Ubuntu – how to pair JBL bluetooth device with Ubuntu laptop

I too do have the same JBL flip as yours and I do face the same issue, sometimes we dont hear any sound after pairing.

I am not an expert but after hit and trial: I realized you need to click on the "bluetooth" icon on top right and choose "JBL FLIP" under scroll down and move tab to "Connection ON" and then test it by clicking on sound settings

** Short flow:

*blue-tooth icon>> JBL flip (after pairing)>> move tab to COnnection ON>> sound settings>> choose JBL flip>> Choose the mode HIGH Fidelity Playback (A2DP)>> "Test Sound"

You see a "Speaker Testing for headset" window. Test it by hitting on the left and right (Front left and Front Right). You can hear the sounds on the JBL speaker.*

Note: Sometimes when you play Videos through VLC player and if you pause it for a short-while to take a break like say ten minintes. When you come back and hit play: you might not hear the sound on the JBL nor the computer speakers (Sometimes). I just UN-pair and pair speakers: Do the same test. It works! :)

This is just a workaround.

Same problem when you connect a headphones- it doesn’t automatically detect, you will have to manually select it by the above path(** Short flow)- instead of option JBL Flip, select wired headset/headphones.

Hope this helps.

I had the same problem after upgrading to 16.04. For me, there isn't a real fix, but I can get the speaker to work. I'm running Kubuntu so these steps are for KDE, and I'm not sure what the equivalent Unity steps are, but I'd imagine they're similar.

Here's what I did:

1. Let the speaker connect.
2. In your audio settings, change the profile to "Headset Head Unit (HSP/HFP)" or equivalent
3. Power off Disconnect the speaker

4. Restart the bluetooth service

   sudo service bluetooth restart

5. Power the speaker back on and reconnect

6. In your audio settings, change the profile back to "High Fidelity Playback (A2DP Sink)" or equivalent

A2DP should now work. So far, it seems that things only go wrong when I try to connect in A2DP mode. Until there is a real fix/workaround, I am going to try to remember to always switch to HSP/HSF mode before powering off or disconnecting the speaker.

UPDATE:

It's sufficient to connect, switch to HSP/HFP mode, disconnect, reconnect, and switch back to A2DP mode. There is no reason to restart the bluetooth service.