Picture of the JBL Xtreme Bluetooth speaker, top front view, showing buttons and cloth grill.

JBL Xtreme Buttons Meanings, Functions, Codes

The JBL Xtreme waterproof speaker features several buttons and lights across its top, as well as battery charge status lamps across the front bottom. The power button lights in either white, blue, or both, to show Bluetooth speaker status. There’s also a port access panel on the back bottom, sealed with a zipper cover, that hides two USB charging ports for your phones as well as the auxiliary (AUX) power input ports.  So here we offer our JBL Xtreme buttons meanings guide.  We show you where the control buttons are on this portable speaker, what each button does, what any button combination presses do, when to press them, and how to use the buttons to work the speaker in general.

JBL Xtreme Buttons Meanings: Their Functions, Combinations, and Codes

There is one row of buttons on this Xtreme JBL speaker.  Most buttons there have a unique shape.

Bluetooth Discovery Mode Button

First, we begin our JBL Xtreme Buttons Meanings guide discussion with the Bluetooth Discovery mode button, near the left side of the speaker top, as pointed at by the green arrow in the next picture. Note its squiggly Bluetooth logo shape.

How to Use the Bluetooth Discovery (Pairing Mode) Button

You press this button anytime you pair the JBL Xtreme with a never-before-paired Bluetooth source device.  It works like this.  With the Xtreme powered on, press the  Bluetooth Discovery  button to place this Bluetooth speaker into discovery mode, often referred to as Bluetooth pairing mode. When in this mode, the Xtreme transmits its name and other connection information over the Bluetooth air channels. This allows nearby Bluetooth devices to find and connect to it.

Picture of the -Bluetooth- button on the JBL Xtreme.
The -Bluetooth- button on the JBL Xtreme.

Volume Down and Up Buttons

The JBL Xtreme also sports volume controls. Near the center of the speaker near the Bluetooth discovery mode button, the volume buttons are shaped like minus and plus symbols. When pressed, these lower and raise the output volume of the speaker respectively, by reducing or increasing the volume setting on the paired source device. See the Volume Down and  Volume Up  buttons pointed at by the green arrows in the next picture.





How to Raise (Turn Up) and Lower (Turn Down) the Speaker Volume

With the JBL Xtreme paired and playing, press the minus shaped Volume Down button to decrease its audio output level. Press the plus shaped Volume Up button to increase audio output.

Note that these loudness controls have no effect when the speaker is not paired. Also, the volume setting may change from paired device to paired device. That is, each paired device remembers its own volume setting. So you might need to re set the sound output when you unpair the speaker from one source device and pair it to another.

Picture of the volume adjustment buttons.
The volume adjustment buttons.

JBL Xtreme Buttons Meanings: The Play-Pause, Voice Assistant Button

The Play / Pause button looks like a right-pointing arrow.  We find it near the right side of the JBL Xtreme, as pointed at by the green arrow we drew in, in the next picture.

Picture of the -Play-Pause- (voice assistant) button.
The -Play-Pause- (voice assistant) button.

How to Stop and Restart Music Play

Press and release the  Play / Pause  button quickly to pause audio play. Rapidly press it again to resume audio play.

Note that the Play / Pause button is not a mute button. That is, pausing play in this way suspends sound playback on the source Bluetooth device to which this speaker is currently paired. It does not merely just must the speaker while the stream continues going.  If streaming, the stream is suspended.  So, you won’t miss any content when you pause the speaker, as the source device (your phone, tablet, or computer) remembers where the content was paused. So it resumes playback at that spot when you press the play pause button again.

Move Ahead in a Playlist with the Play / Pause Button

Finally, you can skip forward to the next song in a playlist with the Play-Pause button on the Xtreme 1. As the song plays, do the following…

      • To advance to the next song, quickly press and release the Play-Pause button twice.  Upon doing that, your source device advances to the next song in the current playlist.




How to Activate a Voice Assistant

When paired with an Apple device, once set up, you may press and hold the Play / Pause button to get Siri’s attention. Note that you must enable Siri on the source device (phone, tablet) to use Siri through the Xtreme.  Furthermore, you must set this button’s function in the JBL Connect+ app to Voice Assistant.

Picture of the JBL Connect Plus app on iOS, showing the JBL Xtreme speaker Home screen.
JBL Connect Plus app on iOS, showing the JBL Xtreme speaker Home screen.

In the previous screenshot, the button we are calling Play / Pause is set to perform the Play / Pause function.  Note the orange colored setting near the bottom in the picture above.

But if we want that button to get Siri’s attention, instead of pausing our music, we could tap the  Voice Assistant  screen item.  This changes the Play / Pause button into a Voice Assistant Action button.  In this mode, pressing this button alerts the voice assistant on your source Bluetooth device that you wish to ask or command something of it.

The Power Button

The Power button not only switches the JBL Xtreme on and off, but also contains a multi-colored light to display speaker status when turned on.

How to Read and Use the Power Button Signals

Quickly press and release the Power button to turn the speaker ON or OFF.

Also, the Power button glows in various ways to signal a few differing speaker states.  First, it flashes blue when the speaker has not yet been paired, and is in Bluetooth discovery mode. It glows solid blue when the JBL Xtreme is paired with a source device. See this blue glow in the next picture.

Picture of the dark -Power- button.
The dark -Power- button.

The Power button glows solid white when the speaker powered on but not currently paired.  This means that the Xtreme is awaiting a pairing request from a source Bluetooth device. But it is not in Bluetooth discovery mode.  So while waiting for pairing, the Xtreme is not broadcasting it connection data for nearby Bluetooth devices to discover.  See this button glowing white in the previous picture.

Finally, the Power button glows a pale blue-white while the speaker is resetting to factory default settings.





The Connect+ Button

The Connect Plus button is used to connect two or more JBL Connect+ compatible speakers together, in “party mode”, such that they all play the same audio content. Similar to speakers participating in Amazon’s multi room music groups, all speakers connected together via Connect+ are synced. That is, they all lay the same audio at the same time.

How to Use the Connect Plus Button

You press this button on each Bluetooth speaker you wish to add to the Connect+ group.

Picture of the JBL Extreme speaker top panel view, showing the connect button highlighted.
The -Connect- button on the JBL Xtreme

The picture above shows the Xtreme not participating in Connect+, because the Connect+ button is dark. However, the Connect+ button lights up when the speaker is connected to a Connect+ group.

JBL Xtreme Buttons Meanings: Combinations, Codes

All Lights On Test Mode

Entering the All Lights ON mode briefly lights all lamps on the JBL Xtreme control panel and battery meter, and then powers down the unit after two seconds.  Note though that here, the speaker makes no falling guitar sound when it shuts off.  Also during this test, all the lights on the speaker light up as shown next.

Picture of all lights glowing.
All lights glowing.

Note that all battery gauge lamps, located on the front, near the bottom of the JBL Xtreme, also come on during this test, as shown next.

Picture of the front bottom of the JBL Xtreme, showing all battery gauge lamps lit up.
Front bottom view of the JBL Xtreme, showing all battery gauge lamps lit up.

How to Turn All Lights On Briefly

To enter this mode, press and hold the Volume Down and Play-Pause buttons that are highlighted in the next picture, for around ten seconds, until you see the lights all come on, as shown in the previous picture.

Picture of the -Volume DOWN- and -Play-Pause- buttons.
The -Volume DOWN- and -Play-Pause- buttons.

Once you enter All Lights ON, the lights remain lit for a short period before they all shut off.  Then, the speaker returns to normal working condition once the lamps return to their pretest state.





Firmware Version Button Combination Code

Pressing the Volume DOWN and Connect buttons together, for at least two seconds make the Xtreme say its current firmware version.  It says  two or more numbers that comprise this version, in a female voice.

Picture of the -Volume DOWN- and -Connect- buttons.
The -Volume DOWN- and -Connect- buttons.

Low Frequency Mode Button Code Combination

You can change how loud the bass is on the JBL Xtreme, by turning on and off its low frequency mode. When switched on, this super bass mode makes the passive bass radiators vibrate much more, and adds a low rumble quality to the playing program, that travels pretty far from the speaker.

How to Turn Off Low Frequency Mode

By default, the JBL Xtreme has its bass mode turned on.  This adds some treble and lots of extra bass to the audio output.

Picture of the -Bluetooth- and -Volume Down- buttons.
The -Bluetooth- and -Volume Down- buttons.

You can turn low frequency mode OFF by depressing the Volume Down (-) and Bluetooth buttons for about ten seconds, until the Power and Connect buttons light up white, as circled in the next picture.

Find all these buttons on the top of the speaker, as shown in the picture above, pointed at by the green arrows.

Picture of the -Connect- and -Power- buttons aglow on the JBL Xtreme.
The -Connect- and -Power- buttons aglow on the JBL Xtreme.

How to Turn On Low Frequency Mode

To turn low frequency mode back on, again, press and hold the Volume Down (-) and Bluetooth buttons in until the Power and Connect buttons light white.  Then release the buttons.  When the buttons inside the circled oval above light white, the low frequency mode has resumed once again.





Warning

The speakers inside this unit really thump when you switch on the low frequency mode.  So use caution in how loudly you play this speaker, to avoid damaging  the drivers. If the bass is crackling, tapping, or otherwise distorting, turn it down !

JBL Xtreme Buttons Meanings: Reset Button Combination Code

You can reset the JBL Xtreme to factory default settings and state by pressing the  Volume UP  and   Play / Pause  buttons at the same time and holding them in until the hard reset occurs. See these buttons pointed at by the green arrows n the next picture.

Picture of the -Volume UP- and -Play-Pause- buttons.
The -Volume UP- and -Play-Pause- buttons.

You may wish to reset the speaker to correct any weird behaviors you notice from it such as failing to pair, sound distortion, failure to power off when you press the  Power  button, and so on. Note that resetting invalidates any saved connection info about this Xtreme speaker  on your source Bluetooth devices. So you’ll have to forget those connections and re pair the speaker after a reset in order to play your audio content through it once again.

Service Mode Button Combination

When in this (often called ‘weird’) mode, the JBL Xtreme does not power ON unless you connect its external 19-volt power source. Thus, it will not run on the internal battery while in Service mode.  And then, it powers up without you pressing the Power button.  I.e. It comes on as soon as you apply outside power.  Further, you cannot turn it off in Service mode unless you disconnect the external power source. And then, it powers off without pressing the Power button.

Also, none of the buttons seem to work in Service mode.  E.g. The speaker won’t pair with any devices or other speakers when you press the Pairing button, and as mentioned, the Power button does not switch it off either.

How to Turn On Service Mode

To turn on this Service mode on the JBL Xtreme, power up the speaker first, and then press the Connect and Volume UP buttons at the same time, until the speaker powers OFF, which usually takes ten seconds or so.  Find these buttons pointed out in the next picture. Note that you can enter this mode as long as the speaker is ON, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s connected to external power or not.

Picture of the -Connect- and -Volume UP- buttons.
The -Connect- and -Volume UP- buttons.

How to Turn Off Service Mode

But once you activate this Service mode, then to switch it back off , you must connect external power again. Why?  Because the JBL Xtreme won’t come on without outside power, and you can’t change modes without the unit being powered UP.

So, with the speaker Power button glowing, you press and hold the Connect and Volume UP button combination for ten seconds or so, until the unit powers off.  Then, normal speaker operation returns.





JBL Xtreme Buttons Meanings: The Battery Status Meter

Finally, to round out our JBL Xtreme Buttons Meanings guide, this Extreme speaker also has five lights that show the amount of charge left currently in the built in power bank battery.

How to Read the Battery Status Gauge

When the internal battery is fully charged, all five battery charge level LEDs glow white.  As the battery runs down, fewer of the lamps glow. In the next picture, the speaker is shown at one hundred percent charge. Note that all five lamps are lit in this case.

Picture of the battery gauge with all its lights glowing This means that the JBL Xtreme is fully or almost fully charged.
The battery gauge with all its lights glowing This means that the JBL Xtreme is fully or almost fully charged.

As the battery further discharges, more battery level lights go out, until the charge amount reaches between 0 and 20 percent. In this case, only one lamp, the one on the far left, glows.

Finally, when the battery discharges to critically low levels, the far left battery light blinks red. Speaker shutdown happens soon after this occurs.  So, recharge it immediately for continued musical enjoyment.

Other Posts About the JBL Xtreme Power Bank Speaker

    1. JBL Xtreme Power Cord AC Adapter Charger Specs
    2. How to Connect This Speaker with the iPhone
    3. JBL Xtreme Change Name, How to Rename this BT Speaker
    4. How to Tell if JBL Xtreme is Charging
    5. Specs, Specifications

References for JBL Xtreme Buttons Meanings

    1. JBL Xtreme Product Page, on JBL.com