Here are our JBL Charge 5 firmware update instructions. First, this routine can take up to thirteen minutes to finish, depending on the speed of your WiFi connection, the speed of your tablet or phone, and other factors. Plus, you can’t reverse once you update. Thus you won’t be able to return to any prior firmware version once you complete this upgrade. So, be sure that you indeed want the update before going ahead with it.
JBL Charge 5 Firmware Update: Preparation Steps
You’ll need an internet connection, a mobile device that supports Bluetooth, the JBL Connect app, as well as the speaker itself.
So, connect this device to the internet and install the JBL Connect app if you haven’t already.
Connect your Charge 5 to household power, because we don’t want its battery going dead during this update. In fact, a dying battery could corrupt the software in the speaker’s memory, and therefore, brick the speaker. So this could render it useless and not repairable.
So, to be safe, plug the speaker into AC power, using the included USB-C cable, as shown in the next picture.
Finally, connect the other end of the USB-C cord into a strong enough AC adapter, and plug that adapter into a working AC outlet.
Then, pair your mobile device with the Charge 5.
You are now ready to begin the updating firmware process.
JBL Charge 5 Firmware Update: Step by Step
1. Find the JBL Connect App on your Mobile Device
We found ours on the fourth home page in the Apple iPad Air 2, as shown next.
2. Run the JBL Connect App
The app takes a few seconds to show you some pretty animations when you first start it, as shown in the next picture.
But then it finds your paired JBL Charge 5 BT speaker and shows you its status screen, as pictured next.
Note the Update button at the bottom left center of this page, as pointed at by the green arrow. The presence of this button means that a firmware update is available for this speaker.
Also, if this button does not appear, then your speaker already has the latest version of the firmware. But since the speaker we have indeed has an update, we shal proceed.
3. Tap the Update Button
Touching the Update button brings up the screen about the available firmware upgrade, as shown next.
This screen gives details about the available firmware update. In our case here, it suggests the Charge 5 upgrade to firmware version 0.7.4.0.
4. Tap the Orange Upgrade Button
Touching the Upgrade bar may brings up the Plug Speaker In screen if you haven’t connected your Charge 5 to AC power yet, and your speaker does not have enough power in its battery to complete the update. Otherwise, the firmware update process starts.
If the app prompts you, then attach your speaker to power now, as described at the top of this post. Then, follow the instructions on that screen to continue with the update.
5. The Firmware Update Process on JBL Charge 4 Begins
The update then starts. The Connect app displays a progress screen as shown next, to let you know how far along the upgrade is.
5a. Firmware Update Progress, at Nine Percent Complete
5b. Firmware Update Progress at Twenty-Five Percent Complete
We’re probably about a minute into the upgrade at this point in the process.
5c. Firmware Update Progress at Fifty Percent Complete
5d. Firmware Update Progress, at Seventy-Five Percent Complete
5e. Firmware Update Transfer 100 Percent Complete
Once the app copies the upgrade file to the Charge 5, you get the Restarting screen, as shown next.
But note that the speaker is still in the process of installing the new software for a bit of time after this screen appears. In fact, this screen warns us that our speaker will restart automatically, and it asks us not to unplug the speaker while it’s running the upgrade. Keep your speaker close to the mobile device running the app while the speaker upgrades.
6. Wait for the Speaker to Shut Off and Come Back On
The speaker may or may not turn itself back on again. Ours did. But if yours did not come back up after the firmware update, then go ahead with the next step (Step 7). But if yours did come back online though, then skip Step 7 and pick up with Step 8.
7. Power On the JBL Charge 5
Press the Power button, shown in the last picture to turn this wireless speaker on again. The unit should again pair with your mobile device where you’re running the JBL Connect app.
Then the Power and Bluetooth buttons turn solid white as your speaker successfully pairs again with your tablet or phone, as shown next.
Meanwhile, back in the Connect App, the Upgrade Successful appears once the app gets confirmation from the speaker that the firmware update completed without errors, as shown next.
8. Press the Let’s Party Button
With your speaker successfully paired to the JBL Connect app again, press the orange Let’s Party button, as pointed at by the green arrow in the last screenshot.
The app then displays the JBL Charge 5 status screen once again. But this time, note that there’s no longer the orange Upgrade button, as shown next. This means that the firmware update succeeded and that the speaker is now running the current firmware version.
9. Done!
You’re now successfully updated the firmware to the current version in your JBL Charge 5 wireless speaker. Enjoy the music!
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Revision History
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- 2021-08-02: First published.