How to Fix JLab Earbuds Not Pairing?

I’ve had my fair share of struggles with wireless earbuds, but JLab earbuds gave me one of the more puzzling experiences when they suddenly refused to pair with any of my devices.

I figured it was a one-off glitch, but after digging deeper, I realized how common these pairing issues are, especially across different JLab models like the JBuds Air, GO Air, and Epic Air.

In this guide, I’m sharing exactly what I did to fix my JLab earbuds when they wouldn’t connect, with steps that’ll help whether you're on iOS, Android, or even trying to link them to your laptop.

If you’re staring at blinking lights and a Bluetooth menu with nothing happening, this guide is for you.

Steps to Fix JLab Earbuds Not Pairing

Check Your Bluetooth, Remove Stickers and Check The Battery Charge

Before diving into complicated fixes, I learned the hard way that it’s always worth checking the simple stuff.

Here’s a few simple checks you can carry out before jumping into the troubleshooting bit of it:

Fully charge the earbuds and the case. Make sure your earbuds and case are charged to 100% before trying to pair them.
Remove any stickers or films. Especially on new earbuds, the small stickers on the charging contacts can prevent them from powering up or syncing.
Check your Bluetooth. Make sure it's turned on, functioning, and that you’re not accidentally tapping on a different JLab device in the list if you own more than one pair.

How to Properly Start Pairing Mode on JLab Earbuds

Typically, when you remove the earbuds from the case, one of them should blink blue and white, that’s the signal that it’s ready to pair. But when both earbuds just sit there without blinking at all, this indicates that the earbuds aren’t entering pairing mode.

Here’s what works to manually trigger pairing mode:

Put both earbuds back into the case and then remove them at the same time.
If neither blinks, that’s your cue to reset them (more on that below).
You might have to repeat the in-and-out-of-case routine a couple of times.

One blinking and the other staying solid means they’re trying to sync. If you don’t see that, move on to the next step.

Reset JLab Earbuds

The real magic happens with the reset. And yes, you may have to do this multiple times depending on which JLab model you’re using.

Here’s a go-to reset method that works on most models:

On your phone, go into Bluetooth settings and tap “Forget” next to the JLab earbuds.
Then put both earbuds in the charging case with the lid open.
Tap one earbud’s touch sensor seven times. It will blink blue four times.
Repeat the same for the second earbud.
Close the lid, wait 5 seconds, and open it again.
Remove both earbuds. Now one should blink blue/white, and the other should stay solid white.

From here, reconnect via Bluetooth on your device and they will show up as a new connection.

If this didn’t work on the first try, repeat the process. You might even have to do it three to four times before they finally sync. It’s annoying, but it works.

What to Do If Only One JLab Earbud is Connecting

There may be times when only the right earbud will connect while the left just sits there doing nothing. Turns out, this happens when the earbuds are not syncing properly.

Here’s what works:

Reset both earbuds again.
After taking them out of the case, let them sit side-by-side for about 10–15 seconds before trying to connect.
Then only connect to the blinking earbud. Once connected, the audio routes to both earbuds on its own.

That brief pause allows them to "talk" to each other before reaching out to your phone.

Eliminate Bluetooth Interference

Have you ever tried connecting your earbuds at a coffee shop and can’t get them to pair no matter what?

Turns out, if you’re surrounded by a mix of Bluetooth signals such as phones, laptops, smartwatches, and even cars nearby, your primary device may not be able to recognize the earbuds.

What you can do here is:

Turn off Bluetooth on other nearby devices.
Step away from Wi-Fi routers or microwaves, which can sometimes mess with the connection.
Only keep the one device you want to pair with nearby.

Once you move into another room with fewer signals, pairing works almost instantly.

Check for Firmware and Compatibility Problems

JLab earbuds generally don’t need constant firmware updates, but there are persistent issues when trying to connect to an older Android device. The phone’s Bluetooth just won’t cooperate with newer earbuds.

But if you try pairing them with a newer phone, they will work, which is probably an issue with your device’s Bluetooth stack.

If you’re in a similar situation, consider making these changes:

Updating your device’s software.
Connecting to a newer or different device to confirm the earbuds work.
If your phone is older than 5 years, this may be the culprit as you would not receive newer updates that could help fix the problem.

Reset Your Device’s Bluetooth Settings

Still no luck? At this point, the issue could be your phone and not the earbuds. The only fix here would be to reset your device's Bluetooth settings.

On Android:

Settings > System > Reset Options > Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile & Bluetooth.

On iPhone:

Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

This will wipe all Bluetooth and Wi-Fi settings, so use this as a last resort.

Still Not Pairing? Time to Contact JLab Support

If you’ve gone through every step and still nothing works, it’s likely a hardware issue that’s creating the problem.

Most JLab earbuds come with a 2-year warranty and JLab’s support team is surprisingly responsive.

So keep your proof of purchase, contact them via their website, and they will replace your faulty pair after explaining all the steps you tried.

Takeaway

From resetting and syncing to managing interference and updating firmware, most issues are fixable with a bit of patience and the right steps.

After personally going through all of these, I’ve gotten to a point where I can usually fix a pairing issue in under five minutes. Hopefully, with this guide, you’ll get there too.

So next time your JLab earbuds give you trouble, pull up this page and go step-by-step. Odds are, you’ll be back to your music or podcasts in no time, without the Bluetooth headache.

Also Read: How to Charge your AirPods Pro and Check the AirPods Pro Battery State?