How to tell if JBL Xtreme 3 is charging? Well, this portable speaker has a strip of LEDs on the lower front. Now this strip shows the current battery charge level and whether it is in fact charging. Thus, to tell if this speaker is charging, look at these.
Moreover, you can feel the back of the speaker at the port bay to see if some warmth is there. Plus, the charger should also heat a little. If you feel some heat on both the speaker and the charger, then the battery is likely charging. But if not, then the speaker is likely not charging.
How to Tell if JBL Xtreme 3 is Charging
Speaker is NOT Charging if Not Plugged In !
Of course, you can be sure that this speaker is NOT charging with no cord connected to it.
How the Meter Tells Us that the JBL Xtreme 3 is Charging
As detailed above, the light strip indicates battery charge level. So, as recharging moves forward, then at least the lowest part of the meter bar flashes white initially. E.g. When the battery inside is “undeniably dead,” the light at the bottom blinks white while charging. Then as the battery fills, that light changes to a steady white glow. Then the next lamp up the strip starts blinking white.
As speaker charging moves on, more of the light bar glows solid white. The flashing part gradually moves further up the bar. It keeps doing this until reaching the top. Therefore, this progressive light-up of the bar is another sign that the Xtreme 3 is indeed charging.
This picture next shows the speaker just before completing a charging cycle. Note that almost all the lamps in the battery meter glow. But the last one goes on blinking for several minutes. When one LED flashes with a working charger, this is another way that the speaker tells us it is charging.
How the Light Gauge Tells Us that the JBL Xtreme 3 is NOT Charging
Note that this BT speaker is NOT charging when a blinking red light shows at the bottom of the meter. This means that the battery NEEDS charging. Thus, flashing red signals that the speaker is not currently getting enough current.
Also, the battery charge cycle is complete when all battery gauge LEDs go dark. Thus, the battery is no longer recharging when all lamps go OFF. Even with the charger cord still plugged in, no lamp glows when battery is full. Thus, the Xtreme 2 is NOT charging when the battery is full.
Other ways to Tell if the JBL Xtreme 3 is Charging
1. The Speaker and Charger May Heat Slightly
Also, the speaker warms a bit on the back near the input port during charging as does the adapter. This warmth is a quick way how to tell if the JBL Xtreme 3 is charging.
2. The Charger May Hum or Whine
During the first hour of recharging, this is when the speaker requests the most charging current. So the adapter, in addition to heating up a bit, will sometimes make humming, whining, or scratchy squealing noises. Note that these usually stop when you disconnect the charger. But again, this means that the adapter is delivering more current when connected. And thus again, charging is likely happening.
3. The Speaker Plays a Little Louder While Charging
As with many JBL speakers, you get a bit more audio from this one on AC power. So the louder speaker on AC likely means that charging is occurring.