Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers

JBL Charge 3 portable waterproof speaker, top view, showing its control panel buttons.

This post demos how Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers works. Further, these include the original, mini, and max Google Home versions. Plus, since this pairing happens between the Charge 3 and the Google speakers directly, you need not turn Bluetooth on in the mobile device you’re using to establish this pairing.

Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers: Step by Step

First, with your JBL Charge 3 powered off (power button is dark), run through this routine to pair it to your Google Home Mini, Original, or Max. Moreover, we’re using an iPad Air tablet to set up this pairing. In this demo, we’re pairing with a Google Home Mini. But the routine is similar for the other Google assistant products.

Now, to the procedure.

1. Find the Google Home App on your Mobile Device

We found the Home app on our iOS iPad Air as shown in the next screenshot. Now in our case, this app is on the third home screen page. It’s pointed at by the purple arrow.

Google Home App entry, as shown on the iOS home screen. You must use this app for Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers.

2. Run the Google Home App

The app displays its Home screen as shown in the next screenshot.

The Google Home app displaying its home screen, with the hamburger menu control highlighted.

3. Tap the Hamburger Control

Find the hamburger item in the top left corner of the screen. This is pointed at by the purple arrow in the last screenshot.

This brings up the Google Home app’s main menu, as shown in the next screenshot.

The hamburger menu, with the -Devices- Item highlighted.

4. Tap the Devices Option on the Main Menu to Continue with Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers

The Devices option is pointed at by the bright purple arrow in the last screenshot.

This brings up the Devices screen, as shown in the next screenshot. From here, choose which device you wish to pair with your JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth speaker. We had to scroll down on this screen to locate our Google Home Mini, named Office Speaker.

A typical Google Home Speakers model, in the app, showing in the Devices list, with its Device Menu location highlighted.

5. Tap the Hamburger Control on the Google Home Smart Speaker you Wish to Pair to your JBL Charge 3

Find the hamburger control near the top right corner of each speaker card, as shown in the last screenshot.

This brings up the selected device’s control menu, as shown next.

A Google Home Smart Speakers device control menu displaying, with the -Settings- item in that menu highlighted.

6. Tap the Settings Menu Item

The Settings menu item is circled in bright purple in the last picture.

Tapping Settings takes you to the device-specific settings screen for the speaker you chose, as shown next.

The -Device Settings- screen.

7. Scroll Down to the Device Settings Section

Scroll down the Device Settings screen, until you see the Default Speaker item. We’ve pointed at this with a blue arrow in the next picture.

The -Device Settings- screen, with the -Default Speaker- item highlighted.

8. Tap the Default Speaker Item to Continue with Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers

This brings up the Choose a Default Speaker for Music and Audio screen, as shown next.

The -Choose Default Speaker- screen, with the -Pair Bluetooth Speaker- item highlighted. While When Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers, you visit this option to initiate a BT scan for devices.

At this point, you’re ready to start a Bluetooth scan by your Google Home speaker. You’ve selected the Home speaker to pair with in step 5 above. So, that Google speaker will be the one that scans for Bluetooth devices like the JBL Charge 3.

But don’t press the Pair Bluetooth Speaker item button in the last screenshot just yet. We must first power up your JBL Charge 3 speaker and put it into pairing discovery mode.

9. Turn On your JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth Speaker

Put down your mobile device for a bit.

Then turn on the JBL Charge 3 by quickly pressing its Power button. See this pointed at by the green arrow in the next picture.

The JBL Charge 3 powered off. Showing the -Power- button highlighted.

The speaker then powers up.

But since our Google Home Mini does not know about this speaker, and the Charge 3 does not know about the Mini, the Charge 3 will not pair with the Mini right away. Thus, the light that comes on in the Charge 3 power switch denotes this not-paired state by glowing solid white, as shown next.

The BT speaker powered ON but not paired. Showing the glowing white power button. Be sure this unit is ON before Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers.

Note that your Charge 3 may be flashing blue if you’ve never paired it with a device since the last factory reset. In that case, skip the next step (Step 10) and pick up with Step 11.

10. Put your JBL Bluetooth Speaker into Discovery Mode

Now, to allow the Google Home to find your JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth speaker, place the Charge 3 into Bluetooth discovery mode. To activate pairing discovery mode, press and let go of the Bluetooth button, as shown in the next picture, pointed at by the green arrow.

The -Bluetooth Discovery Mode- button.

When you press the Bluetooth Discovery Mode button, the Charge 3 makes a repeating single pluck guitar note sound several times. Also, the power button changes from a solid white glow to flashing blue. See this next.

The JBL Charge 3 powered on and in Bluetooth discovery mode. Note that the -Power- button is now flashing blue.

11. Go Back to your Mobile Device

The screen with the blue Pair Bluetooth Speaker option should still be showing, as in the next screenshot.

Back in the Google Home app, showing its -Choose Default Speaker- screen, with the -Pair Bluetooth Speaker- item highlighted.

12. Tap the Pair Bluetooth Speaker Item to Continue with Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers

This starts your Google Home speaker scanning for any nearby Bluetooth devices that are themselves in Bluetooth discovery mode. Your Charge 3 is now in Bluetooth discovery mode. So your Google Home should find it. If it doesn’t, then move the speakers closer to each other and try again.

The next screenshot shows the Bluetooth scanning in progress.

The -Pair Your Bluetooth Speaker- screen, while the app scans for Bluetooth devices. When Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers, the Google Home unit acts as the source BT device.

After a short pause, your Google Home should find the JBL Charge 3 portable speaker, and list it as shown next, as pointed at by the dark purple arrow.

The -Pair your Bluetooth Speaker- screen. Showing the JBL Charge 3 as discovered.

In our demo, the Google Home Mini speaker found our JBL Charge 3, named JBL Charge 3.

13. Tap your JBL Charge 3 on the Discovered Bluetooth Devices List to Pair It

See the screenshot above. If Google Home found more than one device, you’ll have to tap the one you want. A blue check mark then appears beside the device you chose.

Now our scan found the JBL Charge 3. Just one device. So ours was selected by default, as the blue check mark shows above.

14. Tap the Done Item

Tapping Done causes our Google Home speaker then paired with the Charge 3 speaker.

The Google Home app then took us back to its Choose a Default Speaker for Music and Audio screen, as shown next.

The -Choose a Default Speaker- screen. The JBL Charge 3 is set as default speaker.

At that time,, the JBL Charge 3 makes the Speaker Paired sound (the three ascending guitar notes). Note the blue check mark to the left of the new default speaker in the last screenshot. The now-paired speaker is pointed at by the dark purple arrow.

The JBL Charge 3 speaker is now paired with your Google Home. It’s power button glows solid blue. This means that successful pairing is under way, as shown next.

The JBL Charge 3 -Power- button glowing steady blue. Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers is now complete.

15. Done with Pairing JBL Charge 3 with Google Home Smart Speakers !

We can now ask the Google Home assistant to play music on our Office Speaker Google Home Mini, and those tunes will play on this wonderful sounding JBL Charge 3 power bank speaker.

Note though, that only the media you request actually plays through the Charge III. The Google Assistant voice sounds however, still come directly from the Google Home. Also, be sure to speak directly to your Google Home, and not to the Bluetooth speaker, when making voice requests.