Front view of the JBL Flip 5 speaker package box.
Here’s our JBL Flip 5 firmware upgrade instructions. This routine can take up to thirty minutes to finish, depending on the speed of your WiFi connection. Plus, you can’t reverse once complete. That is, you won’t be able to return to the older version afterwards. So, be sure that you indeed want the update before going ahead with it.
You’ll need the following to complete this upgrade…
So, connect your mobile device to the internet and install the JBL Connect app if you haven’t already.
Connect your speaker to household power, because we don’t want its battery going dead during the firmware update. A dying battery could corrupt the speaker’s memory, and so, brick the speaker, rendering it useless and not repairable.
So, to be safe, plug the Flip 5 into AC power, using the included USB cable.
Finally, connect the other end of the USB-C cord to the charger, and plug that charger into a working outlet.
Then, pair your mobile device with the speaker
You are now ready to begin the firmware upgrade process.
Firstly, we find ours on the fourth home page in the Apple iPad Air, as shown next.
Then the app takes a few seconds while it displays some pretty animations when you first start it.
But then it finds your paired JBL Flip 5 and displays its status screen.
Note the presence of the Update button near the bottom left of the speaker’s home page. This means that a firmware upgrade is available. If no newer firmware version is out, this button does not appear.
Touching the Update button brings up an information page about the available firmware upgrade. It describes what’s new in the latest firmware version.
Now this screen gives details about the available firmware upgrade. In our case here, it suggests the Flip 5 upgrade to firmware version 4.0.0.0.
If the battery in the Flip 5 has enough charge, then the firmware upgrade process starts. But if is low and you’ve not yet connected the charger, the system then asks you to do so. Then follow any screen prompts to continue.
The upgrade then starts. So the Connect app displays a progress screen, to tell how far along the process is.
Your device downloads the new firmware to its memory first.
Once the download finishes, the app then verifies and uploads the firmware file to the Flip 5.
We’re several minutes into the update at this point in the process.
Once the app copies the upgrade file to the Flip 5, you get the Restarting screen.
But note that the Flip 5 is still in the process of installing the new firmware for some minutes afterwards. This page warns us that the speaker will restart automatically. Plus it asks us not to unplug the Flip 5 while this is happening. Also, keep your speaker close to the mobile device running the app during this time.
Then watch the Power light on the Flip 5. That lamp soon goes dark.
The speaker may or may not turn itself back on again. Ours did come back on by itself though. But if yours did not, then go ahead with the next step (Step 7). However if it did, then skip Step 7 and resume with Step 8.
Next, press the dark Power button to turn the speaker ON again. The unit should again pair with your mobile device. The Bluetooth button again glows solid white.
Then meanwhile, back in the Connect App, the Upgrade Successful appears. This signals when the Flip 5 confirms to the app that the upgrade completed without problems.
With your Flip 5 now pairing again, press the orange Let’s Party button.
The app then displays the JBL Flip 5 status screen once more. But now the Update button no longer appears. So this means that the firmware upgrade worked. So the JBL Flip 5 is now running the current firmware version.
Finally, you’ve now successfully updated the firmware to the current version in your JBL Flip 5.
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