How Do I Put My JBL 500BT In Pairing Mode?

Setting up my JBL 500BT headphones the first time was super simple. I just turned them on and they were immediately recognized by my phone.

However, I had a hard time reconnecting them later when they became unpaired.

It took me forever to figure out how to put my JPL 500BT headphones back into pairing mode.

How Do I Put My JBL 500BT In Pairing Mode?

The JBL Tune 500BT and the Live 500BT are automatically in pairing mode the first time they are powered on. To get your 500BT back into pairing mode, hold down the button in between the volume up and down buttons. For the LIVE 500BT, hold down the button on the bottom of the right ear cup instead. 

The LED should turn blue and flash quickly to indicate that it has entered Bluetooth Pairing mode. 

Once the headphones are in pairing mode and ready to connect, you’ll need to open your Bluetooth settings menu on the device you want to connect to. 

For Android, you can quickly access the Bluetooth settings menu from the notifications bar. Drag down from the top of the screen. Then press and hold the Bluetooth icon, some phones may only need to tap the icon. The Bluetooth settings menu will appear.

For iOS, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Control Center. Then tap and hold the Bluetooth icon.

For Windows, click the start button. You can either search for the Bluetooth Settings from the search bar in the start menu or click the settings gear wheel. In the Settings menu, select Devices. Then select Bluetooth on the left sidebar.

For macOS, click on the Bluetooth icon in the Apple menu on the top of the screen. Then click “Bluetooth Preferences” to open the Bluetooth settings menu.

Once you are in the Bluetooth settings menu, find the name with 500BT in the available devices list. On iOS, the available devices will be called “Other Devices” and appear below the list of paired Bluetooth devices.

How Do I Connect to My JBL 500BT With Bluetooth?

Switch your JBL TUNE or LIVE 500BT’s to pairing mode by either using the LIVE’s dedicated Bluetooth button or holding the play button for three seconds on the TUNE.

Then select the Bluetooth signal of your JBL 500BT on the device you want to connect to from the Bluetooth settings menu.

The LED indicator may be flashing a different color.

Here’s a quick guide on what the different colors and rhythms mean:

• Solid White Light – The device is powered on.
• Blue Flashing Light – The device is in bluetooth Pairing mode.
• Solid Blue Light – The device is connected through Bluetooth.
• Slow Flashing Red Light – The devices battery is low.
• Solid Red Light – The device is currently charging.
• White with Slow Blue Flashing Light – The device’s TalkThru or Ambient Aware features are active.
• No light when plugged in – The device’s charging is complete.

Both the TUNE and LIVE models of the 500BT can pair to two devices at once. 

The headphones can only play audio from one device at a time. 

The two models have slightly different methods for pairing with a second device.

Pairing a second device with the TUNE 500BTs

Once you have the first device paired using the method above, you will need to set your TUNE’s to the second device pairing mode. 

Instead of holding the play button in between the volume up and volume down buttons, hold both the play button and the volume up button for five seconds.

The LED will flash just like the initial Bluetooth pairing. 

On the second device, you wish to connect to the headphones, go to the Bluetooth settings menu and select the TUNE 500BT’s signal name.

From then on, your headphones will be paired to both devices. 

To switch the audio from one to the other, simply pause the active audio and play audio from the other device. 

Any incoming phone calls will take priority over all other audio sources regardless of which phone the call is coming to.

Pairing a second device to LIVE 500BTs.

With the Live 500BTs, you pair the second device by pressing the dedicated Bluetooth pairing button on the right ear cup. 

Then connect to the second device through the Bluetooth settings menu. 

The LIVE 500BTs will not automatically stay connected to both pairs of headphones.

You will need to go back to the first device connected to the headphones and tap on the headphones name in the known devices list.

This should make the first device reconnect without losing connection to the second device. 

You switch audio sources for the LIVE in the same manner as the TUNE.

Pause the audio currently playing and when you play audio from the second device the headphones will automatically switch to it. 

Any incoming phone calls will take priority over all other activities. 

This means if either phone begins to receive a call, you will hear the call ringtone and volume over any other source of audio.

How to Remove JBL 500BT Bluetooth Connections

Sometimes in life, you may find yourself with a new smartphone or tablet to replace the old equipment. 

This will often require that you remove old device connections and pair your accessories to your new device. 

If you have only connected your LIVE or TUNE 500BTs to one device previously, you will only need to pair to the new device. 

However, if you have already used the device’s maximum of two connections, you may need to remove the Bluetooth settings of the headphones from your old smartphone/computer/tablet before pairing to the new device.

To remove your headphone’s Bluetooth profile from your old device, open the Bluetooth settings menu.

From here you will want to select the name of your headphones. 

Two options should appear; “Remove” and “Disconnect/Connect”. Select the remove option. 

This will cause your device to delete the Bluetooth profile. 

You will still be able to reconnect to the headphones at any time if you need to by going through the headphone’s Bluetooth Pairing process again.

If you have removed the Bluetooth Settings profile from the old device and are still experiencing difficulty in Pairing to a new device, you may need to initiate a factory reset on your headphones. 

How to Initiate Factory Reset on JBL 500BTs

• Make sure the headphones are powered on. The LED should either be a solid white light or solid blue light.
• Press and hold the volume up and volume down buttons for five seconds.

Your headphones should power down and power back on. 

Then they will play a ‘ping’ sound to signal that they have been reset to factory settings. 

If any of your devices still have Bluetooth settings for the headphones, you will want to remove them and pair the headphones as if they are a new device.

Conclusion

The JBL 500BTs are easy-to-handle headphones. 

With the TUNE model being an affordable version, It’s nice to see JBL treat the quality of life features and accessibility with the same focused attention. 

Aside from the quality of the audio drivers and the LIVE model dedicated Bluetooth button, both headphones are essentially the same device with a hundred-dollar price gap.

The ease of switching and managing the 500BT’s Bluetooth connections and multipoint features are excellent for anyone looking for quality Bluetooth headphones that aren’t too complicated or expensive. 

Overall, troubleshooting any problem that may occur is quick and easily solvable. 

Kudos to JBL for a great product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I connect my JBL 500BTs with more than one device?

Yes, you can connect up to two devices with both the TUNE and LIVE 500BTs.

Why would I want to connect my headphones to two devices at once?

In some cases, you may want to be easily able to switch between your phone and tablet/computer. 

This allows you to get more use out of your headphones and makes it easier to switch them over. 

There is also the need for people who are issued business devices to be able to make and receive phone calls from their company-issued device. 

They often want to listen to audio from their device but not miss any important communique on their business one.

My JBL 500BTs is plugged in but no the LED light is still off. Are my headphones broken?

No. If the LED light indicator is off when your device is plugged in, it means the headphones are fully charged.

I have my JBL 500BT’s connected to two devices but no audio is playing from either. What’s wrong?

Your headphones can only play audio from one source at a time. One of your devices may have media paused and are in control of the headphones. 

Just close any apps that could be a source of audio and play the audio you want from the device you want to play it on.

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