JBL Charge 4 is a portable Bluetooth speaker with a battery life of 20 hours and a charging time of 4 hours. However, sometimes the speaker won’t turn off. Why does this happen and how to fix it?
JBL Charge 4 won’t turn off if the speaker is in lock mode, it has a software bug or glitch, or if there’s an important internal hardware part damaged.
To fix JBL Charge 4 that won’t turn off, exit the lock mode, hard reset it, use button combinations, drain the battery, upgrade its firmware version, or contact JBL Support.
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Why Won’t JBL Charge 4 Turn Off?
The main reason JBL Charge 4 won’t turn off is that it’s in lock mode. The JBL Lock mode or Service mode, makes all the buttons unresponsive to prevent interfering with the audio. Since all the buttons are disabled, the speaker won’t turn off when you press the power button.
The lock mode in JBL Charge 4 is activated by pressing and holding the Bluetooth and Play/Pause buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds. To exit lock mode or unlock the speaker, connect the speaker with a power source (e.g. charger) and press and hold the Bluetooth and Play/Pause for 10 seconds.
The JBL Charge 4 speaker won’t turn off if there’s a software bug or glitch, if you have an old firmware version, or if an internal hardware part is faulty.
To fix a software bug or glitch, reset the speaker. To know the firmware version of your JBL speaker, press and hold the Connect+ and Volume down (-) buttons simultaneously, the speaker will play a pre-recorded sound that tells you its firmware version. If the speaker has a faulty internal hardware part, contact JBL support.
How To Fix a JBL Charge 4 That Won’t Turn Off?
To fix a JBL Charge 4 that won’t turn off, do the following.
1. Exit Lock Mode
The JBL lock mode disables all the buttons so no one interferes with audio playing. Since all the buttons are disabled (including the power button), you won’t be able to turn off the JBL Charge 4 unless you exit lock mode.
To unlock the speaker or exit the lock mode, connect the speaker with its charger and press and hold the Bluetooth and Play/pause buttons for 10 seconds or until the speaker turns off. After it turns off, press the power button once and it will work normally.
Note: It’s important to connect the speaker with its charger or existing the lock mode won’t be possible.
2. Hard Reset
JBL Charge 4 won’t turn off if there’s a software bug or glitch. To fix a software bug or glitch, reset the speaker. A hard reset will restore the original factory settings, clear the internal memory, and remove known devices.
To reset a JBL Charge 4, do the following things:
- Press and hold The Bluetooth and Volume Up (+) buttons at the same time.
- Release the buttons after 10 seconds or when the speaker turns off.
- Press the power button once.
- The speaker is reset.
3. Use Button Combinations
All JBL Speakers have different button combinations that do different things.
To turn off the speaker, use the following button combinations.
- Press the power button 5 times and at the 6th time hold the button for 10 seconds. Once the speaker turns off, release the power button and press it again.
- Press and hold all 6 buttons at the same time for about 10 seconds. Release the buttons and press the power button one time and the speaker will turn off.
4. Drain the Battery
Sometimes, unknown glitches or problems will prevent the speaker from turning off. The best way to fix or bypass these glitches is to drain the battery and then charge it fully before use.
You can drain the battery of the JBL Charge 4 by playing the audio (in mute, if preferred) for 20 hours or less. To know how much battery the speaker has left, check the 5 LED battery indicators (located at the bottom of the speaker). Each LED light powered up indicated 20% of charge. So, if 4 LED lights are powered up, the speaker has 80% battery left.
After the battery is fully drained, charge it fully for 4 hours (with a charger with a power output of 5V/2.3A) and power up the speaker. If the problem persists, an internal hardware part is faulty.
5. Upgrade The Firmware Version
You may experience software bugs or problems that prevent the JBL Charge 4 to power off if using an old firmware version. Old firmware versions may lead to performance issues, potential glitches and errors, reduced battery life, and different software bugs or glitches.
It’s recommended to keep your firmware up to date to ensure optimal performance, security, and compatibility. Before starting the upgrading process, charge your speaker fully or keep the charger on.
To upgrade JBL Charge 4 firmware version, do the following things.
- Download the official “JBL Connect” application on your phone (iOS or Android).
- After you download the app, pair the speaker with the phone using Bluetooth.
- Open the app on your phone. The application will start to scan for nearby JBL Speakers.
- Once the app recognizes the speaker, you will see a “JBL Charge 4” message and icon on your phone screen.
- At the bottom of the screen (on your phone), you will see a Settings icon with a red dot.
- Press the Settings icon.
- A new screen will appear that lets you know that there’s an update available. You can also see the current version you have, and the version you can install.
- Press “Upgrade” if you want to upgrade.
- The upgrading process will start. The process takes up to 30 minutes.
- It’s recommended to place the speaker close the phone and not turn it off. The speaker may automatically turn on and off during the process.
- Once the upgrading process is done, the speaker will restart and you will see an “Upgrade Succesful” message.
Note: If there’s no red dot near the settings icon on the application, it means your speaker has the latest version.
6. Contact JBL Support
JBL Charge 4 won’t power off if an important internal hardware part is damaged or faulty. To fix an internal hardware part, contact JBL Support (if you have an active warranty) and follow their instructions or send the speaker to a local electronic shop repair (if you don’t have a warranty).
Internal hardware parts can get damaged if the speaker is exposed to high temperatures, is physically damaged, or is improperly stored. It’s not recommended to try and fix or replace hardware parts by yourself as you will do more harm than good.
Does JBL Charge 4 Turn Off Automatically?
JBL Charge 4 will turn off (enter standby mode) automatically if the speaker isn’t connected to a device or used for 10 minutes. When it enters standby mode, it saves battery power by reducing its power consumption. This helps prolong the battery life when the speaker is not being actively used.
However, if your speaker has a glitch (or error) where it doesn’t turn off, then the standby mode may get disabled or skipped. Or, the speaker will turn on automatically once the process of turning off happens. So, it’s best to try and fix the issue rather than wait for the speaker to turn off automatically.