Bose SoundLink Mini Won't Turn On When Using Battery

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Introduction

One of the selling points of a Bluetooth speaker like the Bose SoundLink Mini is that you can move it around without a cord because it can run on battery power. If your SoundLink Mini isn’t turning on while using battery power, try these troubleshooting steps to fix the problem.

If your SoundLink Mini doesn’t turn on at all—whether it’s using battery power or when plugged into an outlet—you should first look at the SoundLink Mini Won’t Turn on When Connected to Power page. The steps below specifically deal with issues related to the battery.

Causes

1

The Speaker is in Protection Mode

If the SoundLink Mini is not plugged in to power for 24 days it will enter “battery protection mode” in order to, well, protect the battery. Once the speaker is in battery protection mode it cannot be turned on by pressing the power button. To allow the device to exit this deep sleep mode, plug it into a power source and wait a few minutes. The speaker should (hopefully) be able to turn on again.

2

The Speaker Needs to be Reset

See Bose SoundLink Mini Won't Turn On When Connected to Power for full details. Here’s the gist on how to reset the SoundLink Mini:

Plug the speaker in.
Press and hold the mute button for 10 seconds until the LEDs on the top of the speaker flashes.
Let go of the mute button. Press the power button to turn the speaker back on.

3

Dead Battery

Lithium-ion batteries only have a limited functional lifetime before they lose the ability to hold a charge.

If your SoundLink Mini works when it is plugged in but doesn’t turn on when using battery power, it is likely that the battery has died. Luckily, replacing the battery in this speaker is not too difficult as long as you have the required T8 Torx screwdriver. See this battery replacement guide for instructions and this iFixit store page for a source of replacement batteries.

Replacing the battery in your SoundLink Mini should also help if your speaker can run off the battery, but dies quickly. This indicates that the battery is old has lost some/most of its ability to store charge.