Picture of the JBL Clip 2 Bluetooth speaker, front view, horizontal.

JBL Clip 2 Not Charging, How to Fix

Most JBL Bluetooth speakers, including the Clip 2, offer truly portable operation via their lithium ion batteries inside. And when said battery dies, you can recharge the speaker with an AC or car adapter. Sometimes though, you may notice that the JBL Clip 2 is not charging fully, or at all, even when you connect the adapter to power, and then to the speaker.  To solve that, we’re here to help.

How to Tell that the JBL Clip 2 is Not Charging

Among the ways you can tell that the Clip 2 is not charging, is by reading the battery status lamp on the top of the speaker.  Now this light changes from blue and begins pulsing red during play, to alert you that the battery is running low on power.

But there’s a problem if this flashing keeps going, even when you attach the charger.  Why?  Because the light should change at this point though, to solid red, when you apply charging power.  When the light stops flashing red, this means that the speaker is getting some power from the adapter. But if it keeps up with the red blinking, then correct recharging is likely not happening.

You can also feel the adapter’s side panel ten or fifteen minutes into the charge cycle.  At that time, it should feel slightly warm.  The same with the speaker as well.  Note that the speaker itself heats up a little also during proper recharging.  But if you detect no warmth, then again, the JBL Clip 2 is likely not charging.

Moreover, the status light normally shows battery recharging status.  I.e. As long as charging continues, this lamp also continues glowing solid red.  And, as mentioned, this light either changes to blue or goes out when charging is done.  But if that lamp stays red after several hours of recharging, then chances are, charging is not going well.

Thus when you notice that the speaker is not recharging, even though it should be, you’ll want to determine what’s wrong and how to fix this problem.  So in this post, we offer reasons why the JBL Clip 2 may not charge when connected to power.  Then we give possible fixes for this seen-often difficulty.





 JBL Clip 2 Not Charging, Reasons and Fixes

As we stated earlier, it’s normal that the power status lamp pulses red when the battery inside is about dead.  But again, the light should switch to a solid red when you connect the speaker to the charger, and the charger to a power outlet, and battery recharging begins.

Back view of the JBL Clip 2, showing the red charging light highlighted.
Back view of the JBL Clip 2, showing the red charging light highlighted.

Normally though, this lamp only glows or flashes blue when the battery is not getting near dead.  It can look as follows.

Picture of the top rear view of the speaker, powered on. showing the status lamp glowing blue highlighted.
Top rear view of the speaker, powered on. showing the status lamp glowing blue highlighted.

Or, if the speaker is OFF when charging starts, and you don’t turn it ON during charging, then once recharging finishes, the status light goes dark. See this in the next picture.

Picture of the JBL Clip 2 Bluetooth speaker, top back view, powered OFF, showing the dark status lamp highlighted.
JBL Clip 2 Bluetooth speaker, top back view, powered OFF, showing the dark status lamp highlighted.

If the light does not change to a continuous red glow when you plug the charger into the speaker, then several things might cause this. We list these below thus.

1.The Power Outlet May Not Be Energized

The Problem

The AC or car adapter for the JBL Clip 2 may not output any energy because it is not receiving any to begin with. This can happen due to a defective circuit, tripped breaker, blown fuse, faulty wiring, power failure, and similar issues.

The Fix

Check that your outlet has power by plugging in a lamp or other device.  Then, reset circuit breakers if tripped, and if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then be certain that that switch is in the ON position.  Or, simply try a different outlet.

2. The AC Adapter is Broken

The Problem

The JBL Clip 2 not charging can also happen because the adapter is outputting SOME but not FULL amperage to completely recharge the speaker, even though its getting the correct power input from the outlet.

Now as adapters age, their output energy can fall over time. So this power supply might not deliver the correct amount if it is very old.   So you may see the lamp turn solid red, but never turn back to white or never go dark. Please note that this speaker needs 0.5 amps at 5 volts from the adapter to fully recharge in the specified time of 2.5 hours.  Yet charging will likely not go as fast as we hope if the charger does not deliver on these requirements.

Picture of the JBL Clip 2 splashproof speaker, right side panel view, showing the USB charging cable connected to the speaker's charging port.
JBL Clip 2 splashproof speaker, right side panel view, showing the USB charging cable connected to the speaker’s charging port.

The Fix

The solution is to replace the adapter, preferably one that has a USB-A plug and delivers the maximum 5 volts at 1 amp (5 watts). Most common USB power supplies meet these power requirements… even the very inexpensive ones.





3. The Battery in the Clip 2 is Faulty

The Problem

As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully recharge, and the characteristics of the charging current they draw, changes as they get older.  Normally, as a battery charges, it draws less and less charge current as it fills. But in the case of cell failure, it may draw too many or too few amps, thus confusing the charging circuits into behaving like no charging is occurring.  So the status lamp shows that charging is not happening, either by never stopping its solid red glow, or never turning solid red in the first place.

The Fix

To repair this, replace the battery. But realize that you can’t easily get the old one out of the Clip 2. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart, and this is an intricate job.

Also note that doing this likely breaks the moisture seal.  So the Clip 2 will no longer be safe to use, should you expose it to water afterwards.

Breaking this seal may alter the sound quality as well. So get someone to replace the battery who knows how to pick the right replacement for the Clip 2. 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 the speaker and provide 3.7 volts and at least 730 mAh (2.7 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL certified batteries for this speaker.

4. The Speaker Might be Defective when the JBL Clip 2 Is Not Charging

The Problem

Even if you have the proper power supply, with a working battery in the speaker, the charging current that actually gets to the battery may be too low or too high.  This can happen when the battery management circuits inside the Clip 2 go amiss.  Note that these systems read the battery status, and switch off the charging current when they deem the battery full.

But when they go bonkers, the battery might see no power at all though the charger itself is okay.  Thus, the speaker never charges.  Again, in this case, the status lamp might never stop blinking, even with the charger connected. You may also see that the speaker doesn’t play as long before dying, if at all, until you connect the charger. Or it might not play at all, even with the charger.

The Fix

The best answer here, is simply to get a new JBL Clip 2.  Why?  Because the electronics in this unit are quite small.  So unless you can replace the system board(s) yourself, or know someone who will do it for you, just buy another speaker to save a bunch of aggravation.

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Other Posts About the JBL Clip 2 Bluetooth Speaker

  1. How to Reset JBL Clip 2 Speaker
  2. JBL Clip 2 Firmware Update Instructions
  3. How to Turn On JBL Clip 2 Wireless Speaker
  4. JBL Clip 2 Low Frequency Mode for Extra Bass
  5. JBL Clip 2 Charging Time

References for JBL Clip 2 Not Charging

  1. JBL Clip 2 Official Product Page at JBL.com
  2. Where to Buy the JBL Clip 2

Revision History

  • 2022-08-01: First posted.