My JBL Charge 5 Won’t Turn ON !

JBL Charge 5 BT speaker, front left view.

Sometimes my JBL Charge 5 won’t turn on, unless we plug it in. So this likely means one or more things. First, this speaker might be faulty beyond repair. Or the battery no longer recharges due to age or heavy use. Or finally, as we have, you mistakenly put your speaker into service mode a.k.a. secret or weird mode. So, assuming that all the hardware and software is still okay, we detail here the last possibility. Thus, we cover how to get the Charge 5 out of service mode to restore proper operation.

My JBL Charge 5 Won’t Turn On: Reasons Why

Service Mode Might Be Active

First, when in this (often called ‘weird’ or ‘secret’) mode, the unit does not power ON. Well, it doesn’t unless you connect an external power source. Thus, it will not run on the internal battery while in Service mode. Furthermore, when you do connect outside power, the speaker powers up without you pressing the Power button. I.e. It comes on as soon as you apply external power.

Further, you cannot turn off the Charge 5 while it is in Service mode, unless you disconnect the power cable. And then, the unit powers off without pressing the Power button. So when this service mode is active, the Power button appears to not work.

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

How to Turn On Service Mode on the JBL Charge 5

This is what you may have done by accident at some point just prior to your speaker’s strange behavior starting… To turn on this Service mode, power up the speaker first. Then press the Bluetooth and Play-Pause buttons at the same time. Hold in until the unit 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. It doesn’t matter whether you connect it to external power or not.

Top view of the JBL Charge 5 speaker, showing the -Bluetooth- and -Play-Pause- buttons.

How to Turn OFF Service Mode and Restore Proper Operation of the JBL Charge 5

Now you can restore proper speaker operation by disabling this mode. But note. When Service mode is in effect, then to switch it off, you must connect external power again. Why? Because when in Service mode, the JBL Flip 4 won’t come on without outside power. But you can’t change modes without powering up the unit first. Thus, you need the power adapter to make this fix.

1. So, connect your speaker to AC power and turn on the speaker.
2. Then, with the unit Power button glowing, you press and hold the Bluetooth and Play-Pause button combo. Then hold in for ten seconds or so, until the unit powers off.
3. Then, normal speaker operation returns.

Finally, the Power button should turn this speaker on again, whether or not you connect the AC adapter.

My JBL Charge 5 Won’t turn ON Because Lock Mode Might Be Active

You can also restore correct operation by cancelling lock mode. But note that when Lock mode is active, you can switch it back off without connecting the charger. That is as long as the battery is not completely dead.

The JBL Charge 5, top view. Showing all lights glowing, and pointing out the -Power- button.

As long as the lights are glowing, you should be able to exit lock mode without connecting a charger. To exit lock mode, press and hold the Power button until all lights go dark. Then when you poser up the 5 again, normal operation should return.