JBL Flip 5 Speaker Red Light Stays ON

JBL Flip 5 red light glowing.

Many JBL speakers, including the Flip 5 speaker, have a light that glows or blinks red when the battery is almost out of power. In the case of the Flip 5, we see this lamp in the battery gauge on the front button panel. But sometimes, this red light stays on or blinks for long periods as you play the speaker. E.g. It starts flashing during play and does not stop, even when you connect a charger. Thus in this post, we offer reasons that this can occur, and give possible fixes for this common problem.

Why JBL Flip 5 Speaker Red Light Stays On: Why This Happens

It’s normal that the battery gauge gives off a blinking red light when the battery is very low. But this red light should turn to flashing white when you connect the speaker to a working charger, and battery recharging begins.

JBL Flip 5 speaker red light glowing.

But normally, with the charger connected and working, this gauge only glows white. Furthermore, the amount of the gauge bar that glows white tells you how full the battery is. It can appear as follows.

The battery gauge lit fully from end to end.

Or, when the speaker has enough charge, and without the charger connected, then all lights in this meter are dark. See this in the next picture.

JBL Flip 5 speaker with the battery meter dark.

But if the red light we see above does not change to white 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 Live

The Problem

The AC or car adapter for the speaker 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 power by testing it by plugging in a lamp or other device. Reset circuit breakers if tripped, and if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then be sure that that switch is in the ON position.

2. Power Supply is Not Working Well

The Problem

The JBL Flip 5 speaker red light stays on or 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 speaker requires 3 amps of charging current at 5 volts (15 watts) from the supply to fully recharge in the specified time of 2.5 hours.

The Fix

The solution is to replace the power supply, preferably with a suitable output model. We suggest chargers from Key Power, Belkin, and Anker, that deliver full USB power levels for this speaker. And for the fastest charging, use a USB-C to USB-C cable, into an adapter with a USB-C port.

3. The USB Charging Cable is Too Long, Too Thin, or is Broken

The Problem

The USB cable can restrict the charging current too much, even if your power supply is working well. This might happen with very long or thin cables.

The Fix

To solve this, use as short a cord as practical. Or, switch to a thicker, higher current cable. We suggest keeping cord lengths to six feet or less, and to choose a cable that is certified to carry at least 3 amps.

4. The Battery in the Speaker is Bad

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. But in the case of battery failure, it may draw too much or too little amperage. Thus, this can make the charging circuits behave as though no recharging is happening. So, the red lamp stays on and continues flashing.

The Fix

To stop this, replace the battery. But keep in mind that you can’t easily get to it. Indeed, swapping out the battery means that you must take the speaker apart.

But note that doing this likely breaks the water resistant seal. Thus the speaker will no longer be protected if you get it wet.

Breaking this seal may also change the sound quality too. So get someone to change 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 speaker. A good battery should fit well inside and provide 3.6 volts and at least 4,800 mAh (17.28 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL certified battery units in this speaker.

5. The Speaker Might be Defective when the JBL Flip 5 Speaker Red Light Stays On

The Problem

Even if you have a sufficiently large power supply, and cable with a working battery, the charging current that actually gets to the speaker may be too low or too high. This can happen when the battery management circuits inside the speaker fail. Note that these systems read the battery status, and shut off the charging current when they sense that the battery is full.

But when these systems fail, the battery might get no power at all. Thus, it never charges. Again, for this case, the red light might never turn off even with the charger connected. You may also see that the speaker doesn’t play as long before going dead. Or it might not play at all, except when you’re recharging it.

The Fix

The best answer here, given the relatively low cost of the speaker, is simply to get a new one. Also, 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 purchase another speaker.