How to Pair Sony Speaker to iPhone

Sony SRS XB13 speaker, rear view.

This post shows how to pair a Sony speaker to an iPhone. In this demo, we test with a Sony SRS XB12 speaker. But most other Sony speaker models work the same way.

How to Pair Sony Speaker to iPhone

With your speaker powered OFF (power button is dark), run through these directions to pair it to your iPhone mobile device. We’re running an iPad Air tablet for this demo, as we do not yet know how to take screen shots from an iPhone. But the procedure is virtually identical.

1. Go to the Home Screen on your iPhone

Firstly, press the Home button to reveal the iPhone’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, tap the Settings app icon.

The iPhone 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 Pair Sony Speaker to iPhone

Our Bluetooth Settings screen displays as follows. Note that our Bluetooth is enabled here. But since our Sony speaker is currently not running (is not in Bluetooth pairing mode), it does not appear in the BT devices list. Also, we don’t see it since we’ve never connected this speaker with our iOS device before.

5. Turn On your Sony Speaker

Turn on the speaker by quickly pressing its Power button. E.g. See this, pointed at by the green arrow, in the next picture on our Sony test speaker.

A common Sony speaker powered OFF, showing the -Power- button.

The speaker then boots, and its status lamp blinks blue, as we see in the next picture. This means that it’s ready to hear a Bluetooth connection request. If the light slow blinks, then the speaker is passively waiting for a Bluetooth connection request to arrive. But if it’s fast-flashing blue, then it’s broadcast its connection info over Bluetooth so other devices can find this speaker.

But since your iPhone does not know about this speaker yet, any Sony speaker will not pair with it automatically.

Showing the Status lamp lit.

6. Put the Sony Speaker into Pairing Mode

Now, to see the test speaker on the iPhone, place the speaker into Bluetooth discovery / pairing mode. To do that, press the Power button (in our example), and release when the speaker beeps twice and the Status lamp begins blinking quickly. Find the Power button as shown above, pointed at by the green arrow. Note that other Sony speaker models may have a separate pairing button. In those cases, press than one, instead of the Power button.

7. Find the Speaker on your Mobile Device to Continue with How to Pair Sony Speaker to iPhone

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

iPhone wireless settings page, showing the unit as discovered.

8. Pair with your Sony Speaker with the iPhone

Tap the listed speaker in the discovered devices list.

Your mobile device then connects with it.

I.e. The the mobile device’s Bluetooth Settings screen might then change to look something like the following. Note the now-paired Sony speaker entry, as we point at with the green arrows in the next screenshot.

iOS BT Settings page, showing the Sony speaker as paired.