Why Is My Bluetooth Speaker Connected But Not Playing?
Bluetooth wireless technology is one of the most important inventions for connecting devices. It is the fastest way to connect various devices. You can listen to music on your phone through powerful Bluetooth speakers without using cables.
However, sometimes your Bluetooth speakers will not play the music on your phone despite indicating that it is connected. This can be very frustrating, particularly if you need to play the sound from the device. If you have experienced this problem, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
In this article, we will discuss the reasons why your Bluetooth speakers fail to play and how to fix them.
Why Is My Bluetooth Speaker Connected But Not Playing?
So, why is my Bluetooth speaker connected but not playing? This may be because of one of the following reasons:
• The sound on your Bluetooth Speaker or phone is muted
• Device is paired to a different speaker
• The volume of the speaker or Bluetooth device is low
• The Bluetooth setting doesn’t have access right to media audio
• Due to an error in device pairing
• Using an incompatible device
• Faulty Bluetooth speaker
• Audio IN jack is plugged in
• Because of a bug on the Audio Playback App
How To Troubleshoot And Fix Your Bluetooth Speaker
Above are some of the reasons why your Bluetooth speaker indicates that it is connected, but the music is not playing. Read on for tips on how to fix the above issues.
1. The Sound on Your Bluetooth Speaker Or Phone Is Muted
The first thing you should do when faced with this problem is to check whether your Bluetooth speaker is muted. Some Bluetooth speakers will have an LED indicator to show when they are muted, but some don’t have.
Similarly, check to ensure that your phone, computer, or the device that you are trying to connect to the Bluetooth speaker is not set to mute. You may accidentally click the mute button on your smartphone. To do this, go to your phone’s sound settings and confirm that the toggle is set to unmute.
If it still doesn’t work, ensure your speaker is on. When your Bluetooth speaker is on, the ON/STANDBY LED indicator will be lit up in white, orange, or green, depending on the brand of your speaker.
2. Device is Paired To A Different Speaker
Perhaps you have more than one Bluetooth speaker, your device may be connected to a different speaker. To resolve this, confirm that the name of the Bluetooth devices match the speaker you are listening to.
To resolve this, turn off all the speakers that you have around. Use your phone’s Bluetooth search to check for available Bluetooth networks. It is not supposed to detect any. Now you can turn back on only the speaker that you wish to pair to your device. Now place the device in pairing mode and reconnect to the speaker you want to hear.
To avoid signal interference and chances of connecting to the wrong speaker, you should ensure that the other undesired speakers remain off. Alternatively, you can unpair the other speakers from your Bluetooth device and only leave the speaker you want to hear connected. That way, you will reduce the confusion.
3. The Volume of the Speaker or Bluetooth device is Low
Ensure that the volume of both the speaker and your Bluetooth devices is turned up. Adjust the volume to a moderate level. Depending on the brand of your speaker, you will have a Volume up (+) and Volume (-) buttons.
Increase the volume by clicking the volume up button to a level that you are comfortable with. In many cases, this will resolve the issue. But if it persists, read on for different approaches for resolving the issue.
4. Bluetooth Setting Doesn’t Have Access Right To Media Audio
Once you have confirmed that your device is transmitting the Bluetooth signal properly, check the Bluetooth settings to verify that the connection has sufficient Bluetooth access permissions to the media audio.
Most devices will have a toggle button for switching the audio output access on or off. Make sure the Bluetooth network transport control of the audio device is set to playback Audio.
Smart devices will not automatically grant Bluetooth access to audio output for security reasons. In this case, you will have to give access to audio output manually. To do this, open the Bluetooth settings on your device, click on Bluetooth, make sure the button next to Audio Output is green. If not, click to turn it on.
If you are connecting to a computer, the necessary Bluetooth services may be disabled. This will cause your speaker not to function. Whether you are using a Windows or MAC PC, you should ensure that Bluetooth support services are activated.
5. Due To An Error In Device Pairing
Another reason why this may occur is because of an error while pairing your device. It is possible that your device appears to be correctly paired, but yet it has an error. A faulty or weak Bluetooth network often causes this.
To resolve this, you will have to unpair the device first. Restart the speaker, then pair the speaker with the Bluetooth device again. If the issue persists, you will have to delete the pairing information from your devices completely.
Click on “Forget devices” on your smartphone or computer. Once the device is unpaired, you can re-establish the connection by pairing afresh. This procedure is likely to resolve the issue.
6. Using an Incompatible Device
Another common cause of this is connecting to an incompatible device. Some Bluetooth speakers are not compatible with computers or phones. In this case, your device will appear connected to the Bluetooth speaker, but it will not play music.
To fix this, you should read the manufacturer’s minimum compatibility requirements before buying a Bluetooth speaker. Some manufactures will lock their devices to only link to devices of the same brand.
7. Faulty Bluetooth Speaker
Often your Bluetooth speaker may fail to play because they are faulty. When your speaker develops an electrical fault, it is likely to fail to play music even when connected to your device. You should connect your device to a different Bluetooth speaker and see if it will play.
If the other Bluetooth speaker plays the music, then it means your original speaker is faulty, and you should either replace or repair it. If your speaker is still on warranty, you should take it to your brand’s services shop for repair or replacement.
8. Audio IN Jack Is Plugged In
Sometimes when your devices cannot play music via Bluetooth, it is because it is already connected to another device using the audio jack. This is common for speakers that have a cable connection option.
Also, you may be trying to connect to a smartphone or computer that is already connected to another audio output via the Audio-IN jack. Since Bluetooth devices can only play sound from one device at a time, you will have to disconnect the Audio IN Jack.
Once you have removed the jack, switch off both the Bluetooth speaker and your device for a few minutes. Switch your Bluetooth speaker back on and reconnect to your device.
9. Because of a bug on the Audio Playback App
If none of the above approaches works, it is time to check the Audio playback app you are using. If it is not muted, then it may be having a bug.
The first thing to do here is to update your audio playback application. Once updated, try to re-establish the connection. Also, ensure that the selected App is set as the default music playback app.
If this doesn’t work, you should open the same music using a different media player app. This will confirm that your orginal app had an issue. You can also uninstall the app and re-install the app afresh.
To do this, go to your phone, tablet, or computer’s application store. Find the option for updating or uninstalling your app. Ensure that your media player app is up to date.
Conclusion
Portable Bluetooth speakers are the most convenient and cost-effective way to listen to your music from your phone or tablet while on the go. Bluetooth speakers will quickly and easily boost the sound on your phone and other devices.
But they can be a bother when they fail to play the music when you need it. In this article, we have discussed the nine reasons why this happens and how to resolve it.
The above solutions should help you fix the problem. But if it is still not working, it will mean your device needs some harder resets. This can be done using the reset button on your device. Note that this will erase all the data on your device.
When shopping for a Bluetooth speaker, ensure you choose the best quality speakers that will not end up having connectivity issues. A speaker that has a display or an LED indicator will help you to identify the problem easily.