Struggling with lackluster audio from your smartphone? Connecting it to a Vizio soundbar can significantly amplify and enhance your listening experience.
Pairing your phone and Vizio soundbar via Bluetooth provides a wireless way to stream audio from your mobile device to the powerful external speakers for better sound quality.
Let’s dive into the step-by-step process for checking compatibility, initiating pairing mode, connecting wirelessly, troubleshooting issues, and streaming crystal clear audio from your phone through your Vizio soundbar speakers.
How to Connect Your Vizio Soundbar to Your Phone
You can connect your Vizio soundbar to your phone using Bluetooth wireless pairing.
This allows you to play audio from your smartphone through the soundbar’s speakers.
To do this, first enable Bluetooth pairing mode on both devices. Then connect them by selecting the soundbar in your phone’s Bluetooth settings.
Finally, set the soundbar as your audio output in your phone’s sound settings.
We’ll cover the step-by-step process for establishing the Bluetooth connection between your specific devices later.
This will allow you to stream music, videos, games and other audio content from your phone to the soundbar.
Check Soundbar and Phone Compatibility
It is important to first check that your Vizio soundbar and phone are compatible for Bluetooth pairing before trying to connect them.
There are a few key things you will want to verify related to compatibility.
First, ensure that your specific Vizio soundbar model supports Bluetooth wireless connectivity.
This allows the soundbar to pair with phones via Bluetooth so you can stream audio from your phone to the soundbar speakers.
Most modern Vizio soundbars have built-in Bluetooth support, but it is best to double check the specifications for your model if you are unsure.
Next, you will want to check that your phone has integrated Bluetooth capability.
Modern smartphones and mobile devices typically have Bluetooth integrated already.
As long as your phone supports the Bluetooth wireless standard for exchanging data over short distances, then it should be compatible with your Vizio soundbar for pairing purposes.
Additionally, take note of which Bluetooth versions and profiles that your Vizio soundbar can use.
Sometimes a soundbar may only work with certain Bluetooth versions, like Bluetooth 4.2 or Bluetooth 5.0.
Newer versions tend to offer faster data transfer speeds and extended wireless range.
Also, there are different Bluetooth profiles related to streaming high fidelity audio, such A2DP.
Check your soundbar technical details and verify it works with the Bluetooth version and profiles available on your phone.
Lastly in regard to compatibility – be aware that some Vizio soundbars may only officially support pairing with iOS or Android smartphones and not guarantee compatibility with other mobile platforms.
So if you have a Windows phone or Blackberry device for example, you need to confirm the
soundbar will work with those OS platforms beforehand if possible.
Checking these key compatibility areas between your specific Vizio soundbar model and mobile phone will ensure you avoid any pairing or streaming issues later on when trying to get them connected wirelessly over Bluetooth.
Enable Bluetooth Pairing Mode on Soundbar
Once you have checked that your phone and Vizio soundbar are compatible, the next step is to put the soundbar into its Bluetooth pairing mode in preparation for connecting with your phone.
This lets the soundbar become visible to your phone and accept the wireless pairing.
Most Vizio soundbars have a specific Bluetooth pairing button or key somewhere on the exterior – often on the back panel or side of the soundbar near the other connectivity ports.
Refer to your specific soundbar’s instruction manual to identify where this pairing button is located on the device.
It may be labeled with a Bluetooth icon or simply say “Pairing”.
When you have located the Bluetooth pairing button, you need to press and hold this button for a few seconds.
On most Vizio models this takes holding the button down for roughly 5 seconds.
This initiates the process to enable the soundbar’s Bluetooth pairing mode.
Sometimes Vizio soundbars may have a Bluetooth pairing key integrated into the included remote instead of having the button directly built into the soundbar itself.
So if you cannot locate a Bluetooth button on the device, check your remote.
The process is the same – you press and hold the Bluetooth pairing key on the remote for a few seconds to activate pairing mode on the soundbar.
Refer to the indicator lights on your Vizio model too, as there is often a light that signals when Bluetooth is on and the soundbar is in pairing mode ready to connect wirelessly with your phone.
Once you see the relevant light flashing, you will know the soundbar is now visible for pairing.
Pair Soundbar With Your Phone
After enabling Bluetooth pairing mode on your Vizio soundbar, you now need to initiate the pairing process from your phone’s side to get it connected with the soundbar.
Modern Android and iOS smartphones have quick and easy Bluetooth pairing processes to link up devices like wireless soundbars.
The first step is to access your phone’s Bluetooth settings area – sometimes labeled Bluetooth, other times Wireless & Networks or Connections on some Android phones.
Ensure that Bluetooth connectivity is set to On so that your phone can now search and find nearby devices.
Next, select the option to either Add New Device, Search Devices, or Pair New Device.
This initiates your phone to start searching for any visible Bluetooth devices like your soundbar nearby.
You should then see your Vizio soundbar visible in the list of found Bluetooth devices labeled with its model number or default naming.
Select it from this list to initiate pairing.
Both Android and iOS devices will display pop-up confirmations to accept pairing both on the phone side and soundbar side.
You may need to press a pairing confirmation on the soundbar remote or key depending on the Vizio model.
Or sometimes pairing confirmation is automatic when selecting the soundbar on your phone.
Once those confirmations are done, the final paired connection will be made for the two devices.
Your phone may give connection or pairing successful messages, and the soundbar should indicate connected status as well.
Now your Vizio soundbar is wirelessly paired over Bluetooth to your phone for streaming audio.
Connect and Start Streaming Audio
With the pairing process complete, now you need to connect your phone to the soundbar and begin streaming audio to test that the Bluetooth connection is working properly.
This allows you to stream music, videos, games, and other audio from your smartphone to the better speakers on the Vizio soundbar for enhanced sound.
Most phones will automatically make the Vizio soundbar the default audio output device after Bluetooth pairing is done.
But if not, you will need to select the soundbar in your phone’s audio or sound output settings area – often labeled Bluetooth, Connected Devices, Accessibility, or Advanced Sound.
Choose your connected Vizio soundbar so that any audio gets routed from the phone over Bluetooth to the soundbar speakers automatically.
You can then open up any music tracks, streaming apps like Spotify or YouTube, videos, games or other content with audio from your phone.
As it plays the audio, you should no longer hear it from your smartphone speakers.
Instead the music, video soundtracks, or other audio will play from the Vizio soundbar over the Bluetooth streaming connection.
Try increasing the soundbar volume if the audio seems quiet.
Some models allow volume pass-through control so you can manage playback volume from certain apps on your phone too.
Also check that multiple audio streams are not playing simultaneously from both phone and soundbar if the sound seems off.
Provided Bluetooth pairing was successful and you have selected the soundbar for audio output, all sounds from your phone should route to the soundbar wirelessly once you start streaming media or other content with audio portions.
Enjoy having your music, videos and more play from the improved speaker system of the Vizio soundbar compared to your smartphone speakers!
Troubleshooting Tips
Despite going through the pairing and connection process carefully, you may still encounter issues getting your Vizio soundbar linked up with your phone over Bluetooth.
There are a few basic troubleshooting tips that can help resolve problems pairing or streaming audio from phone to soundbar.
Reset and Re-Initiate Pairing: If the pairing process failed or the connection drops, try restarting and resetting the pairing process from the beginning.
Power cycle both phone and soundbar then go through the steps again carefully.
Also clear out existing pairings from Bluetooth settings if possible before re-pairing.
Check Soundbar Power & Mode Status: Ensure your soundbar is powered on before pairing, and that it remains in Bluetooth discovery/pairing mode during the process instead of idle status.
The mode may time-out so you have to press Bluetooth pairing again.
Indicator lights help show status.
Remove Obstructions & Increase Proximity: Any obstacles or interference between soundbar and phone during pairing can cause issues.
Try removing obstructions and placing phone right near the soundbar during the pairing process for best results.
Proximity is important initially.
Verify Compatibility & Bluetooth Versions: Double-check that your phone and soundbar both support compatible Bluetooth versions and audio streaming profiles.
Incompatibility issues may prevent pairing or cause intermittent streaming failures after connecting.
If problems continue despite troubleshooting, you may need to consult your device manuals or contact Vizio support for additional assistance on getting your phone and soundbar paired properly over Bluetooth.
Follow troubleshooting steps closely to help resolve most common connectivity issues.
Conclusion
Connecting your Vizio soundbar with your phone via Bluetooth might seem complicated, but following the step-by-step pairing and troubleshooting tips outlined here will help ensure a smooth and successful connection.
After checking compatibility, enabling pairing modes, connecting devices, and streaming audio, you can now enjoy superior sound from videos, music, games and more on your smartphone through your soundbar speakers.