JBL Go 2 Speaker Stuck on Red Light

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

Many JBL speakers, including the Go 2, display a status lamp that glows red while charging / recharging. But sometimes, the JBL Go 2 speaker gets stuck on this red light. That is, the light does not go out once charging is complete. This concerns many JBL Go 2 owners, as they wonder why it happens and how to stop it. So in this post, we offer reasons that this occurs and possible fixes for this typical problem.

Why JBL Go 2 Speaker Gets Stuck on Red Light

It’s normal that this red light glows while the charging cable is connected to the Go 2 for up to a few hours, until the battery completely fills. Then, when all is well, this light should turn white if the speaker is powered ON, or go dark when the speaker is OFF.

JBL Go 2 wireless speaker, front view, with the Power / Status lamp glowing white, highlighted.

Or, the light should go out when recharging wraps up, and the speaker is switched OFF, as we see next.

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 red lamp does not change to white or go dark, this might have several causes.

1.The Power Outlet May Have Faults

The Problem

The AC or car adapter for the JBL Go 2 may not have any power because it is not receiving any in the first place. This can occur due to a faulty AC or car power circuit, tripped circuit breaker, blown fuse, bad 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, and assure that said device works. 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. The Charger is Too Weak or Broken

The JBL Go 2 red light gets stuck, maybe because the recharging adapter you’re using provides SOME but not ENOUGH current. Or, it did work well at one time. But recently, its output power has fallen due to aging parts inside. Note that the Go 2 needs at least 1.0 amps of charging current at 5 volts (5 watts) from the supply to fully recharge in the specified time of 2.5 hours.

The fix is to replace the power adapter with a suitable power output model.

3. The USB Charging Cord is Too Thin, Long, or is Faulty

The USB cable can cut the charging amperage, even if your power supply is working normally. This might happen with very long, thin, or defective cords.

To solve this, use as short a wire as practical. Or, switch to a thicker, higher current cord. We recommend keeping cable lengths to six feet or under. Furthermore, choose a cable certified to carry at least 1.0 amps. But when in doubt, use a new cord.

4. The Battery Needs Changed

As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully charge, and the characteristics of the charging current they draw changes as they “mature”. Normally, as a battery charges, it draws less and less current as the recharging progresses. We believe that the speaker monitors this, and when the charge current falls to a value that it sees as the battery being full, then the system shuts out the red light and the charging current along with it. But a faulty battery may not behave this way, and continue sucking higher power. So in this case, the current never falls to the fully charged amount. Thus the red lamp never goes dark. Instead, it stays stuck on as the system continues driving more charge into the worn out battery.

To fix this, replace the battery. Now you can’t easily get to it in the JBL Go 2. So you disassemble the speaker. So note that taking apart the unit will likely break the waterproof seal. This means that the speaker will no longer resist damage should you dunk it. Destroying this seal may also change how the speaker sounds as well. So get a tech to replace the battery who knows how to choose the right replacement, and can restore the seal as they put the speaker back together. A good battery should fit inside well, and provide 3.7 volts and at least 730 mAh (2.7 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL certified replacement batteries for the Go 2.

5. The Speaker Might be Defective when the JBL Go 2 is Stuck on Red Light

Even if you have a sufficient size power supply and cable with a fresh battery, the charging current that actually reaches the cells may be too low or too high. The can happen when the battery management system inside develops faults. Now these circuits watch the battery, and shut off the charging current when they detect a full charge on the battery. But when they fail, the battery might receive no charging current at all, and thus never recharge. Again, in this case, the red light might never turn off while the charger powers the speaker. You would also notice 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 best solution here, given the low cost of the JBL Go 2, is simply to buy a new speaker. The tiny circuits in this model are indeed easy to break. So unless you can confidently replace the system board(s), just buy another speaker to avoid the time and headache of further repairs.

Blue colored JBL Go 2 Bluetooth speaker, front view.