How to Pair Sony XB 21

Sony SRS XB21 front right view.

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.

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.

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.

Sony XB 21 -Power- button.

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

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 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.

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.

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