JBL Charge 4 Button Functions: A Complete Guide
By Robert Jones · 2021-08-04
Got a JBL Charge 4? I’ll walk you through every button and control, so you can get the best sound out of yours, without any fuss. You'll be a pro in no time.
Right then, let's have a proper chinwag about the JBL Charge 4, eh? Chances are you've either got one rattling around your gaff, or you're eyeing one up, and you’re wondering what all those little buttons on top actually do. Fair enough. I’ve seen more portable speakers come and go over the last twenty years than I care to count, and the Charge 4, for its time, was a solid piece of kit. But knowing how to properly drive it, that’s where the real magic happens. Honestly, it's the difference between just having some background racket and actually enjoying your favourite tunes. There’s a world of difference. Trust me on that. These JBLs, they're absolutely everywhere, aren't they? And there’s a jolly good reason for it, too. They’re built like a tank, sound surprisingly decent for what they are – a portable speaker that you can genuinely lug about without fretting too much – and the battery life is usually cracking. I’ve had a good few JBLs come through the workshop for a bit of a poke and prod over the years. Even took a Flip 5 on holiday last year, and they rarely disappoint for what they set out to achieve. But, like anything with a few controls, if you don't know your way around them, you're never going to get the full-fat listening experience. So, let's cut through all the usual waffle and get you properly fluent in Charge 4 button-ology. **Quick Verdict: A sturdy, reliable portable speaker with mostly sensible controls, though a dedicated previous track button is sorely missed.** ### Who it's for: * Anyone needing a tough, waterproof speaker for outdoors or travel. * Folks who want decent sound for casual listening without breaking the bank. * Those already invested in the JBL Connect+ ecosystem. * People who appreciate solid battery life. ### Who should skip it: * Anyone after truly high-fidelity sound for critical listening. * If you need finer control over EQ settings – this ain't it. * If you demand the very latest features like multi-speaker pairing with newer JBLs (it's Connect+, not PartyBoost). * If you mostly listen to spoken word; it can be a bit bass-heavy.  *The JBL Charge 4 on the SpeakersMag test bench. This one's been through the wringer and still puts out a decent tune.* ## Getting Started: Powering Up and Pairing – No-Nonsense Basics When a new bit of kit lands on my workbench, the very first thing I do, after a good visual inspection and a cuppa, is try to turn it on and see if it makes a noise. It’s a basic test, I know, but you’d be absolutely staggered by how many things fall over at that first, simple hurdle. JBL, to their credit, usually gets this bit spot on. They make things pretty intuitive, which is always a massive bonus when you're dealing with something you might be taking down to the beach or out in the garden. No faffing about with instruction manuals when all you want is some background tunes while you’re flipping burgers. ### The Power Button: On or Off, Simple as Boiling a Kettle Slap bang in the middle of the top control panel, you really can't miss it. It’s got that universally recognised power symbol on it – a circle with a line through the top. Pretty standard stuff, and honestly, that’s exactly how it should be. To fire it up or shut it down, you just need to give it a firm press and hold it for a couple of seconds. You'll hear a little jingle – some folks love 'em, some folks find 'em a bit annoying, but either way, it lets you know it's doing something – and a small indicator light will either glow steady or switch off. Easy peasy. ### Bluetooth Button: Making the Connection Right next to the power button, you'll spot the Bluetooth symbol. Again, instantly recognisable, which is always a good sign. This is your gateway to getting your phone or tablet to actually play through the speaker. If you’ve just turned it on for the first time, it’ll usually start flashing, meaning it’s ready to pair. Head into your device's Bluetooth settings, find 'JBL Charge 4', and tap it. Job done. You’ll hear another little chime, and the light will go solid. Connected. Simple. If you want to connect a *different* device, or if it's not automatically reconnecting to your usual one, give this button a quick press. It'll put the Charge 4 back into pairing mode, flashing away, ready for a new friend. Dead handy if you're passing the DJ duties around at a gathering, or if, like me, you often switch between a phone and a laptop. ### Volume Controls: Up and Down, No Surprises On either side of the main central buttons, you’ve got your classic plus (+) and minus (-) symbols. These are for volume, naturally. A quick tap of the plus button cranks it up a notch, a tap of the minus brings it down. Hold them down for a more rapid change. Nothing revolutionary here, and that’s perfectly fine. You want volume controls to be immediate and obvious, especially when the track suddenly gets a bit loud or quiet and you need to adjust it in a hurry. ### Play/Pause Button: Your Musical Maestro This one’s smack in the middle of the top control panel, a bit below the power button. It’s got the usual play/pause triangle and two vertical lines symbol. A single press does exactly what you'd expect: starts playing your music or pauses it. Simple enough, and usually pretty responsive. Handy for when someone wants to chat, or you need to listen out for something important. Now, here’s a common niggle, and one I often hear about when I’m talking to people about portable speakers. How do you skip tracks? On the Charge 4, you don’t get a dedicated 'next track' or 'previous track' button. Nope. To skip forward, you have to *double-press* the play/pause button. It takes a bit of getting used to, and honestly, I wish JBL had just popped another couple of buttons on there. It’s one of those minor irritations that could have been avoided. Skipping back? Forget about it. That functionality simply isn’t there via the speaker’s controls. You’ll have to dig out your phone for that. A bit of a shame, really, considering how useful it is on other portable units. ### JBL Connect+ Button: The Party Starter (of its Generation) This one looks like an hourglass or an infinity symbol, usually found on the far right of the control panel. This is where the Charge 4 starts to get a bit more clever, or at least, it *was* clever for its day. The Connect+ feature allows you to link up multiple JBL speakers that also support Connect+. We’re talking up to 100, apparently, though I’ve never managed to get more than a handful together in one spot. Can you imagine the racket? Mad. To use it, first make sure your Charge 4 is playing music. Then, press the Connect+ button on your Charge 4, and then immediately on any other compatible JBL speaker you want to link up. They should find each other and start playing in sync. You’ll hear a little confirming jingle when they connect. It’s great for spreading music around a bigger space, like a garden party or across a couple of rooms. Just bear in mind, it's Connect+ – not the newer PartyBoost system found on more recent JBLs. This means a Charge 4 *won't* pair with, say, a Charge 5 or a Flip 6. Bit of a closed shop, that. Keep that in mind if you're thinking of expanding your JBL collection. ## Indicator Lights: Your Visual Cues Beyond the buttons themselves, the Charge 4 has a few subtle light indicators that tell you what’s going on. They’re not just for show, mind you, they’re genuinely useful for quick checks. ### Power Indicator We touched on this earlier. When the speaker is on, the power button glows steadily. If it’s off, obviously, no light. It’s a straightforward visual confirmation that the unit has power and is active. ### Bluetooth Indicator This light, next to the Bluetooth button, tells you about your connection status. A rapid flashing means it’s in pairing mode, actively looking for a device. A slower, pulsing flash usually indicates it’s trying to reconnect to a previously paired device. A solid, steady light means it’s successfully connected and happily playing music from your device. If it’s off, well, you're not connected, simple as that. ### Battery Indicator Now, this is a handy one. Along the front bottom edge of the speaker, you’ll see a row of small, white LED lights. These are your battery level indicator. When you first turn the speaker on, or if you press any button (except power off), they’ll light up briefly to show you how much juice is left. Each light represents roughly 20% of the battery. So, if you’ve got five lights, you're full. Three lights, you’re around 60%. One flashing light? Time to find a charger, mate, you’re running on fumes. This is a brilliant feature; nothing worse than your speaker dying halfway through a BBQ. ## Charging Your Charge 4: Keeping the Tunes Flowing No point having a portable speaker if it's always flat, is there? The Charge 4 has a decent battery, usually good for around 20 hours, depending on your volume levels. But eventually, you'll need to top it up. The charging port is usually tucked away under a rubber flap at the back, along with the other connections. You'll find a USB-C port for charging the speaker itself, and a standard USB-A port. That USB-A port is a cracking feature, by the way. It means you can use the Charge 4 as a power bank to charge your phone or other gadgets. Very clever, and very useful when you're out and about and your phone's about to give up the ghost. Just remember that using it to charge your phone will obviously drain the speaker's battery faster. When it's charging, those battery indicator lights on the front will illuminate and slowly fill up, one by one, until all five are solid, telling you it's fully charged. Don't forget to properly seal that rubber flap once you're done charging, especially if you're taking it near water. That's how it keeps its IPX7 waterproof rating, you see. ## Troubleshooting Common Issues: A Bit of Bob's Wisdom Even the best bits of kit can play up sometimes. Here are a few common grumbles I hear about the Charge 4, and what you can usually do about them. ### Speaker Won't Turn On First things first, is it charged? Check those battery indicator lights. If it's completely dead, it might need a good hour or so on charge before it even thinks about turning on. If it's still being stubborn, try a hard reset. I know, I know, 'turn it off and on again' is a cliché, but it often works. To reset the Charge 4, while it's powered on, press and hold the Volume Up (+) and Play/Pause buttons simultaneously for about 5-10 seconds. You should hear a little chime or see the lights flash, and it'll power off. Then try turning it on again. This often clears up any little software glitches. ### Can't Connect via Bluetooth Is the Charge 4 in pairing mode (Bluetooth light flashing)? Is your phone's Bluetooth actually switched on? Obvious, I know, but you'd be surprised. If you've got lots of devices paired to your phone, sometimes it gets confused. Try 'forgetting' the Charge 4 in your phone's Bluetooth settings, then putting the Charge 4 into pairing mode and trying to connect again from scratch. Also, make sure you're not trying to connect to a Charge 5 or another incompatible speaker – remember the Connect+ vs. PartyBoost issue. ### Sound Quality Issues / No Sound Volume up on both the speaker and your phone? Sometimes people forget the phone has its own volume control. Is the source audio playing correctly on your phone? Try another app or a different song. If the sound is distorted, try turning the volume down a bit – you might be pushing it too hard. If it's crackling or cutting out, try moving your phone closer to the speaker; sometimes interference or distance can cause problems. As a last resort, that hard reset trick (Volume Up + Play/Pause) can sometimes sort out peculiar audio glitches. ### Connect+ Not Working Are all the speakers Connect+ compatible? As I said, a Charge 4 won't talk to a Charge 5. Are they all charged and within a reasonable distance of each other? Sometimes just trying it a couple of times, pressing the Connect+ button on each speaker in quick succession, will get them to link up. Make sure none of the speakers are already paired to another device which might be interfering. ## JBL Charge 4 vs. Its Siblings: A Quick Look Just for a bit of context, it's worth briefly touching on how the Charge 4 stacks up against a couple of its stablemates, particularly the Charge 3 and Charge 5. This often helps people understand where their particular model sits in the grand scheme of things, and why certain buttons or features are present (or absent!). | Feature | JBL Charge 3 | JBL Charge 4 | JBL Charge 5 | |:------------------|:---------------------------|:---------------------------|:---------------------------| | **Year Released** | 2016 | 2018 | 2021 | | **Bluetooth** | 4.1 | 4.2 | 5.1 | | **Drivers** | 2 x 50mm | 1 x 50x90mm (racetrack) | 1 x 52x90mm (racetrack) + 20mm tweeter | | **Power Output** | 2 x 10W | 30W | 30W (woofer) + 10W (tweeter) | | **Connectivity** | JBL Connect | JBL Connect+ | PartyBoost | | **Waterproof** | IPX7 | IPX7 | IP67 | | **USB Port** | Micro-USB for charge, USB-A for power bank | USB-C for charge, USB-A for power bank | USB-C for charge, USB-A for power bank | | **Weight** | 800g | 965g | 960g | | **Price (approx)**| £80-£120 | £100-£150 | £130-£180 | As you can see, the Charge 4 was a decent jump from the 3, mainly in driver design and power, but the biggest thing to note is the Connect+ system. The Charge 5 then moved to PartyBoost, which is a different kettle of fish altogether. So, if you’re trying to link up speakers, make absolutely certain they share the same connectivity standard. I’ve had many a frustrated punter in the shop trying to get their old Charge 3 to talk to a brand new Flip 6 – just ain't gonna happen, I tell 'em. ## FAQ: Your Burning Questions Answered ### Q: Can I use the JBL Charge 4 while it's charging? A: Yes, absolutely. You can plug it into the mains and keep the music flowing. It won't harm the battery to use it whilst it's charging. Just make sure the power adapter you're using is up to scratch – a rubbish charger can take ages and cause issues. ### Q: Does the Charge 4 have a microphone for calls? A: No, it doesn't. Unlike some of its predecessors (like the Charge 3) and newer models, JBL decided to remove the microphone from the Charge 4. So, if you get a call, you'll need to answer it on your phone or use another device. It's a bit of a backward step for some, I know, but I reckon they figured most people use their phone for calls anyway, and it probably helped them keep the price down a smidge. ### Q: Can I pair two Charge 4 speakers for stereo sound? A: Yes, you certainly can! Using the Connect+ feature, you can link two Charge 4 speakers (or any two Connect+ enabled JBL speakers) and configure them for proper stereo sound. One speaker will play the left channel, and the other the right. It makes a surprising difference to the soundstage, giving you a much wider and more immersive listening experience. You usually set this up via the JBL Connect app on your phone once they're paired. A single Charge 4 is mono, by the way, despite having a single wide driver; two in stereo is where it gets interesting. ### Q: What does the IPX7 rating mean for the Charge 4? A: Good question. IPX7 means it's fully waterproof. Specifically, it can be submerged in up to 1 metre of water for up to 30 minutes. So, splashes, rain, dropping it in the pool – it'll handle all that without a bother. Just make sure that rubber flap covering the charging ports is properly sealed. That's key. It *doesn't* mean it's dustproof, though. If you want dust protection as well, you'd need an IP67 rating, like the Charge 5 has. ## Final Word: Still a Decent Performer So there you have it, a proper deep dive into the nitty-gritty of the JBL Charge 4's buttons and functions. While it's not the newest kid on the block anymore, having been superseded by the Charge 5 and then the 6, it still holds its own as a very capable portable speaker. Its rugged build, decent sound for its size, and solid battery life mean it's still a popular choice for many. Knowing how to use those buttons properly, from simply turning it on to linking up with other Connect+ speakers, will absolutely make your listening experience a better one. No more fumbling around, wondering why it won't play the next track. You're now an expert. Remember, though, that missing 'previous track' button is a bugbear, and the Connect+ system means it won't play nice with the very latest JBLs. Keep that in mind if you're looking to expand. All in all, a trustworthy companion for tunes on the go, especially if you can snag one at a good price these days. Worth a punt, I'd say.