JBL has some of the leading on-ear and in-ear headphones that are feature packed and durable. The on-ear headphones, for instance, have long-lasting batteries, Adaptive Noise cancellation, and allow multi-point connections. That means you can connect the headphones to more than one Bluetooth device, making it convenient for you to enjoy content from more than one source.
I have the JBL Live 650 headphones that I last used a while ago, which led to me forgetting how to pair new devices to the headphones. After keen observation, I realized many people had encountered issues when trying to get their headphones into pairing mode.
Below I will guide you on how to get your JBL on-ear headphones in pairing mode successfully.
Getting JBL headphones in pairing mode
You must follow a series of steps to enable pairing mode on any Bluetooth headphones successfully. The steps you should follow when enabling pairing mode on JBL on-ear headphones are as follows;
- Turning on the headphones
The first step to getting your JBL headphones into pairing mode is to know how to turn them on. If the headphones are brand new or have been reset, they will go into pairing mode when you turn them on.
If your JBL headphone model has a dedicated power button labeled with the power symbol (
Some JBL models, like the LIVE 650 BT and the JBL Tour One, have a switch that you slide to turn on the headphones.
The headphones will blink white and then go to blinking blue to show they are in pairing mode.
- Manually enabling pairing mode
If you wish to enable pairing mode manually, you can. Assuming your headphones have a dedicated Bluetooth button, you can initiate manual pairing mode by pressing it for three or five seconds, depending on the model. For instance, on the JBL E55BT, you would have to press the Bluetooth button for five seconds, while on models like the LIVE 650 and LIVE 500, you would have to press the button for two seconds.
You will know the headphones are in pairing mode when the LED starts flashing Blue. You will know the Bluetooth button, which is normally marked with the Bluetooth symbol and is located on the same earcup as the volume control buttons.
If the JBL headphone has no dedicated Bluetooth button, you can use the power button to initiate pairing mode.
To do this, press the power button for two to three seconds to turn off the headphones. Then press and hold the power button for five seconds until the LED flashes white and then continues flashing blue. An example of a model that works like this is the TUNE 710BT.
In some models, like the Tour One M2, you would have to slide the power/Bluetooth button down and hold for two seconds to manually enable pairing mode.
- Using the multi-point connection feature
JBL headphones can stay actively connected to two devices, and this feature is popularly known as a multi-point connection.
On some models like the JBL TUNE 500, this feature is also what you use to initiate pairing mode, and if you want to disconnect a device, you can turn off its Bluetooth.
On some models like the TUNE 750 and TUNE 500, you can enable multi-point connectivity by simultaneously pressing the volume up and multifunction buttons for two seconds.
On models like the TUNE 710 BT and the TUNE 760 NC that use the power button as the Bluetooth button, you can initiate multi-point connections by quickly pressing the power button twice.
Note that some JBL headphones initiating pairing mode will disconnect even the currently connected device. On other models, pairing mode will leave the connected device connected, initiate pairing mode, and try to accommodate one more device.
When the headphones try to initiate a multi-point connection (create space to accommodate one more device) and you want to disconnect all devices try switching off Bluetooth from the source device, e.g., phone or iPad.
But if you initiate pairing mode intending to add one more device but the already connected device disconnects, use the steps in this section to enable multi-point connections.
Also, note that JBL headphones can only actively connect to two devices.
- Clearing Bluetooth connections from the headphones
You can also clear pairing information from the headphones if you wish to.
On most JBL headphones enabling pairing mode also clears pairing information of previously connected devices. But for some models like the JBL LIVE660 NC, TUNE 710, and the LIVE 650, you can clear pairing information by pressing and holding the volume up and down buttons simultaneously for five seconds.
If this doesn’t work, manually enable pairing mode, and if that does not work, forget the headphones from your phone or laptop Bluetooth menu.
Conclusion
Once you enable pairing mode, you can easily connect the headphones to any compatible device. To do this, open the Bluetooth menu on the source device and search for your JBL headphones. The headphones will be named JBL, followed by the model’s name, e.g., TUNE 710 BT. Once you see them listed select them, then ‘Pair,’ and if prompted to enter a PIN, use 0000.
You can contact JBL’s customer support if you encounter any challenges. Alternatively, you can download the user manual specific to your model from the JBL website.
Reference:
JBL Tune 510BT review from Sam Smart
6 Ways to Pair Your JBL Earbuds: Guide & Troubleshooting Tips from Darlene Antonelli
How To Pair JBL Headphones (Step-By-Step Instructions) from Steve Guttenberg