How to Make Sony XB33 Discoverable

To pair your SRS XB33 Sony Extra Bass speaker with a Bluetooth device for the first time, or to refresh stale linkage data in that device, you need to understand how to start up discovery mode on this portable speaker. Now in discovery mode, the speaker digitally announces its name and connection information over Bluetooth, so that nearby devices can find and join with it. Then once connected, the source device can stream audio to the speaker, which apparently is something that so many like to do. So in this post, we show you how to make the Sony XB33 discoverable, to let you link it with phones, tablets, computers, and smart speakers.

How to Make Sony XB33 Discoverable, Step by Step Guide

1. Turn On the XB33

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

E.g. See this button, pointed out by the yellow arrow, in the next picture.

The -Power- button on the Sony XB33. — Sony XB33 -Power- button.

The speaker then starts up.

Picture of the -Power- lamp lit up. How to Make Sony XB33 Discoverable. — The -Power- lamp lit up.

Now if the speaker has never connected with a device since its last reset, then it automatically becomes discoverable. But if it has paired with a phone or other mobile device since the last reset, then you must manually put it in discovery mode.

2. Press and Release the Pairing Button After a Half Second

Secondly, to do that, you press and release the Bluetooth Pairing button. E.g. See the location of this button in the next picture. You needn’t press it for long for the action to register.

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

The speaker then announces “Bluetooth pairing…” in a female voice. So at this point, the unit is now discoverable by other Bluetooth devices.

Note also that putting the speaker in discovery mode does not clear its prior stored BT links. It 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. We describe that process in our How to Reset Sony XB33 Wireless Speaker post.

3. Done with How to Make Sony XB33 Discoverable

Screenshot of the iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page, showing the Sony XB33 as Discovered but not Connected. — iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- screen, showing the Sony XB33 as Discovered but not Connected.

Finally, while the Bluetooth Status lamp is fast blinking, you should see the XB33 on any in-range phone, computer, tablet, or smart speaker, that is within several feet of it, as we see in the last picture. The speaker appears as “SRS-XB33” there.

References

1. Sony XB33 Official Support Page
2. Where to Buy the Sony XB33

Revision History

- 2023-03-10: First published.