In this post, we describe how to read the Sony SRS XG500 Charging Indicator lamp. You can also get charging percentage numbers from the speaker as well as in the Music Center app.
First, the Sony SRS XG500 has a Charging Indicator LED on the top button panel. This displays charge status, sort of. 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 how much charge there is. However, it does flash when the battery reaches near-dead state.
But on this speaker, you can get a more precise reading of how full the speaker is. For that, press the charge level button on the back of the speaker. Then it speaks the actual charge percentage number. We cover both ways to tell how much charge the speaker has below.
Sony SRS XG500 Charging Indicator: How to Read This Lamp
1. The Light is OFF
The charging (CHARGE) lamp is dark in the following situations:
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- When you power down the XG500 without the charger connected.
- When the charger IS present but the speaker finished recharging, as shown next.
- And finally, the CHARGE light is OFF when the speaker itself is ON. But the battery is not low. Furthermore, the lamp stays dark as long as the XG500 does not yet need charging.
Each of these light states gives you some indication of charge status.
2. The Sony XG500 Charging Indicator Light Blinks Orange
With the charger not present, the XG500 running, and the battery very low, the CHARGE light starts flashing orange.
This means that the speaker will soon shut off due to a dead speaker. So you should put it on the charge soon to keep the music coming.
3. Sony SRS XG500 Charging Indicator Doubles as a Charging Light
The CHARGE lamp lights up orange (no flashing) as the XG500 charges, as we see in the next picture. On this speaker, this glowing light is the only visual means of knowing that recharging is going on. But it does not display how far along the charging is. To get this, use the charge percentage button in the button and port compartment on the back of the speaker.
Also note that this light should never flash while charging is in progress. But if it does, then at least one of the following is true.
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- The charger is not working well.
- Your USB cable is bad.
- The speaker itself is faulty.
4. When the Light Goes Out While Charging, Then the Speaker Has a Full Charge
As speaker charging continues, the light keeps glowing. But eventually, recharging finishes. Then the Charging Indicator lamp goes dark to show this.
It turns off when the speaker is not ON, and stays OFF when the XG500 is ON.
5. The Sony SRS XG500 Charging Indicator Lamp Is Not Much of a Charge Remaining Meter
When unplugged from the charger, what was the charging indicator becomes the charge left indicator. Well again, sort of. If it is dark when the speaker is ON, then some play time remains. However you cannot tell how much just by looking at the Charging Indicator lamp. But when the charge goes very low, this light slowly pulses orange. This indicates that it’s time to recharge the speaker for continued play. Furthermore, the pulses speed up as the speaker drains further.
How to Get Audio Percentage from Sony SRS XG500 Charging Indicator
You can have the speaker “speak” to you the approximate percentage of power remaining.
1. Press the BATTERY / BATTERY CARE Button
Hear the female voice say this by pressing the BATTERY / BATTERY CARE button in the back of the speaker. Note that there are four buttons and a knob inside the ports compartment. Now the button to press is the second button from the left as you face this compartment.
When you press this BATTERY / BATTERY CARE button, the speaker will say back one of the following.
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- When the speaker has 80% or more charge, the speaker says, “Battery fully charged.”
- When it has 60% to 80%, it says, “Battery about 70%.”
- When it has 40% to 60%, it says, “Battery about 50%.”
- When it has 20% to 40%, it says, “Battery about 30%”
- And when the unit has less than 20%, it says, “Please charge.”
How to See Sony SRS XG500 Charging Indicator in the Music Center App
Connect the speaker to a source device that has the Sony Music Center app. Then you can see charge percentage there as well.
1. Find the Music Center App
We find ours in in a custom folder that we set up on this test iPad.
2. Run the App
When you start Music Center, it finds the paired XG500. Then it brings up the Home page as follows.
The app shows you the current charge percentage.