Picture of the Blue colored JBL Go 2 Bluetooth speaker, front view.

JBL Go 2 Not Charging, How to Fix

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

How to Tell that the JBL Go 2 is Not Charging

Among the ways you can tell that the Go 2 is not charging, is by reading the status lamp on the front of the speaker.  Now this light changes from white 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 on, even when you connect the charger.  Why?  Because the lamp should change at this point though, to solid red, when you apply charging power.  When the light stops blinking red, and goes to solid red, this means that the speaker is getting some power from the adapter. But if it keeps blinking red after you plug in the charger to it, 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 a little warm.  Note too that the speaker itself may heat up a bit as well as proper charging progresses.  But if you detect no warmth, then again, the JBL Go 2 is likely not charging.

Moreover, the status light normally shows battery recharging status.  I.e. As long as charging continues, this lamp also keeps glowing solid red.  And this light either changes to white or goes out when charging concludes.  But if that lamp remains solid red after several hours of recharging, then chances are, charging is not going well. Or, it’s going quite slowly.

Thus when you notice that the speaker is not recharging, even though it should be, you’ll want to figure out what’s wrong and how to fix the situation.  So in this post, we offer reasons why the JBL Go 2 may not charge when connected to power.  Then we give potential fixes for this typical problem.





 JBL Go 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 glow when you connect the speaker to the charger, and the charger to a power outlet, and battery recharging begins.

Picture of the JBL Go 2 Bluetooth speaker front view, highlighting the red status light, meaning that the speaker is charging.
JBL Go 2 Bluetooth speaker front view, highlighting the red status light, meaning that the speaker is charging.

Normally though, without a charger connected, this lamp only glows or flashes white.  It can look as follows.

Picture of the front of the speaker, with the Power / Status lamp glowing white, highlighted.
Front view of the speaker, with the Power / Status lamp glowing white, highlighted.

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

Picture of the JBL Go 2 speaker, fully charged, powered OFF, but is still connected to charger power. The status lamp is not glowing at all, and is highlighted.
JBL Go 2 speaker, fully charged, powered OFF, but is still connected to charger power. The status lamp is not glowing at all, and is 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 Go 2 may not output any juice because it is not receiving any to begin with. This can happen due to a defective AC or car circuit, tripped breaker, blown fuse, faulty wiring, power failure, and the like.

The Fix

Check that your receptacle 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 Go 2 not charging can also happen because the adapter is providing SOME but not FULL amperage to completely recharge the speaker, even though its getting the correct power 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.   Thus 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.  However, charging will likely not go as fast as we hope if the charger and connecting cable do not deliver on these requirements.

Picture of the JBL Go 2 Bluetooth speaker front view during charging, showing its red glowing status lamp highlighted.
JBL Go 2 Bluetooth speaker front view during charging, showing its red glowing status lamp highlighted.

The Fix

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





3. The Battery in the Go 2 Speaker 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 continuous 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 Go 2. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart, and this is an intricate task.

Also note that doing this likely breaks the moisture seal.  So the speaker 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 Go 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 Go 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 occur when the battery management circuits in the Go 2 fail.  Note that these systems read the battery status, and switch off the charging current when they deem the battery full.

But when they go haywire, the battery might see no power at all, though the charger itself is fine.  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.

The Fix

The best answer here, is simply to get a new JBL Go 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 Go 2 Bluetooth Speaker

  1. JBL Go 2 Low Frequency Mode Explained
  2. JBL Go 2 Speaker Stuck on Red Light
  3. How to Turn On JBL Go 2 BT Speaker
  4. JBL Go 2 Charging Time for Complete Recharging
  5. JBL Go 2 Pairing Instructions

References for JBL Go 2 Not Charging

  1. JBL Clip 3 Official Product Page at JBL.com
  2. Where to Buy the JBL Go 2 Bluetooth Speaker

Revision History

  • 2022-08-01: First posted.