JBL Portable Reviews

I’m a truck driver and I use my speakers all the time . I stopped using them before the update because they would go in and out . I just updated and I do see improvement on the sync, before the speakers would go out and come back on but would not be in sync with the picture. That problem looks like it is fixed. The problem now is they still go in and out , I use them with my iPad and I really love the speakers. I hope the developers can get this together and as the updates come out I will give my opinion on them . Also note they do not stay synced when you play them together. One will drop out and one will play on and off.I give two stars for the small update.

Update august 5 . I will give five stars now because I haven’t had any problems with the connection for the last month. JBLPortable is working fine at this time.

This is a rating for JBLPortable , not the speakers. But I admit, It’s hard to know where the problem exists, is it JBLPortable or the speakers? However, after reading a large number of other reviews, it appears that there are problems using JBLPortable with many of the various speaker types that it supports. I have two Pulse 3 speakers and it is almost impossible to get them working in stereo mode. There is nothing about setting this up in the printed manual that comes with the speakers so I assume it is limited to setup via JBLPortable . Also I can sometimes get one of the speakers set up to adjust the display but never so that I can adjust the other without without disconnecting both from Bluetooth first. When I go to the Bluetooth setup on my iPhone to disconnect, I find two instances of one of the two speakers listed. What is with that? I would like to have four of these speakers, two for each channel but that is probably too much to expect.

After reading through the reviews, there is a guy down the thread that explained how JBL support helped correct the issue. Don’t follow the on-screen instructions completely. Only connect a single speaker via Bluetooth to your device. Then use JBLPortable to link up other speakers via partyboost (connect feature). Once they are finished linking together via the connect app (REMEMBER ONLY ONE SPEAKER IS TO BE CONNECTED THROUGH BLUETOOTH), the sound issues will disappear. I have had nothing except for flawless crystal clear sound while streaming ever since! Thank you to that guy for posting the solution. I was going insane and was furious before that. Good luck whoever takes the time to read this.

I bought my first Flip 5 and absolutely LOVE it, so I bought a second because the literature said that the two could be paired for stereo playback. I was so excited to get the second today, pair them both, following the instructions provided. Both paired ans I sat down with one on each side, excited for the stereo experience. BTW, prior to this , I updated the firmware for both speakers, as advised by JBLPortable . Went to play and enjoyed maybe three seconds of stereo playback followed by one speaker going off, then the other, then both, then both back on, lather, since repeat. I hoped it would settle and get better but it didn’t. So stereo playback doesn’t work and it was the whole point of buying a second speaker. Please fix this so I can update my review because if this were to work as advertised, I’d be a very happy customer and would change this review to 100% positive.

Edit. Jan 2020. JBLPortable will still not reliably and consistently allow two speakers (mine are identical) to play in stereo. A basic requirement. If your intent is to purchase a pair of JBL speakers to play in a stereo pair, please look elsewhere. I’ve had my speakers for over 18 months now and it hasn’t been fixed. End of edit.

I bought two Charge 4s to listen in a stereo pair. Getting them to do that is nigh impossible. JBLPortable has been like this for a year now and nobody at Harman seems to want to fix it. Just read the reviews in chronological order - recent first.

My advice would be to stay away from JBL’s speakers, nifty-looking though they are until they fix JBLPortable . Maybe it can’t be fixed. Maybe they have no devs. Who knows but the ability of two speakers to be able to play in stereo is a basic feature. FIX IT!

It’s unbelievable! The lack of ethics about consumers + product of the people behind JBLPortable. I don’t want to attack them or be an AH to them…. But geeez this used to be a great application until they started to mess with it. First their JBL speakers aren’t cheap and they work decently judging from my own experience some might have errors like any wireless device, but I have to say it software is very important for any device to at least work… when developers/engineers don’t keep or try to better their software things start falling apart unfortunately just like this. I feel very disappointed that they have broken JBLPortable to a point that isn’t even connecting to do the basic things! Hope that they pay attention to the people who buy JBL and start working on JBLPortable.

It doesn’t always recognize the new speaker, it did at first…. but it is not a true stereo(by the instructions) and it fails to provide all that it is promised. I bought the speaker because it was “Made in the 🇺🇸 USA”, but after all: there are competitors out there that are truly reliable and deliver on the promises they DO make. I hope for an update to the application: the product is great within itself!

It’s free and it gets you the latest firmware, which is basically the bare minimum you should expect from a device support app. It will not improve your experience with your speakers. I’ve tried with multiple set ups to manage stereo and party mode using JBLPortable , and it consistently causes one or more connected devices to cut out or distorts the audio. Save yourself the hassle and frustration- download it when you get your JBL speaker, update firmware, then delete it until you want to check for firmware updates again. JBL and HK should be ashamed to have their brands associated with JBLPortable , and it’s ridiculous to claim that it enables you to do anything other than firmware updates.

First, the JBL Flip 5 speakers are amazing. JBLPortable , not so great. When using my two speakers in stereo they sound great playing through my iPad. I have updated the software in both speakers but the connection through JBLPortable seems glitchy. One speaker will stop, then the other, then they both come back on, then both go out. I’m still working to determine why there is an issue. When using the standard Bluetooth connection (no app) I have no problem, except the sound is mono through each speaker, thus, I don’t think this is a Bluetooth issue. I love JBL so I hope to find a remedy. If I do figure out the cause of my problem, I’ll try to up date my rating and note the fix.

I recently purchased 2 Flip 5 speakers with hopes to connect the 2 in stereo on my golf cart. Well as instructed downloaded JBLPortable and that’s where the issues began. Had difficulty syncing the two speakers They worked great individually with or without JBLPortable). When the speakers did Sync the music cut in and out.. I finally gave up and decided to call JBL, both times I got no where with them.. they barely spoke English. I then tried syncing the 2 speaking without the aid of JBLPortable and that did the trick, I deleted JBLPortable until they fix the bugs in it. I wrote JBL, like another person who wrote a review commented... hope they listen to there customers.

This little speaker rocks! The noise level and clarity is amazing! This is louder and sounds better than my buddies $350 BOSE speaker. And it’s virtually indestructible: water, sand, drops, all are protected from. Dropped it in the pool, and it really does float too! Great for parties and beach days, and the sound quality is what I would expect from a great company like JBL. Very happy w/ my purchase, and will possibly get another Flip 5 just for the dual speaker option. Coolest speaker in the game.

I bought two JBL Charge 4's to pair in stereo. While it's simple enough to pair the speakers in stereo, they will not stay in stereo. Anytime I pause the music, or the music is interupted by a notification, the stereo pairing is stopped and it goes back to party mode. This is annoying. Additionally, I have a couple of JBL Flips, and if I'm running all four speakers in party mode, one or more of the speakers often intermittently lose connection. This happens even if all four speakers are in the same room and all are close to the phone. This is such a bummer because running the speakers sound so great when JBLPortable works, which unfortunately is infrequent.

Wow. I got this as a Christmas gift from my husband and fell in love with the depth of sound and how easy it is to connect to and use, but as good as the speaker is, is how bad JBLPortable is. First, why doesn’t JBLPortable show you if the speaker is charging or what percentage the battery is at? Next, what good is JBLPortable if it doesn’t allow for (at the very least) volume control? It’s also missing the ability to view or change any other settings like source, skip tract, fast forward, rewind, disconnect and power on/off. Basically the speaker is good but JBLPortable is worthless. Next time I’m getting a Bose or Beats.

An updated review, after the recent update, all issues with the compatibility with the Pulse 4 have been fixed. JBLPortable now has deeper options for customizing the Lightshow patterns and now an option to turn off the lights all together. Very glad these issues were addressed and improved beyond their initial problems. Love the speakers, love JBLPortable controls

I have been using the latest version of JBLPortable for 2 weeks, for several hours at a time. The speakers haven’t cut out once, but the sound will sometimes fade out then come back in.

I use JBLPortable with 2 JBL Flip 5s.

The previous version of JBLPortable did not work as the software for the features would regularly crash, making JBLPortable essentially useless.

This software version doesn’t crash, but still has an issue of sound fading out, then back in. A major improvement in the software of JBLPortable , but it still has a flaw.

JBL makes great sounding speakers. JBL improves the sound of their speakers over time. If JBLPortable were solid, then more people would be enthusiastic about connecting their speakers together for a party.

First I love my jbl extreme. That being said. JBLPortable I just updated says you can control speaker from app. That’s a lie. The only think I can do is change the play button into hey Siri or play next track. Also since I updated. JBLPortable looks just the same. Nothing different but the preview screen shows JBLPortable looking different. What is up with that? Also can you guys please put an alarm clock option in JBLPortable ? I’m a heavy sleeper and would like my speaker to be an alarm. If megaboom can do it…why can’t jbl have the same thing???

Good app, speakers connect well. I have the Pulse 4 and Charge 5. Using them in party boost mode, it would be nice to be able to enter the dashboard for the Pulse 4 (this feature is missing). Additionally, the photo color match feature (which was heavily marketed) is missing from the dashboard for the Pulse 4. An equalizer for the Charge 5 would be nice as well. Please add these features.

JBLPortable was originally very useful and I had rarely had problems. Today, its hit or miss connecting my xtreme. When it does rarely connect, I get no options to do anything: just a picture of the speaker and a battery bar that doesn't move from 100%. It wasn’t like this before.

Bose’s app has none of these problems amd has so much more functionality than connecting multiple speakers (which is such a pain with JBLPortable ) including seeing and editing a list of connected devices, changing speaker settings, seeing the current firmware etc.

Please fix these apparently very very common bugs in JBLPortable . It would also be nice if more functionality was added. It’s good that one app supports all/most speakers but it means nothing if you can’t even use JBLPortable .

Tldr: app doesnt connect, no options to do anything when it rarely does connect, maybe add more functions.

I got jbl charge 5 I got flip 5 so I had to get the flip 6 with built in tweeter… these speakers sound great got great bass,highs!!! I have anker sound core got Marshall emberton , Sonos roam, Bose soundlink. Hands down them jbl speakers murdering all thee other ones hands down! I don’t have a Sponsor so I buy all my speakers with my own money, so if you want the best sound loudest speakers out there jbl is king

I’ve tried every way possible to report a problem and it’s messing up because apple assumes I want a refund on a free app. Not the case at all lol I love your products and have had several, two that I use daily. However these two devices won’t connect to their respective apps. My Endurance Peak 2 headphones won’t connect to the headphone application you guys have and my Flip 3 won’t connect to JBLPortable either. What’s up with that.?

Got a JBL Charge 4 and using an iPhone XR. Initially app would never find the speaker so I gave up for a while. Now it does. Instructs me that the current running firmware is 2.7 and that there’s a 3.0 upgrade. I hit the upgrade button and it states “Plug the speaker into a power source and keep your phone close to JBL Charge 4 to continue.” I am close, and speaker is plugged in. Button that states “I followed the instructions” is grayed out and can’t be selected. QA procedures for JBLPortable need to be improved.

Edit: Turns out issue is that the Charge 4 won’t charge using a USB-C standards compliant charger (Pixel charger or MacBook Pro charger). It works fine using the JBL supplied cable and traditional USB-A charger. Was able to perform firmware upgrade after that. This isn’t a review of the speaker itself so I’ll leave that aside.

JBLPortable itself doesn’t have any EQ functionality, the only apparent purpose is to allow stereo or party mode (Don’t own any other JBL products), and perform firmware upgrades. Updating from 1 to 3 stars, would rate higher if it included EQ.

I’ll start by saying that when I first set up my JBL Pulse 3, while I was overall happy with the lightshow, it wasn’t as fluid or on beat as I expected. It seemed more like random lights flashing than actually in sync with the music. There was also occasional skipping which I chalked up to the walls in my apartment compromising the Bluetooth connection. I had an iPhone 6s and just upgraded to the 8, and the difference is night and day. The lights are much more fluid now and RIGHT on beat. Sharp rapid movements, and smooth transitions. JBLPortable makes switching between light shows and adjusting brightness a breeze. I keep it at full brightness during the day and dim it at night. I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because I wish there was a way to turn the device On and Off from JBLPortable . Also, when scrolling through the different light shows, there should be an option to turn the lights Off, but there isn’t. You have to physically hold the Light button on the device itself.

I’m not sure what happened to the older apps, they worked great with my xtremes. The new updates are getting worse and worse. For instance, stereo mode (one of the main reasons they advertise their connect+ ) is not turned on by default. This minimizes the experience on these amazing and expensive speakers reduced to mono, the 1950s? This is 2019, and we still have mono sounding speakers. Same story for Harmon Kardon and their onyx studio 5 speaker.

JBLPortable will not even show you anything connected, since the last update I cannot even see the speakers despite multiple devices connected, iPad, iPhone etc. I cannot get them into stereo mode because by default they are put into mono or “party” mode. What’s the point of spending money on more than 1 if this is what we now have become and gotten to? The original xtremes were awesome and automatically connected in stereo. Xtreme 2 is such a complicated process and is utterly disappointing. I wish I knew who to contact about this serious problem. Here’s to hoping JBL reads any reviews and takes them seriously. I’ve been a JBL fan on the professional live sound side too for the last 12 years.

Charge 3 & Flip 3. Both work well independently, which is what they are supposed to do. Both DO NOT work together, which IS NOT what they are supposed to do. The whole purpose of buying these was to connect them. I would give JBLPortable ZERO stars if it were possible. Offering to have products connect and they can’t connect is like going to buy a car knowing that 4 wheels are required make the car roll....then when you replace a tire the car turns on but it won’t move. This connection of these devices is an essential part of the products overall performance. It’s obvious by all the comments and the ratings left buy consumers that are just as irritated as I am, the JBL’s performance for these “connected” devices is nonexistent.

What is your company going to do to rectify this issue? Too bad we can’t do a class action lawsuit like they do with carmakers. And ask for pain and suffering for all of the foolishness and time wasted in trying to get something to work THAT SHOULD WORK AS ADVERTISED. 😡😡😡

Not. Pleased.

I’ve updated the Charge 3 a few months back, while I understood the downfalls upgrading to connect + would be from leaving the normal JBL Connect in the past I decided to do so. Upgrade process only took a couple of mins, Charge 3 shuts off, & boots up with the pairing mode okay 🤔.

Now I tested it My Charge 3 with my JBL Boombox, the Boombox being Connect+ enabled by Default I listened to a couple of tracks, I Right away noticed drop outs (Constantly) Which I guess is because of the software update, & or just not having 2 of the same speakers (2x JBL Boombox 2x JBL Charge 3)
Which shouldn’t make a difference when you’re going to add more units along the way.

Time to time I use both speakers in party mode, Which sounds good, but the delay in when you play (Any media content) takes time for the other speaker which is not the Master to come in to (Sync)

Overall if I am going to purchase more JBL Connect+ enable speakers, JBL needs to come out with an software update to JBL Connect+ to fix these Minor issues.

Also an update for previous Connect Enabled speakers to be upgraded to Connect+

My overall Cons V.S Pros

Cons (JBL Connect+)
• Delay in Start up in media content
• Sync issue within playing music

Pros
• Connect 100+ JBL Connect+ enabled speakers together
• PartyMode
• Stereo Mode

Bought this speaker (on sale at T-Mobile) out of desperation for use on a long road trip in an older vehicle. The speaker sounds fine - no problem there. Bluetooth connection is good. The ability to charge the phone, iPod, tablet, or whatever with the speaker is a plus.

JBLPortable does allow one to switch off the annoying “wake” and “sleep” sounds, and change the name of the speaker - and that’s it. No equalizer... nothing. Other than really bad graphics for stereo and party modes.

JBL, Harman and Harman Kardon apps all have poor reviews - now I know why. I guess JBLPortable department is a floor or two below the mail room or off in some far away forgotten corner. Pretty amazing for large corporations that used to garner some respect for quality products.

What happened to the awesome sound?! My Extreme was getting such great, clear, sound until the last upgrade! How is it that an upgrade screws over the customer so bad! My Extreme had perfect sound, I could turn it up really loud & it held all the sound just fine. Deep, thick, warm bass that was a real part of every song. Bass like it's supposed to be. Mids & highs were great too. NOT NOW!!! Big business & technology just screws over the freaking product like the tech is the most important part! This is a $300 piece of crap now! I better shut up or JBL will make me pay 3 figures for the tech. Back in the days of analog, & early digital, stereos did what the customer who purchased it wanted. This is a first!! A bunch of JUNK!

Now the speaker does NOT hold the sound at higher levels. The bass NOW sounds like a muffled dead thud. Like it's not a part of the song. Like it's in a sealed aquarium then set out in the hallway away from the rest of the song. Terrible!

This a major mess over on an otherwise good product. BTW, I hope the upgrade at least fixed the battery indicator lights. The sound at least made this a great product besides that.

BULL
CRAP
PIECE
OF
IDIOT CRAP
NOW!
THANKS
JBL!

WONT TELL ANOTHER SOUL ABOUT YOUR PRODUCTS! SONY HAS GOOD SOUND AT A SMALLER PRICE!

If this doesn't get fixed I will turn from JBL & never look back & all my free advertising will go to the next great sounding speaker.

I've been using the connect app since the pulse 2 had come out for the light adjustments, and after purchasing a pulse 3 there really has only been two improvements. Personally I think ambient sounds should come back for the fire and wave settings, secondly there should be a way to make the red portion of the color wheel work a little better, whenever I go to put it as red I get a sort of dull hue of red that just doesn't match what the speakers color cycle shows (like when you first start the equalizer setting). One more thing that isn't necessary but would be nice is to bring back the random color switch when the speaker is shaken instead of just restarting the light mode to the beginning, I'm not sure if that's possible to be added in an firmware update but would be nice.

For my purposes, when my pair of JBL Flip 4’s are connected and playing in stereo I could not be happier. But, I have to constantly be involved in maintaining the connection between JBLPortable and my speakers. If you let your music play while going about your business the stereo connection will inevitably fail, and rather quickly. If your screen goes to sleep JBLPortable shuts down and the stereo connection will fail because it seems incapable of running in the background. Often the whole connection between speakers will fail and won’t even revert to party mode. You’ll just have one speaker playing. The whole point of music is to relax, enjoy, and enhance one’s life, not constantly having to fuss with re-starting an app and reconnecting stereo mode. JBL needs to step up and deliver a quality user experience, which is what we customers pay a premium for.

Needed to update Charge 3 firmware.
***YOU MUST HAVE THE CHARGE 3 PLUGGED IN THE WALL/CHARGING THE BATTERY WHILE UPDATING*** Do not close out of the JBL app while updating either. As an added benefit, my Charge 3 SOUNDS SO MUCH BETTER. The update enhances the treble; whereas before, voices were muffled. Everything took about 15 minutes. I did NOT update my Flip 4. It is senseless to “update” any speaker if it’s working perfectly. Too many times, a so called “update” is responsible for downgrading performance. Overall, YAYEEEEEE!!!! Finally, after a yearlong wait, I can begin purchasing additional speakers to perform as they’re advertised. Imagine that! Developers make JBLPortable do what it’s supposed to; and Voila! Revenue raises.

I use this in between two rooms at work. I put one speaker in each room and set to party mode. Works great! When I’m using it at a party or another get together and I want stereo I set it up for a stereo pair. I have red and black Flip 4 speakers so I can tell which is which. Stereo sound is excellent, and at full volume they are TOO LOUD for even a large room or even outdoors, but they still sound great! (This sis supposed to be a software review, but these Flip 4 speakers are amazing. That’s why they are a little more expensive).

I can’t comment about negative reviews here. I’m just very happy with this software on an iPhone and iPad driving Flip 4 speakers.

The JBL Flip 4 is a GREAT product! JBLPortable needs a simple update to make it what Steve Jobs called “insanely great”; when a call comes in on the iPhone, please allow the ability to answer the phone call by clicking the arrow key. Now it either just play/pauses the music or activates Siri.

My iPhone is often charging in another room and I am listening to iTunes—then a call comes in. I would like to click the arrow button on the Flip 4 and answer the call without having to run to where the phone is.

Thanks, JBL engineering team for a superb product! This suggested feature added to the JBL app would make it even better.

When I first downloaded JBLPortable the only speaker that I could get JBLPortable to recognize was the Flip 4.
I have lots of JBL speakers: the Flip 4 x3, Clip 3 x2, Charge 3, Link 10, also various headphones and some older portable speakers so I obviously love the product.
After updating JBLPortable also after writing JBL support, JBLPortable won’t recognize any speakers and insists that my Bluetooth is not turned on. JBLPortable should let my newer Flip, Clip, and Charge work together however that’s not happening and I’m not the only one. So what’s up to the developer? Also weird when I first got the speakers before downloading JBLPortable I could link all my Flips together every easy now it seems extremely difficult I know the speakers aren’t getting any updates and remain unchanged but weird I guess.
Hope it gets fixed soon

I use two flip 4 speakers that sound amazing when they are set to stereo. The sound good in mono also, but stereo just rocks.
My issue with the software is that I don’t know why the default isn’t to automatically go into stereo when a second speaker is connected. That would feel so much better. Instead, I have to open an app, Wait as long as a minute sometimes for the second speaker to connect, and hen manually switch to stereo.
If this isn’t bad enough, pausing the music, receiving a call, changing the sound playing app can all switch the speakers to stereo and in which case, you have to manually switch it back.
I would almost prefer not to know that a stereo mode exists.

This review is basically in response to the only other review under JBLPortable. I’ve recently purchased a JBL Charge 3. It’s by far the best speaker at its price point and after using my roommates own for a few weeks I decided to buy my own and hence the reason for downloading JBLPortable. The connect+ app worked seamlessly with the two Charge 3 speakers and the stereo feature is amazing. The sound quality and ease of JBLPortable to use make the listening experience even more enjoyable. Can’t wait to add a pulse or extreme to mix and here how that sounds. Great job JBL. #newestcustomerforlife