Picture of the JBL Flip 2 wireless speaker, showing battery critically low reading The last battery gage light is glowing red.

JBL Flip 2 Blinking Red Light

Covers reasons why, and repairs you can make to solve, the JBL Flip 2 Blinking Red Light issue. Now many JBL models, including the Flip 2 feature a blinking red light when the battery is almost out of charge. In the case of this Flip, we find this lamp in the battery gauge on the silver ports panel. Sometimes though, this red LED lamp flashes for long periods as you play it.  E.g. It begins pulsating during play and does not stop, even when you connect a charger.  Thus in this post, we offer reasons that this red light blinking happens on the Flip 2.  Then we give possible fixes for this common problem.

JBL Flip 2 Blinking Red Light: Reasons and Fixes

It’s normal that the battery gauge displays a blinking red light when the battery is very low.  But this meter should turn white when you connect it to a charger, and battery recharging begins.

Picture of the JBL Flip 2, showing battery critically low reading.The last battery gauge light is blinking red.
The JBL Flip 2 showing battery critically low reading. The last battery gauge light is blinking red.

Normally though, this gauge only shows white lights.  The number of lamps that  glow tells you how full the battery is. It can appear as follows.

Picture of the battery status gauge with the battery at full charge, All lamps lit.
The battery status gauge, with the battery at full charge, all lamps lit.

Or, if the Flip is OFF when charging starts, and you don’t turn it ON during charging, then once recharging finishes, all lights in this gauge go out. See this in the next picture.

Picture of the JBL Flip 2 fully charged, showing all of its battery status lights as OFF.
The JBL Flip 2 fully charged, showing all of its battery status lights as OFF.

But if the blinking red lamp in this meter does not change to white when you connect the charger, then several things might cause this. We list these below thus.

1.The Power Outlet May Not Be Live

The Problem

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

The Fix

Check that your outlet has electricity by testing it by plugging in a lamp or other device.  Reset circuit breakers if tripped, change out the bad fuses, and if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then be certain that that switch is in the ON position.

2. Power Supply is Not Working Well

The Problem

The JBL Flip 2 red light continues blinking perhaps because the AC or car adapter you’re using provides SOME but not ENOUGH charging current, even though its getting the correct power input. Its output energy can fall over time. So it might not deliver the correct amount presently.  Please note that this Flip requires 1 amp of charging current at 5 volts (5 watts) from the supply to fully recharge in the specified time.

The Fix

The solution is to replace the adapter, preferably one that delivers at least that 5 volts at 1 amps (5 watts).

3. JBL Flip 2 Blinking Red Light: The Battery is Defective

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 recharges, it draws less and less current as it charges. But in the case of battery failure, it may draw too much or too little amperage, thus confusing the charging circuits into behaving like no charging is occurring.  So, the red lamp keeps blinking.

The Fix

To fix this, replace the battery. But keep in mind that you can’t easily get to it in the Flip 2. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must teardown the unit.

But note that doing this likely breaks the water resistant seal.  Thus this Flip will no longer be safe to use, if you get it wet.

Breaking this seal may also change the sound quality too. 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 unit. A good battery should fit well inside.

Picture of the JBL Flip 2 playing from an iPod Touch via its AUX input port.
The JBL Flip 2 playing from an iPod Touch via its AUX input port.

4. The Unit Might Be Faulty

The Problem

Even if you have the correct power supply, with a working battery, 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 fail.  Note that these systems read the battery status, and shut off the charging current when they deem the battery full.

But when they break, the battery might get no power at all.  Thus, it never recharges.  Again, in this case, the red light might never stop blinking, even with the charger attached. You may also see that your Flip doesn’t play as long before going dead. Or it might not play at all, except when you’re charging it.

The Fix

The best solution here, is simply to get a new ont.  Why?  Because the circuits in this model 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 to save a boat load of aggravation.

Other Posts About the JBL Flip 2

  1. Pairing JBL Flip 2 with Alexa
  2. JBL Flip 2 Watts Output, Input, Battery, AC…
  3. JBL Flip 2 Charger Replacement Suggestions
  4. How to Adjust Volume on JBL Flip 2
  5. JBL Flip 2 Charging Tips

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References for JBL Flip 2 Blinking Red Light

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