Most JBL Bluetooth speakers, including the Xtreme 3, offer truly wireless operation via an internal battery. And when that battery dies, you can recharge them via an AC or car adapter. To enable recharging this speaker, the Xtreme 3 comes with a 20 volt AC power adapter. Sometimes though, you may notice that the JBL Xtreme 3 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 3 is Not Charging
Among the ways you can tell that the Xtreme 3 is not charging, is by reading the battery status gauge on the front of the unit. Now this meter starts blinking red near its bottom during play, to let you know that the battery is running very low on power. And this pulsing does not stop, even when you attach the charger. But the gauge should change at this point though, to blinking white. When this occurs, it means that the speaker is getting some power from the adapter. But if it continues red, then recharging is not going on.
You can also feel the adapter’s side panel ten or fifteen minutes into the charge cycle. It should be slightly warm to the touch. Note too that the speaker itself warms slightly as well during correctly charging operation. But if you sense no warmth, then again, the JBL Xtreme 3 is not charging.
Furthermore, 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 two hours of 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 fail to charge. Then we give possible fixes for this typical problem.
JBL Xtreme 3 Not Charging, Reasons and Fixes
As we stated earlier, it’s normal that the battery status gauge pulses red when the battery inside is about dead. But this meter should switch to a flashing white light when you connect the speaker to the charger, and the charger to a power outlet, and battery recharging begins.
Normally though, this meter only displays white light. The amount of the meter bar glowing tells you how full the battery is. It can look 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 Energized
The Problem
The AC or car adapter for the JBL Xtreme 3 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 AC Adapter is Broken
The Problem
The JBL Xtreme 3 not charging can also happen because the AC or car adapter is providing SOME but not FULL charging current to completely recharge the speaker, even though its getting the correct power input from the outlet. Now as the unit ages, its output energy can fall over time. So this power supply might not deliver the correct amount. Thus when this happens, you may see the gauge turn to a blinking white light, but not gradually move toward full charge. Or, it may advance, but more slowly than usual. Please note that this speaker needs 3 amps at 20 volts from the adapter to fully recharge in the specified time of 4 hours. Charging will likely not work as we expect if the charger does not deliver on these requirements.
The Fix
The solution is to replace the adapter, preferably one that has a USB-C plug and delivers the maximum 20 volts at 3 amps (60 watts). We advise that you order a replacement directly from JBL for fastest yet safest charging.
3. The Battery in the Xtreme 3 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 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 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 3. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart, and this is delicate work.
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 alter the sound quality as well. 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 the speaker and provide 7.26 volts and at least 5,000 mAh (36.3 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL certified batteries for this speaker.
4. The Speaker Might be Defective when the JBL Xtreme 3 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 3 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 see no power at all. Thus, it never charges. 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 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 Xtreme 3. 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.
Related Posts to JBL Xtreme 3 Not Charging
Other Posts About the JBL Xtreme 3
- JBL Xtreme 3 Charging Light Blinking, How to Fix
- How to Turn On JBL Xtreme 3 Wireless Speaker
- How to Turn On JBL Xtreme 3 Bass Mode
- How to Check JBL Xtreme 3 Battery Life
- JBL Xtreme 3 Pairing Instructions
References for JBL Xtreme 3 Not Charging
Revision History
- 2022-07-30: First posted.