JBL Charge 4 Bluetooth speaker, back view, showing the port access panel door in the closed position, and the pedestal that the speaker sits on that prevents rolling.
Most Bluetooth speakers, including the JBL Charge 4, offer off-grid sound via an internal battery. And when that power runs out, you can recharge it via an AC or car adapter. To charge, use a USB 2 charger that delivers 5 volts at 2.3 amps. Such a unit comes with the speaker. But sometimes though, you may see that the JBL Charge 4 won’t charge. Thus this post helps to fix this problem.
Look at the battery status gauge on the front of the speaker. This meter might start blinking red during play. This lets you know that the battery is running low.
But the flashing dot does not stop, even when you attach the charger. However this light should change to blinking white on AC power. When things are working, this means that the speaker is getting some power. But if the meter continues red, then recharging is not happening.
You can also feel the power adapter’s surfaces fifteen minutes or so into the charge cycle. The Charge 4 itself warms a bit as well as correct charging progresses. But if you sense no warmth, then again, the speaker won’t charge.
Also, the battery gauge normally shows battery recharging progress. I.e. as the Charge 4 recharges, more and more of the lamps light up white. But if you don’t see more lights after a couple hours, then charging is probably not going well.
Now you may notice that the Charge 4 is not recharging though it should be. So check out what’s wrong and how to solve the problem. To that end in this piece, we offer reasons why this can happen. Then we give possible fixes.
As we said above, it’s normal that the battery status meter flashes red when the speaker is about dead. But this meter should start blinking white when you attach the charger.
Normally though, this meter only displays white lights. The number of these lamps glowing tells you how full the battery is.
Now once recharging finishes, all lights in this gauge go dark.
Furthermore, the gauge might not change to white when you connect the charger. If not, then several issues might cause this.
The power adapter for the JBL Charge 4 may not output any electricity at all. Why? Because it is not receiving any to begin with. This might occur because of a defective AC or car circuit, open breaker, or blown fuse. Faulty wiring or power failures in general might cause this too.
Check that your receptacle has power by plugging in a lamp or other device. Reset tripped circuit breakers. Also if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then be certain that switch ON.
Now when the speaker won’t charge, this can also occur because the AC or car adapter is giving SOME but not ENOUGH current. Now as the charger ages, its output energy can fall over time. This is typical of aging power supplies. So the adapter might not deliver the correct amount presently.
When this happens, the gauge may turn to a flashing white. Yet it does not gradually advance toward full charge. Or if it does advance, it does so slower than usual. Note that this speaker needs 2.3 amps at 5 volts to fully recharge in the 4 hours of spec time. But charging may not work as we expect with an inadequate charger. Indeed it will likely go slower, if the charger does not meet these specs.
Replace the power adapter. Be sure to get a USB supply that delivers at least 5 volts at 2.3 amps.
The Problem
As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully charge. Thus the characteristics of the charging current they draw changes too. Normally, as this type of battery recharges, it draws less and less charging current as it fills. But in the case of cell failure, it may draw too many or too few amps. Thus this can confuse the charging circuits. They might behave like no charging is occurring. So the gauge shows no charging action.
To address this, replace the battery. But keep in mind that you can’t easily get the old one out of the Charge 4. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart. And this is delicate work.
Also note that doing this breaks the water resistant seal. So the speaker may no longer be safe to use, should you expose it to water.
Breaking this seal may well change the sound quality also. So get someone to replace the battery who knows how to pick the right replacement. They should also be able to restore the seal to as it was, as they reassemble the speaker. A good battery should fit well inside and provide 3.6 volts at 7,500 mAh (27 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL certified batteries for this speaker.
Even with the proper power supply, the current that reaches the battery may be too low or high.
Note that these charging systems read the battery status. Then they shut off the current when they deem the battery as full. But when these circuits break, the battery might not get any power at all. Thus, it never recharges. Again, in this case, the battery gauge might never stop flashing, even with the charger connected. You may also see that the speaker doesn’t play as long before going dead. Or it might not play at all.
The best answer here, is simply to get a new JBL Charge 4. Why? Because the electronic parts in this model are quite small. So unless you can replace the system board(s) yourself, just buy a new speaker. Trust us. This saves a dump of aggravation.
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