JBL Charge 5 Secret Codes

Top view of the JBL Charge 5 speaker, showing the -Power- button glowing.

The JBL Charge 5 has several Secret Codes to access various functions. To work these, there are six buttons and a few lamps across its top. There’s also a battery gauge light strip. The Power button lights in white to show that the speaker is ON or OFF. The Bluetooth lamp blinks or glows solid to show the speaker’s pairing status. And, there’s also a port access panel on the back near the bottom of the unit. This protects the USB charge output port. Interestingly, the USB-C charging input port is outside of this protected area. Nonetheless, here, we offer our JBL Charge 5 Secret Codes guide. This shows where the buttons are on the 5. Furthermore, it explains what each button does, tells when to press them, and how to use them in general.

JBL Charge 5 Secret Codes: Functions, Descriptions, and Locations

Here we cover the following secret codes that we know of.

1. Reset Secret Code
2. Service Mode Code
3. Lock Mode Code

The Reset Button Code

You can reset the JBL Charge 5 to factory default settings by pressing the Volume UP and Play-Pause buttons together. Then hold them in until the reset begins.

JBL Charge 5 top view. Showing the -Volume Up- and -Play-Pause- buttons.

You may wish to reset the speaker to correct any unusual behaviors you see. These can include failing to pair, sound distortion, failure to power OFF, and so on. Note that resetting seems to invalidate any saved connection information to this speaker on your source Bluetooth devices. So you’ll have to forget those connections. Then re pair the speaker after a reset to play your music through it again.

The Service Mode Button Code

First, in this mode, the Charge 5 does not power ON without the charger. Thus, it will not run on the battery while in Service Mode. Furthermore, when you do connect the charger, it powers up without pressing the Power button.

Further, you cannot turn off the Charge 5 while it is in Service mode. Not unless you disconnect the charger. And then, it powers off without pressing the Power button.

The -Bluetooth- and -Play-Pause- buttons.

How to Turn On Service Mode on the JBL Charge 5

To turn on this Service mode, power on the speaker first. Then press the Bluetooth and Play-Pause buttons at the same time. Hold them in until the unit powers OFF, which takes ten seconds or so.

Note that you can enter this mode as long as the speaker is ON. So it doesn’t matter whether the charger is present or not.

How to Turn Off Service Mode

Now you can restore proper speaker operation by disabling this mode. But note that in Service mode, to switch it back off, you must connect the charger. Why? Because when in Service mode, the JBL Charge 5 won’t come on without outside power. But you can’t change modes without powering up the unit first. Thus, you need the power adapter to make this fix.

1. So, connect your speaker to AC power and turn on the speaker.
2. Then, with the unit Power button glowing, press the Bluetooth and Play-Pause button combo. Then hold for ten seconds or so, until the unit powers off.
3. Then, normal speaker operation returns.

Finally, at this point, the Power button should turn the JBL Charge 5 on again. And that’s either with or without the charger.

JBL Charge 5 Lock Mode Button Code

Entering this mode powers down the speaker. It also disables the buttons, except for the combo you need to exit this mode. Furthermore, in this mode, the button and battery gauge lamps all glow.

How to Enter Lock Mode

To turn on Lock mode, power up the Charge 5 first. And then press and hold in the Pairing and Volume UP (+) buttons at the same time. Hold them in until the Charge 5 powers OFF. This takes ten seconds or so.

Note that you can enter this mode as long as the speaker is ON. Note that it doesn’t matter whether you connect a charger. So this mode differs from Service mode because in that mode, you do need a charger to exit it.

The -Bluetooth Pairing- and -Volume UP- buttons.

How to Exit Lock mode

Again, you can restore correct operation by cancelling this mode. But note that when Lock mode is active, you can switch it back off without connecting the charger. That is as long as the battery is not completely dead.

But if you don’t know battery status, then be sure that you can boot the 5 after you exit Lock. So just go ahead and connect external power anyway.

1. Connect the speaker to AC power.
2. Then, press and hold the Power button for ten seconds. Then release.
3. Wait two seconds.
4. Finally, press and release the Power button. The speaker should then boot up normally, with proper operation returning after that.