Bluetooth speaker will not connect: causes and fixes
Connecting the first time
Switch the speaker on and put it in pairing mode; on many speakers, including the Pod Pro and Pod mini, pairing mode starts by itself when the speaker is not connected to anything, and the light blinks. On the phone, open the Bluetooth settings and search for new devices. When the speaker's name appears, tap it.
From now on the phone and the speaker know each other: next time you switch the speaker on, it connects by itself to the last device used, if that device has Bluetooth on and is nearby.
It does not show in the list
The most common cause: the speaker is already connected to another phone, usually belonging to someone at home or a friend who used it last. Disconnect it there or switch off that phone's Bluetooth. The second cause: the speaker is not in pairing mode; switch it off and on again.
Check the battery too. A nearly flat speaker may switch off just as you try to connect it. Charge it for a few minutes and try again.
It shows, but will not connect
If the speaker shows in the list and connecting fails, remove it from the phone's list ("Forget This Device" on iPhone, "Unpair" on Android) and pair it again as a new device. Restarting the phone also clears many Bluetooth hang-ups.
If that does not work either, try the speaker with another phone. If it works there, the problem is your phone; update it. If it works nowhere, reset the speaker following its model's instructions; the steps differ from speaker to speaker.
It cuts out or drops
Choppy sound usually comes from distance and obstacles. Bluetooth passes poorly through walls, through a person's body and through water. Keep the phone in the same room as the speaker, a few metres away, with no walls in between. A Wi-Fi router or a running microwave next to the speaker can also disturb the signal.
When several phones around have Bluetooth on, another phone paired with the speaker can "take" it. Remove the speaker from phones that should no longer connect to it.
It switches itself off
Many speakers switch off by themselves after a few minutes without sound, to save battery. If the speaker switches off during gaps between long tracks or when the locked phone sends nothing, that is normal. If it stops in the middle of music, check the battery: at high volume it drains faster than the box says.
Cold and high heat can also switch the speaker off to protect its battery. Let it come back to room temperature and charge it.
With a laptop or a TV
On a laptop, pairing is done in the Bluetooth settings, as on a phone: on Windows, Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Add device; on a Mac, System Settings, Bluetooth. Once connected, check in the sound settings that the speaker is chosen as output.
On a TV, the speaker works only if the TV sends sound over Bluetooth; look in the sound menu for "Sound output" or "Bluetooth device". With films there may be a small delay between sound and picture; many TVs have a sync setting.
Two speakers together
The Pod Pro and Pod mini pair up two at a time in stereo, one on the left channel and one on the right, and several Pod Pro speakers, up to 8, can play together. Link the speakers to each other first, following the model's instructions, and only then connect the phone to the first speaker.
If the link between the speakers breaks, switch both off, switch them on again and repeat the steps. Our guide to connecting several Bluetooth speakers explains it in full.
Every model is in the shop, under Bluetooth speakers.