The Sony SRS XB21 Charging Indicator is an LED in the rear button / port panel on the speaker. Find it just to the right of the USB input port. This displays charge status. E.g. Whether it’s draining or charging, or whether it’s critically low or not when discharging. But it neither reads out charging progress, nor exactly how full the battery is. But it does pulse orange when the charge almost runs completely out. So in this post, we explain how to read this charging indicator lamp on the Sony SRS XB21.
To get a more precise readout of charge percentage, see below.
How to Read the Sony SRS XB21 Charging Indicator: Detailed Steps
1. The Lamp is OFF
The CHARGE lamp is dark in the following situations:
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- When you power down the XB21 with no charger connected.
- When the charger IS present but the speaker is full.
- And finally, this light is OFF when the speaker itself is ON but the battery is not low. Specifically, this light is dark as long as the speaker does not yet need charging.
2. The Sony SRS XB21 Charging Indicator Flashes Orange
With the charger unplugged, the XB21 running, and the battery very low, this light starts flashing orange. This means that the speaker will shorty power OFF. Therefore you should put it on the charge soon to avoid play cut outs.
3. This Lamp Also Functions as a Charging Light
This LED also lights steady orange (no blinking) as the XB21 recharges, as we see in the next picture. On this speaker, the light glowing is the only visual way of telling that charging is occurring. But it does not show how far along the recharging is, until it actually goes dark.
Also note that this light should never blink on and off during recharging. If it does, then either your charger is not working or your USB cable is faulty. Or the speaker itself may be faulty.
4. When the Light Goes Dark While Charging, Then Charging is Complete
As speaker charging continues, the light keeps glowing. However eventually, charging completes. Then the lamp goes dark to show this. It is then OFF whether the speaker itself it ON or OFF. Note that the light will go dark too, if you disconnect the charger before the charge cycle finishes.
5. The Sony SRS XB21 Charging Indicator Is Not a Charge Remaining Meter
When unplugged from the charger, this light becomes the charge left indicator. Well sort of. So if it is dark when the speaker is ON, then the battery has some play time remaining. However you cannot tell exactly how much. If it flashes though, then you can know for sure that the speaker is nearly dead.
Reading Charge Percentage
However, on this speaker, you can get a more precise reading on the percentage of charge left.
Just press and hold the Phone-BATT button until the speaker says the remaining power percent value in a female voice.