Most JBL Bluetooth speakers, including the Xtreme 2, offer portable operation via an internal battery. And when that battery goes dead, you can recharge them via an AC or car adapter. To facilitate recharging this speaker, the Xtreme 2 comes with a 19 volt AC power adapter. Sometimes though, you may notice that the JBL Xtreme 2 is not charging fully, or at all, even when you connect the adapter to power, and then to the speaker.
How to Tell that the JBL Xtreme 2 is Not Charging
Among the ways you can tell that the JBL Xtreme 2 is not charging, is by reading the battery status gauge on the front lower portion of the unit. Now this meter starts blinking red during play to let you know that the battery is running very low on power. And the flashing does not stop, even when you plug in the charger. It should change at this point though, to blinking white, which indicates that the speaker is getting some power from the adapter. But if it continues red, then recharging is not happening.
You can also feel the power adapter’s side panel ten or fifteen minutes into the charge cycle. The speaker itself warms slightly as well during correctly charging operation. But if you feel no warmth, then again, the JBL Xtreme 2 is not charging.
Then too, the battery gauge normally shows battery recharging progress. I.e. as the unit recharges, more and more of the lamps light up white. If you don’t see more lights coming on after a couple hours during recharging, then chances are, charging is not going well.
Thus when you notice that the speaker is not recharging, even though it should be charging, you’ll want to find out what’s wrong and how to fix the situation. So in this post, we offer reasons why the speaker may not recharge. Then we give possible fixes for this typical problem.
JBL Xtreme 2 Not Charging, Reasons and Fixes
AS we said above, it’s normal that the battery level gauge blinks red when the battery is about dead. But this meter should turn to a flashing white when you attach the speaker to the charger, and the charger to a suitable power outlet, and battery recharging begins.
Normally though, this meter only displays white lights. The number of these lamps glowing tells you how full the battery is. It can appear as follows.
Or, if the speaker is OFF when charging starts, and you don’t turn it ON during charging, then once recharging finishes, all lights in this gauge go dark. See this in the next picture.
If the gauge 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 JBL Xtreme 2 may not output any power 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. 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.
2. The Adapter is Broken
The Problem
The JBL Xtreme 2 not charging can also occur because the AC or car adapter is providing SOME but not ENOUGH charging current to completely recharge the speaker, even though its getting the correct power input. Now as the unit ages, its output energy can fall over time. So the adapter might not deliver the correct amount presently. When this happens, you may see the gauge turn to a flashing white light, but not gradually advance toward full charge, or advance more slowly than usual. Please note that this speaker needs 3 amps at 19 volts from the adapter to fully recharge in the specified time of 3.5 hours. Charging may not work as we expect if the charger does not deliver on these requirements.
The Fix
The solution is to replace the power adapter, preferably one that delivers the 19 volts at 3 amps (57 watts). We advise that you order a replacement directly from JBL for fastest yet safest charging.
3. The Battery in the Xtreme 2 is Faulty
The Problem
As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully charge, and the characteristics of the charging current they draw changes as they get older. Normally, as a battery recharges, it draws less and less charging 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 gauge shows that charging is not happening.
The Fix
To address this, replace the battery. But keep in mind that you can’t easily get the old one out of the JBL Xtreme 2. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart, and this is a delicate operation.
Also note that doing this likely breaks the water resistant seal. So the speaker will no longer be safe to use, should you expose it to water.
Breaking this seal may well change the sound quality too. So get someone to replace 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 10,000 mAh (36 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL certified batteries for this speaker.
4. The Speaker Might be Defective when the JBL Xtreme 2 Does Not Charge
The Problem
Even if you have the proper power supply, with a functioning battery in the speaker, the charging current that actually gets to the battery may be too low or too high. This can happen when the battery management circuits inside the Xtreme 2 become defective. Note that these systems read the battery status, and shut off the charging current when they deem the battery as full.
But when they break, the battery might get no power at all. Thus, it never recharges. Again, in this case, the battery gauge might never stop flashing, even with the charger connected. You may also see that the speaker doesn’t play as long before going dead, 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 Xtreme 2. Why? Because the electronic parts 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 buy another speaker to save a bunch of aggravation.
Other Posts About the JBL Xtreme 2
- JBL Xtreme 2 Red Light Blinking, How to Fix
- How to Reset JBL Xtreme 2 Bluetooth Speaker
- How to Connect JBL Xtreme 2 to iPhone
- JBL Xtreme 2 Buttons, Codes Combinations Meanings
- How to Pair JBL Xtreme 2 with Alexa
References for JBL Xtreme 2 Not Charging
Revision History
- 2022-07-30: First posted.