JBL Flip 4 Power Button Not Working Fix

When the Power button on your JBL Flip 4 is not working, this likely means one or more things. Now in this models, one or more of the following causes may be the reason this button does not work.

1. The button mechanisms may have sand, dirt, or other debris in them. To repair this, take the speaker apart if so inclined, and blow, brush, or polish switch contacts if you can reach them.
2. Your charger cord is dead. To resolve this, swap in a working charger for the suspected bad one. The speaker should then boot up once more.
3. The battery inside no longer recharges due to age, excessive charging, or heavy use. To solve this, replace the battery.
4. Your JBL Flip 4 is damaged beyond repair. In this case, get a replacement unit.
5. Now since the Flip 4 has a Service Mode, you may have inadvertently activated this mode a.k.a. secret or weird mode.

So, assuming that all the hardware and software in the 4 is undamaged, we cover here the last possibility. Thus, we describe below how to get this speaker out of service mode, and restore proper operation.

JBL Flip 4 Service Mode Explained

First, a symptom of active service mode, is that the speaker does not power ON unless you connect a charger adapter. Thus, the speaker will not run on the internal battery while in Service mode. Moreover, when you do connect outside power, it powers ON right away, without you pressing the Power button. I.e. It comes on as soon as you apply power to the USB input port on the speaker.

Also, you cannot turn off the JBL Flip 4 while it is in Service mode, unless you disconnect the power source. And then, it powers off without pressing the Power button. So when this service mode is active, the Power button appears to not work.

Finally, none of the buttons seem to work in Service mode, except for the ones needed to exit service mode. E.g. The speaker won’t pair with any devices or other speakers when you press the Pairing button, and as stated earlier, the Power button does not switch it off either.

How to Enter This Service Mode

This is what you may have done by accident at some point just prior to your JBL Flip 4 Power button not working problem began… To turn on this Service mode, power up the Flip 4 first. And then press and hold in the Connect+ and Volume UP buttons at the same time, until the speaker powers OFF, which usually takes ten seconds or so.

Find these buttons pointed out in the next picture. Note that you can enter this mode as long as the speaker is ON, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s connected to external power or not. Also note that these buttons are very close to (beside) each other. So some users may find it easy to press them both by accident, especially with the Volume Up button is such a popular control. But remember that once in this mode, you won’t be able to exit it without first connecting the external charger cable.

Top view picture of the JBL Flip 4 speaker, with the -Volume UP- and -Connect- buttons highlighted. — Top view of the JBL Flip 4 speaker, with the -Volume UP- and -Connect- buttons highlighted.

How to Fix the Power Button Not Working on a JBL Flip 4

Now you can restore normal operation by deactivating this mode. But note that when this Service mode is active, then to switch it back off, you must connect external power again. Why? Because when in Service mode, the speaker won’t power up without outside power. But you can’t change modes without switching on the unit first. Thus, you need the AC adapter to make this fix.

1. So, connect your JBL Flip 4 to AC power and turn on the unit.
2. Then, with the speaker Power button glowing, you press and hold the Connect+ and Volume UP button combo for ten seconds or so, until the unit powers off.
3. Then, normal speaker operation returns.

Finally, at this point, the Power button should work again, whether or not you connect the power supply.

References for JBL Flip 4 Power Button Not Working

1. JBL Flip 4 Product Page at JBL.com

Revision History

- 2023-01-25: First published.