The front right view of the Sony SRS XB21 speaker.

How to Pair Sony XB 21

This post shows how to pair the Sony XB 21 Extra Bass wireless speaker by way of Bluetooth to common portable devices. E.g. These  include the iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad line of Apple phones, media players, and tablets.

How to Pair Sony XB 21, Step by Step

With your XB 21 powered OFF (power button is dark), run through these directions to pair it to your source BT mobile device. We’re using an iPad Air computer for this demo.

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.

Picture of an iPad Home screen, with the Settings app highlighted by an arrow. How to Pair Sony XB 21.
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 Pair Sony XB 21 

Our Bluetooth Settings screen displays as follows. Note that our Bluetooth is enabled here. But since our Sony XB 21 is currently shut OFF (is not in Bluetooth discovery mode), it does not show up in the Bluetooth devices list. Also, we don’t see it since we’ve never paired this speaker with our mobile device before.

Screenshot of the iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page showing nothing discovered
iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page showing nothing discovered

5. Turn On your XB 21

Turn on the speaker by quickly pressing its  Power-Pairing  button. See this, pointed at by the cyan arrow, in the next picture.

The -Power- button on the Sony XB 21.
Sony XB 21 -Power- button.

The unit then powers up, and its status lamp glows white, as seen in the next picture.

The glowing -Power- light on the Sony XB 21.
Sony XB 21 -Power- lamp glowing.

But since our tablet does not know about this speaker, the XB 21 will not pair with it automatically.

6. Put the XB 21 in Discovery Mode

Now, to see your XB 21 on your device, place it into Bluetooth discovery mode. To do that, press and hold the Power button, and release when you hear the rising pitch beep sequence and the speaker announces, “Bluetooth pairing,” in a lady’s voice. Find the Power button as pictured above.

In addition to the voice announcement,  the Bluetooth Status lamp begins flashing fast.

The flashing -Bluetooth Status- light.
The blinking -Bluetooth Status- lamp.

7. Find the Speaker on your Mobile Device to Continue with How to Pair Sony XB 21

See the screen shot next. We found our XB 21, as pointed at by the yellow arrow.

Screenshot of the The iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page, showing Sony XB 21 as Discovered but not Connected.
The iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page, showing Sony XB 21 as Discovered but not Connected.

8. Now Pair with the XB 21

Tap the listed speaker in the discovered devices list.

Your mobile device then pairs with the Bluetooth speaker.

E.g. The the mobile device’s Bluetooth Settings screen might then change to look something like the following.  Note the now-connected XB 21 entry, as pointed at by the green arrows in the next screenshot.

Screenshot of the iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- page, showing the Sony XB 21 as Connected.
iPadOS -Bluetooth Settings- screen, showing the Sony XB 21 as Connected.

9. Done with How to Pair Sony XB 21 !

At last, we have now successfully paired the XB 21 BT speaker with with a common mobile tablet device.

Other Sony XB 21 Posts

    1. Sony XB 21 Charging Instructions
    2. Sony XB 21 Pairing Instructions
    3. Sony XB 21 Blinking Orange Light
    4. Sony XB 21 Power Button Not Working

Related Posts to How to Pair Sony XB 21

    1. How to Pair Sony XE 300
    2. How to Pair JBL Boombox 2
    3. How to Pair JBL Clip 4
    4. How to Pair SRS XB12
    5. Sony XB 13 How to Pair

References

    1. Official Sony XB 21 Support Page
    2. Where to Buy the Sony XB 21

Revision History

    • 2023-04-14: First published.