Picture of a charging Sony SRS XB12 BT speaker, with its CHG light glowing orange.

How to Tell if Sony SRS XB12 is Charging

How to tell if Sony SRS XB12 wireless BT speaker is charging?  This extra bass speaker has an orange LED light on its rear side panel, near the bottom, as shown in the picture above.  This light flashes orange when the battery is nearly dead. So it also tells battery level (to a degree).  To see if the XB12 is charging,  check out this lamp.  We explain how to read it next.

Picture of the Sony SRS XB12 speaker charging.
Sony SRS XB12 speaker charging.

How to Tell if Sony SRS XB12 is Charging: Summary

    1. Connected and working power cable is present.
    2. The CHG light glows steadily.
    3. The speaker and charger typically heat slightly.
    4. The CHG lamp eventually goes out.
    5. This lamp does not flash after a charge, which means that some level of charging did take place.




How to Tell if Sony SRS XB12 Speaker is Charging: Detailed Steps

Connect your XB12 to USB Power

Of course, you can know that the speaker is NOT charging with no power cable plugged in.

Check that the  CHG  LED is Glowing Orange

When the speaker is OFF, you can tell if the Sony SRS XB12 is charging if this light glows steady orange.  This solid glow occurs while charging, when the speaker is either running, paired, OR OFF. When not connected to a charger, this light blinks when the battery has about run entirely out of power.

If the SRS XB12 CHG lamp glows steady or flashes when the power cord is  connected, then the speaker may not be charging.  So you should check that your USB cable, adapter charger, and power source are in working order.  Try a new adapter or a cord you know is good.  You want this light glowing solid to know for sure that the XB12 is charging.

Picture of a charging Sony SRS XB12 BT speaker, with its CHG light glowing orange.
A charging Sony SRS XB12 BT speaker, with its CHG light glowing orange.

Additionally, the bottom of the Sony SRS XB12 warms slightly as the speaker charges, as do most of the charger adapters you run it with.  This heating is a great sign to tell if the speaker is indeed charging.

As speaker charging advances toward finish, the CHG LED continues glowing.  But unlike some of the higher grade wireless speakers, the XB12 gives no reading of just how far along its recharging is, just that the recharging is in progress.

When the CHG LED Goes Out or, Charging is Done

The battery charge cycle completes when the CHG LED goes dark.

Picture of the Sony SRS XB12 speaker with its CHG lamp OFF. How to Tell if Sony SRS XB12 is Charging.
Sony SRS XB12 speaker with its CHG lamp OFF.

Even with the charger cord still plugged in, and when the XB12 is powered down, this lamp stops glowing entirely when the internal battery is full, as shown in the last picture above.  The speaker no longer recharges then, and this light shuts off.





Finally, Unplug the XB12 and Turn it On

With the USB cable disconnected, we cannot know just by reading the CHG or Status LEDs, just how much the SRS XB12 actually recharged, only that it did charge some. It probably did recharge to full though, as long as we waited until the CHG lamp stopped glowing  before unplugging the charger.

Other Posts About the Sony SRS XB12

    1. Sony SRS XB12 Battery Indicator Charging Light
    2. How to Connect Sony SRS XB12 to iPhone
    3. Factory Hard Resetting the Sony SRS XB12 Bluetooth Speaker
    4. How to Pair Sony SRS XB12 Extra Bass Speaker

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References for How to Tell if Sony SRS XB12 is Charging

    1. How do I Know if my Speaker is Charging, at BestBuy.com
    2. Sony Wireless Speakers Product Page at Sony.com

Revision History

    • 2020-08-26: First posted.