JBL Clip 3 Troubleshooting

The speaker will not power on when the power button is pressed.

• Make sure the Clip 3 is charged.
• Without a charge, the speaker will not be able to produce any signs of life.
• Battery may not be charged out of the box and requires charging.

With extended use, the charging port may become clogged with debris. Power off the device and use a non-metallic object, like a toothpick or small plastic pick, to carefully clean out the charging port.

• Make sure the power button is fully depressed
• The power button is not a touch sensor so it must be pressed.
• The power button does not have any detent so it must be pressed firmly to power the device.

If a white LED is illuminated on the top of the device, the device is powered on.

• The Clip 3 has an audible cue that can be heard when powering on or off the device. If there is no cue this is a clear sign the device is not powering on.

• If all else fails, it might be time to replace the battery.

The device turns on (LED is illuminated) but doesn't play music or sound quality is poor.

EQ settings on the connected device:

• Check EQ on connected device.
• The EQ is very important. If the levels are set improperly, it may not sound correct coming out of this speaker.
• Make sure the volume is turned up.
• Set the EQ to the default level and see if this improves the sound quality. Then check to see that the connected device is not in mono audio, as the JBL has one speaker and may mistake it for no input.

• If the above steps do not help your speaker's speaker, the speaker may need to be replaced altogether; don't worry, as it can easily be replaced.

When the device does not stay on /  has short battery life / takes a long time to charge.

• To confirm if your battery is worn, common symptoms of a bad battery include:

• A worn battery will not hold the same amount of charge and will power down prematurely.

• If the speaker is only able to play when connected to a charger it is a clear sign the battery is unable to hold a charge.
• If the speaker is able to briefly turn on but then turn off again, all while connected to the charger. The battery needs to be replaced.

• As mentioned in the won't turn on section, check for the LED battery indicator. If the indicator fails to illuminate, even after charging, this may be a sign of a bad battery.

The mesh grill took one too many dives or bumps.

• It is pretty common for the front grill of a Clip 3 to just fall off or get damaged from lots of abuse, especially when using it clipped to your side or backpack when walking, running, biking, etc.
• If the grill falls off, the speaker can technically still work fine, but it exposes the speaker's internals to potential damage, especially if your Clip 3 is constantly banging around on your side or your backpack.
• The grill is only glued down, and excess wear and tear may cause the glue to weaken and break.
• The grill could also get dented or sliced, as it is not the strongest material and is slightly flexible.

Your JBL Clip 3 no longer clips onto things or the clip is fractured

• If your JBL Clip 3 is now just a boring old JBL 3, then you may want to restore that “clip” functionality. Lucky for you, the fix is not that hard.
• The gate that hinges inward may be broken off, stuck open/shut, or able to rotate outwards.
• Alternatively, the entire clip hook might be broken off entirely.
• If the clip is completely broken, consider installing a replacement.