JBL Earbuds One Side Not Working (How to Fix It)

JBL is one of the best brands out there when it comes to true wireless earbuds. The products from JBL are backed by warranty if anything goes wrong with them. However, there are some issues that you can fix on your own without any complex technical knowledge. The most common issue that is reported by users is that one side of JBL earbuds not working properly.

When this problem occurs, one of your earbuds has an issue connecting with the other one or it might stop charging itself. This guide will help you fix any JBL earbuds not working issue in simple and easy-to-follow steps.

Good to Know

• If one of your earbuds is not working, then try to unpair or “Forget” it from your device and then connect it again.
• Find out if the earbuds that are not connecting have enough battery life on them.
• If your earbuds are not charging, then try to clean the contact pins on your earbuds and charging case to remove any dirt or debris
• If your earbuds come with an ear seal, then make sure that the seal is not blocking the contact between the earbuds and the charging case.
• Sometimes a weak Bluetooth connection between one of your earbuds can cause this issue, turn off your Bluetooth and try to connect your earbuds again.
• An outdated software can cause audio connectivity issues, try to update the software of your JBL earbuds to improve the connectivity.

How to Fix JBL Earbuds One Side Not Working Issue

Here’s what you should do to get rid of this problem:

Fix #1: Unpair Your Earbuds

Let’s go with the basics, this is what I always do most of the time if I get any connection issues with my earbuds. Restarting the device from scratch restarts the software and could fix connectivity problems.

One way is to put your earbuds back into the case and this will end the connection. But I always unpair or “Forget” my earbuds from the device they are connected to.

Go to the Bluetooth Settings on your device and you will find your JBL earbuds in the list. Just select it and click on “Forget” to fully remove the earbuds from the system memory.

Once you are done with unpairing, it’s time to pair your earbuds back again with your system. Some earbuds connect automatically while others require manual input to establish a connection.

Fix #2: Check the Master & Slave

So most earbuds out there in the market work on the Master/Slave principle. What this means is your right earbud acts as a “Master” as it is responsible for connecting to your device and the left one acts as a “Slave” and is connected to the main device via the master earbud.

For effective connection, the right earbud must sync perfectly with the left earbud. The best way is to “Forget” your earbuds from the device and then turn them on without connecting to the device.

Once you turn on your earbuds, press at least three times on each earbud simultaneously. Another way is to turn on each earbud individually by pressing the button for a longer time.

As both earbuds are turned on and you hear the welcome note, everything is set and you can now pair your earbuds to your device.

Fix #3: Cleaning the Contact Pins

The tiny contact pins on the earbuds and the charging case can get dirt over time. If you don’t regularly clean your earbuds, then excess dirt or wax could reside on the mesh and contact pins, resulting in reduced performance or no charging.

If one of your earbuds is quieter than the other, try to remove the silicon seals and watch out for wax or dirt on the speaker. Sometimes, the low-quality material quality of your earbuds allows the sweat and moisture to move inside even if they are IPX-rated.

You can remove the dirt from your earbuds either by scratching it with the corners of paperclip or cotton. Make sure that the paperclip doesn’t penetrate inside the mesh or it will damage the speakers.

In many cases, the main cause behind one of your JBL earbuds not working is either the dirt on the contact pins or any obstruction between the pins when you put your earbuds for charging inside the case.

I remember that one of my earbuds was having charging issues until I found out that the silicon seals to block external noise was sitting right on the top of contact pins when I used to put my earbuds for charging.

Sometimes the charging pins on the case are either broken or stuck in one position. So, if that’s the situation, then you’ll have to buy a new charging case. Maybe you can try some lubricant to soften the contact pins with a small brush.

Fix #4: Update the Firmware

Just like any other hardware, your earbuds also come with firmware that needs to be upgraded over time. However, to do this, you will first have to install the JBP App on your device.

Once the application is downloaded, all you need is to pair your JBL earbuds to your device. The JBL App will automatically detect your earbuds and show you if there’s any firmware update available for that model.

Fix #5: Set Audio Balance

Sometimes, the Audio Balance settings in your smartphone can go wrong, resulting in one of the JBL earbuds not working. The audio balance slider might be moved either to the left or right side. If that’s the case, then you can easily fix this by following the method below:

• If you are using Android Phone, open the Settings & search for Audio Balance
• Open the Audio Balance and adjust the volume if it is too much right or left.

Fix #6: Mono to Stereo Mode

You might not know but your JBL earbuds may be set to Mono mode. When the mono mode is turned on, you can listen to music, but at the same time, you are listening to the outside environment as well. If your audio preference is set to “Mono”, then try switching it to “Stereo”, and it will fix the problem.

Fix #7: Check Bluetooth Range

The Bluetooth range for JBL earbuds ranges from model to model. This also depends upon the versions of Bluetooth that your device supports. However, most JBL earbuds can stay connected within a range of 100ft.

Where premium-end JBL earbuds offer a long connectivity range, the cheaper ones might get disconnected as you move away from the audio source. So, if one of your earbuds keeps disconnecting or not working, then try to stay as close to the main source as possible.

Model	Bluetooth Range
JBL Tune 225TWS	10 meters (33 feet)
JBL Tune 135TWS	9 meters (30 feet)
JBL Live Pro+ TWS	10 meters (33 feet)
JBL Reflect Flow Pro	8 meters (26 feet)
JBL Endurance Peak 3	7 meters (23 feet)
JBL Vibe 200TWS	10 meters (33 feet)

Fix #8: Check for Damages

What you can do is repair damaged JBL earbuds, but that would require a lot of technical knowledge. And if you don’t have time or you aren’t a technical person, I would recommend you replace your earbuds if they still have a warranty.

Conclusion

So this is how you can easily fix the JBL earbuds one side not working issue. I recommend removing your earbuds from your device and then connecting them back again. See if this works out for you, and if it doesn’t, try the other methods that I’ve laid out in this guide one by one. Also, don’t forget to let me know which one of these fixes worked out for you.