Question My very own Bluetooth mystery...

[le_stan]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum, even though I read quite a lot here over the years. I usually find what I'm looking for, so I feel no need to clutter the forum with questions that have already been answered.

Today however, I come with something I really don't understand... I have a pair of totally worn out earbuds, brand and model JBL Reflect Mini 2 let's call them "HP1". I love these. So much so that it's my second pair. These are unfortunately not manufactured anymore, but I was lucky enough to find another pair (let's call them "HP2") in stellar condition on the equivalent of Craigslist in my country...

Sadly, trying to pair them with my phone (Samsung Galaxy S23) proved impossible. They just don't show on the list of available devices. Since the phone didn't change and the brand & model of the earbuds didn't change either, I'm really surprised this would cause an issue...

So, here's what I tried already:
- Connect them to my wife's professional phone (Galaxy A53) --> No problem, they connect and work like a charm
- Connect them to my wife's personal phone (Galaxy A54 5g) --> Impossible to connect.
- Activate - deactivate bluetooth
- Unpair HP1
- Restart my phone
- Factory reset the earbuds (holding Vol+ and Vol- together for 5 seconds)
- Delete cache and data for Bluetooth agent and Bluetooth MIDI Service apps (Couldn't do it for Bluetooth app itself, options to delete cache or data are greyed out)
- Reset Wi-fi and bluetooth connections
- Activate developper's options and try (toggle, toggle back) options like
- Activate bluetooth HCI snoop log
- Show bluetooth devices without names
- Show unsupported bluetooth le devices in bluetooth settings
- Bypass bluetooth LE audio allowlist
- Turn off AVC Block list
- Disable A2DP hardware offload
- Bluetooth AVCRP Version (1.5 (default), 1.4, 1.3, 1.6... tried them all)

But this had no impact whatsoever, my earbuds are still MIA.

If an expert among you has any idea what more I could try, I'm all ears. I truly hope I will find a solution to this, since I really don't want to switch to TWS earbuds (been there done that, I hate to carry this box around and have to find a place to put an earbud when I want to remove one (which I do A LOT). Having one or both dangling around my neck is perfect.

Thanks in advance for reading this whole thing and I cross my fingers someone can find the solution I was unable to find...

Stan

 

[Laura Knotek]

Have you contacted the seller? It sounds like you bought something that was defective. I'd recommend getting a refund.

 

[le_stan]

Well, that was my first thought as well, but since the earbuds pair flawlessly with my wife's A53, I don't think there's anything wrong with them...

In the meantime, I also tried to connect them to other devices:
Android TV box --> No problem, pairing and playback perfect
Windows computer --> Not working - Looks like they are displayed as "Bluetooth headset" (instead of "JBL Reflect Mini 2 like the hold HP1 earbuds), but won't pair (connecting... --> "We didn't get any response from the device, try connecting again"

One lead I'm currently following is trying to update the earbud's firmware while they are connected to an android device...

 

[le_stan]

Contacted JBL support and they informed me that the Reflect Mini2 model is not supported by the JBL headphones app --> No way to update the firmware (and maybe no available update to begin with...)

 

[Laura Knotek]

Your only option seems to be getting a refund from the seller and purchasing different headphones.

 

[le_stan]

Not gonna happen. I bought these 2 months ago from an individual, not from a company, seeing that my current ones were giving heavy signs of wear.
The price doesn't really matter, this is a very old model and it was dirt cheap (like 15 euros shipping included), so I don't care I lost the money... I'm more concerned about finding a valid replacement for them.

For some reason (that I really don't get), people seem fond of true wireless earbuds while I personally can't stand them. I owned a pair about a year ago, and I so often remove one to chat with someone or just hear my surroundings better that it's a real pain to have to put that loose earbud somewhere (like "remove work glove, retrieve box from pocket, put earbud in, close, put back in pocket, put back glove... 30 times a day - not counting the fact that I then have to carry this box all day.

I may give used (apparently, they don't make these anymore either) Bose Soundsport a try...

 

[gomezz]

If it is any consolation I too am wary of true wireless earbuds. Got a pair of cheap Ankers to try and soon lost one while out on a walk. Found it again eighteen months later trodden into the muddy path but by then the battery was knackered. Still use the other one at work for listening to sports commentaries in one ear while talking to colleagues and customers using the other ear.

But otherwise I stick with my Sennheiser Momentum neckband earbuds as my main drivers while out and about though I also have some wired earbuds and headphones used with a small BT adapter clipped to my belt and a pair of folding wireless over the ear phones which all have their particular uses.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Just to be sure -- when you did the factory reset for the earbuds by pressing Vol + and Vol - together for 5 seconds, did you see the LED light flash in two different colors?

I've had a good experience with SoundPEATS. I have the Q35 HD+, which is no longer available; however, the Q40 looks to be as good: https://www.amazon.com/SoundPEATS-Q40-Bluetooth-Headphones-Customization/dp/B0FBVR6PVL