Picture of an iPhone with a Sony SRS XB21 speaker.

How to Pair Sony XB21 to iPhone

This post shows how to pair the Sony XB21 Bluetooth minispeaker with an iPhone, or other iOS or iPadOS based device.

How to Pair Sony XB21 to iPhone

With your SRS XB21 switched OFF (power button is dark), run through these steps to pair it to your iPhone mobile device. We use an iPad Air computer for this demo, since we do not have an iPhone in shop right now.  But the procedure is pretty much identical.

1. Go to the Home Screen on your Device

Firstly, press the Home button to bring up 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 XB21 to iPhone.
iOS Home Screen with Settings App Highlighted

3. Bring up the Settings App

Thirdly, tap the Settings app icon.

The smart device then shows the first page of its settings, as we see in the next picture.

Screenshot of the -Bluetooth- option on the iPhone 12 Pro Max -Settings- page.
iPhone 12 Pro Max -Settings- page, showing the -Bluetooth- option.

4. Go to the Bluetooth Settings  Page to Continue with How to Pair Sony XB21 to iPhone

Our Bluetooth Settings screen displays as follows. Note that our Bluetooth is running here. But since our SRS XB21 is currently shut OFF (is not in Bluetooth pairing mode), it does not show up in the BT devices list. Also, we don’t see it since we’ve never paired this speaker with our iOS device before.

Screenshot of the -Bluetooth Settings- page on an iPhone 12 Pro Max smart phone.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max -Bluetooth Settings- page.

5. Turn On the Sony XB21

Turn on the SRS XB21 by quickly pressing its  Power  button. See this, pointed at by the green arrow, in the next picture.

The -Power- button on the Sony XB21.
Sony XB21 -Power- button.

The speaker then powers up, and its status lamp lights up.





Also, the Bluetooth lamp will blink in some pattern to indicate that the SRS XB21 is ready to receive a Bluetooth pairing request, as we see in the next picture.

The glowing -Bluetooth Status- light on the Sony XB21.
Sony XB21 -Bluetooth Status- lamp glowing.

If it blinks evenly, then it’s passively waiting for a Bluetooth connection request to come in.

But if it flashes in a pulse-pulse-pause, pulse-pulse-pause pattern , then it’s broadcasting its pairing information over Bluetooth so other devices can find it. I.e. The speaker is in pairing mode in this case.

Moreover, since our test iPhone does not know about this speaker, the SRS XB21 will not pair with it automatically.

6. Put the Speaker into Discovery Mode

Now, to see this speaker on your iPhone, place it into Bluetooth pairing mode if it’s not in that mode already. To do that, press the Bluetooth button, and release when the unit beeps, and the Bluetooth lamp begins its pulse-pulse-pause, pulse-pulse-pause flashing pattern.

7. Find the Speaker on your Mobile Device to Continue with How to Pair Sony XB21 to iPhone

See the screen shot next. We found our SRS XB21, as we point out with the green arrow.

Screenshot of the iPhone Bluetooth Settings page, showing the Sony XB21 as Discovered.
The iPhone Bluetooth Settings page, showing the Sony XB21 as Discovered.

8. Pair with your XB21

Tap the listed speaker in the discovered devices list.

Your mobile device then pairs with the SRS XB21.

I.e. The the mobile device’s Bluetooth Settings screen might then change to look something like the following.  Note the now-paired Sony XB21 entry, as pointed at by the green arrows in the next screenshot.

Picture of the iPhone Bluetooth Settings page, showing the Sony XB21 as Connected.
The iPhone Bluetooth Settings page, showing the Sony XB21 as Connected.

9. Done with How to Pair Sony XB21 to iPhone !

At last, we have now successfully paired our SRS XB21 mini BT speaker with an iPhone like device.

Related Posts to How to Pair Sony XB21 to iPhone

    1. How to Pair Sony SRS XB13 with iPhone
    2. How to Pair Sony XB10 to iPhone

Other Sony XB21 Posts

    1. Sony XB21 Specs Watts
    2. Sony XB21 Specifications

References

    1. Official Sony XB21 Support Page
    2. Where to Buy the Sony XB21

Revision History

    • 2023-03-17: First published.