speaker, which of course, is something that so many like to do with Bluetooth speakers. So in this post, we show you how to make the Sony X3 discoverable, to let you link it with phones, tablets, computers, and smart speakers.

How to Make Sony X3 Discoverable, Step by Step

1. Turn On the X3

Firstly, turn on the speaker by rapidly pressing and releasing its Power button.

E.g. Find this button on the top of the speaker, last button on the right in the back row of buttons. See it pointed out by the arrow, in the next picture.

The Power button on the Sony X3.

The speaker then starts up.

The green glowing Power light.

Now if the X 3 has never connected with a device since its last reset, then it automatically makes itself discoverable when you turn it on. But if you have paired it with a phone or other mobile device since then, then you must manually put it in discovery mode now, when you sync it with your source BT device.

2. Press the Pairing Button

Secondly, briefly press this button. E.g. See the location of this button in the last picture. Find it in the front row of buttons on top, second button from the left. You needn’t hold it in for more than a half-second for discovery mode to begin.

The Pairing button on the Sony X3 speaker.

The speaker then plays two high beep tones, and the Pairing lamp begins flashing. So at this point, the unit is now discoverable by other BT devices.

The Pairing light blinking white.

Note also that putting the speaker in discovery mode does not clear its prior stored connections. Discovery mode just allows you to connect to and add new devices to its memory, but does not delete any.

Now if the speaker is misbehaving and will not go into discovery mode, you can try resetting it and see if that solves the problem.

3. Done with How to Make Sony X3 Discoverable

The Sony X3 showing as discovered on iPadOS.

Finally, while the Bluetooth Pairing lamp is fast flashing ON and OFF, you should see the X3 on any in-range cell phone, computer, tablet, or smart speaker assistant, that is within several feet of it, as we see in the last picture. The speaker appears as “SONY:SRS-X3” there.