How to Pair JBL Speaker to Alexa

JBL Flip 3 beside an Amazon Alexa Echo Dot 3 speaker.

This post shows how to pair a JBL Bluetooth speaker to often seen Alexa devices. We do this demo with the Alexa Echo Input. But you could also do it with an Alexa Dot, Spot, or any other Amazon smart speaker device that supports Bluetooth. Since this BT connecting happens directly between the speaker and Alexa, you need not turn Bluetooth on in the mobile device you’re using to set up this link.

How to Pair JBL Speaker with Alexa

Start with your JBL speaker powered off. Then run through this routine to pair the speaker to the Alexa speaker device. We’re using an iPad Air computer to assemble this linkage.

1. Find the Alexa App on your Mobile Device

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

iOS home screen, showing the Amazon Alexa app Icon highlighted.

2. Run the Alexa App

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

The Alexa app on iPadOS Home screen, with the -More- Item highlighted.

3. Tap the More (Hamburger) Control

Find the hamburger item in the lower right corner of the screen. This is pointed at by the green arrow in the last screenshot. Some older versions of the app display this control near the top left corner of the page.

Touching this item brings up the Alexa app’s main menu, as shown in the next screenshot.

The app’s main menu, with the -Settings- item highlighted.

4. Tap the Settings Option on the Main Menu to Continue with How to Pair JBL Speaker to Alexa

The Settings option is pointed at by the green 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 to your JBL speaker. The green arrow in the next picture points at our choice, the Thomas’s Echo Input device.

The -All Devices- page, with an Alexa Echo Input highlighted.

5. Tap the Alexa Device you Want to Pair to the Bluetooth Speaker

This takes you to the device-specific settings screen for the Alexa device you picked. I.e. The Echo Input Alexa device here.

The app displaying the -Device Settings- page for the Echo Input, with the -Bluetooth Devices- option highlighted.

6. Tap the Bluetooth Devices Item

Find the Bluetooth Devices menu item pointed at by the green 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 the Alexa unit you just chose for this pairing. Again, our Alexa Input will be the one that scans for Bluetooth devices.

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

The -Select Previously Paired Device- page, with the -Pair a New Device- button bar highlighted.

7. Turn On your Speaker to Continue with How to Pair JBL Speaker to Alexa

Set aside your tablet / phone device for a minute, and turn on your JBL speaker. Here, we power ours up by quickly pressing its Power button. See this button pointed at by the green arrow, in the next picture.

Top view of a JBL speaker, showing the -Power- button highlighted and dark (OFF).

The speaker then powers ON.

But since our Alexa device does not know about this speaker yet, she will not pair with the speaker automatically. Thus, the Power / Bluetooth Status light shows as white after you switch on this speaker. This assumes that the speaker hasn’t paired with anything else since power up.

8. Put your JBL Speaker into Pairing Mode

Now, to allow Alexa to find the speaker, place it in Bluetooth discovery mode. For our JBL Xtreme 2, we press and hold in the Bluetooth button, as pointed at by the green arrow in the next picture, until the unit makes a repeating guitar pluck sound.

Top view of a common JBL speaker with the -Bluetooth Pairing- button highlighted.

This tells us that it’s ready to pair. Its Power lamp also flashes blue to signal that pairing mode is active.

Top view of the speaker, showing the -Power- button highlighted and lit blue.

9. Now, Go Back to your Mobile Device

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

Alexa App on iPadOS displaying its -Select Previously Paired Device- page, with the -Pair a New Device- button bar highlighted.

10. Tap the Blue Pair a New Device Button to Continue with How to Pair a JBL Speaker with Alexa

This starts your Alexa device scanning for any nearby Bluetooth devices that are themselves in pairing mode. Since our JBL speaker is now in that mode, the Input should find it.

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

The app displaying its -Pair Bluetooth Device with your Echo Input- page, showing the -JBL Xtreme 2- speaker found.

In our demo, the Alexa app found our BT speaker, named JBL Xtreme 2.

11. Find your JBL Speaker on the Discovered Devices List

We see our speaker in the list, as pointed at by the green arrow in the last picture.

12. Finally, Pair your Alexa Smart Device with your JBL Speaker

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

Alexa then links with the speaker, as seen in the next screenshot.

The app displaying its -Select Previously Paired Device- page, with the -JBL Xtreme 2- BT speaker connected.

13. Tap the Cancel Link

To get back to the Device Settings screen, touch the Cancel link. Find it highlighted at the bottom of the screen in the last picture.

The app then takes you back to the Device Settings page for the Alexa device you just paired, as shown next.

The -Device Settings- page for an Alexa Echo Input, showing 1 paired and connected device highlighted.

Also, our speaker makes a Speaker Paired sound, the three rising guitar notes.

13. Done with How to Pair a JBL Speaker with Alexa !

We have now successfully paired our JBL Bluetooth speaker with an Alexa smart device. So we can now ask that Alexa to play music or any other audio content through this wireless speaker.