CODE - Gateway Bluetooth Connection Troubleshooting

All FAQs

How do I connect my CODE amp to the Gateway app?

CODE Gateway Bluetooth

Answer:

First Connection

Connecting to CODE for the first time is a two-step process. Firstly, you pair your device with CODE to make a standard Bluetooth audio connection, then you use the Gateway app to connect to CODE.

Turn CODE on.
Press the Rev and Power buttons together to enable Bluetooth pairing.

The flashing blue light on the EXIT/STORE button indicates that CODE is in pairing mode.

Note that putting CODE into pairing mode it clears any existing Bluetooth pairing on CODE.

(This means that any pairing you had previously set up will no longer work and it is up to you to remove old pairings from your smartphone/tablet. Trying to re-use them will not work.)
Open your device’s Bluetooth screen and scan for the amp.
When an entry for your CODE appears, tap it to pair.
You may be shown a pairing dialog. CODE does not display the pairing code.
Just tap ‘Pair’ and the process will complete.
The Bluetooth light should now be a solid blue colour indicating that a standard Bluetooth audio connection is active.
Optional Check:
Make sure the volume is turned down low on CODE and test the connection by playing some music or other audio from your device. If all is well you can then move on to connecting from Gateway.
Note that the phone should be muted to avoid audio alerts being played through CODE
Start Gateway.
It may ask you for the required permissions to find and connect to your CODE amp. Please allow them.
Gateway will start scannning for CODE units immediately after the required permissions were granted.
Open Menu in order to see a status of the CODE connection.
If Gateway finds your CODE then it will attempt to connect immediately.
If the connection succeeds then you will see the ‘Connected’ status and you can start controlling CODE.
If Gateway can't find or connect to your CODE, then tap the "CODE Connection".
It will show you a lis of available CODE amps that it found. If you can't see any then make a pull down gesture to manually start scanning.
If Gateway doesn't connect automatically to your CODE, then select CODE from the list. This will open the CODE Connection screen.
Press "Connect" button.

Note you can Register with my.marshall either through the my.marshall.com website or on the MENU in Gateway and back-up your presets. These can then be downloaded to another device, or restored to your main device if you upgrade or ever need to re-install Gateway. my.marshall also allows you to download presets created by other users, the Marshall team and music artists.

Note that for security reasons Gateway will only connect to a CODE unit that it is already paired with and connected to for audio. This feature was requested by gigging musicians who wanted to prevent the possibility of audience members trying to hijack their CODE.

Reconnecting for a New Session

When you finish a session with CODE you can just turn off the amp and close the Gateway app. Re-connecting for a new session should happen automatically.

Turn CODE on.
CODE will attempt to connect to the device it was last paired with. This is an automatic process and does not require Gateway to be running. It does require that your device has Bluetooth turned on, of course.
If CODE finds the last paired device and manages to establish a connection the Bluetooth light will turn a solid blue. You can now move on to reconnection with Gateway.

If the blue light does not come on, then check out the trouble-shooting section below
Start the Gateway app.
If you have auto-connect enabled, then Gateway will immediately start scanning for your CODE amp. Gateway can remember multiple CODE amps. If the scan finds a single known amp, then Gateway will try to connect. If it finds multiple known amps, they will be displayed in a list for you to select from.

If no amps are found, try the trouble-shooting section below.
If you do not have auto-connect enabled, then you must start the scanning process by opening the connection tab or tapping the CONNECT button. Gateway will scan for CODE amps and show a list of any it finds. You can then tap on an entry to connect.

If no amps are found, try the trouble-shooting section below.

This process has been given a very full description but in practice it is usually extremely straightforward with auto-connect. You turn on your CODE and start Gateway and wait for the blue light on CODE and the connection icon on Gateway.
When you re-connect to CODE you will usually see a flashing spinner icon next to the Mode icon. This means that your Gateway app is syncing with your CODE unit. It is best to wait a few seconds and let this process complete before starting to use the app to ensure you work with the latest versions of presets.
If you have registered on my.marshall and linked your Gateway app then Gateway will also sync with my.marshall, backing up any edits you have made and downloading any new presets you have added on the website.

Dropped Connection

If your Gateway should lose connection to CODE, then it will immediately start trying to reconnect. This doesn’t usually require any intervention from you although moving your device closer to CODE will ensure a stronger signal.

Check that the blue light is still showing on your CODE unit. This indicates that the standard Bluetooth connection is still present and it is just the Gateway connection that needs to be re-established.

If the blue light goes out indicating that the basic Bluetooth connection has also dropped then DO NOT press the Bluetooth pairing buttons. This will clear your pairing and require you to repeat the pairing process (see ‘Resetting Connection’ below).

Instead, turn the CODE unit off and on again and follow the instructions for ‘Reconnecting for a New Session’.

If a connection is not automatically re-established, despite re-booting CODE, then check out the Troubleshooting section below.

Faulty Connection

On very rare occasions the Bluetooth connection has failed in one direction only. So changes in Gateway are correctly sent to CODE but not vice-versa. Or changes from CODE are correctly sent to Gateway but not vice-versa.

If this happens to you then turn the CODE unit off and on again and follow the instructions for ‘Reconnecting for a New Session’.

Resetting Connection

If all other attempts to connect/re-connect are failing, then you may need to totally reset the Bluetooth connection.

Hopefully you have connected to my.marshall so that your presets are backed up and will be re-downloaded. If not, be aware that the following process will lose any preset edits you have made.

Turn CODE off.
Close the Gateway app.
Open your Bluetooth settings and forget the pairing to CODE.
- iOS Settings -> Bluetooth -> Tap the info icon next to your CODE under ‘My Devices’ -> Tap ‘Forget This Device’
- Android Settings -> Bluetooth -> Tap the cog icon next to your CODE under ‘Paired Devices’ -> Tap ‘Forget’
Now follow the instructions for ‘First Connection’.

Last Resort

As a last resort you can completely remove Gateway and any CODE Bluetooth pairings from your device and start from scratch.

Hopefully you have connected to my.marshall so that your presets are backed up and will be re-downloaded. If not, be aware that the following process will lose any preset edits you have made.

Turn CODE off.
Close the Gateway app and delete it from your device.
Clear any stored data if you have your device set to retain it after app delete.

Android Settings -> Apps -> Gateway -> Tap on the ‘Storage’ line -> Tap ‘Clear Data’, then ‘Clear Cache’.
Open your Bluetooth settings and forget the pairing to CODE.

iOS Settings -> Bluetooth -> Tap the info icon next to your CODE under ‘My Devices’ -> Tap ‘Forget This Device’

Android Settings -> Bluetooth -> Tap the cog icon next to your CODE under ‘Paired Devices’ -> Tap ‘Forget’

Your device should now have no knowledge of CODE and CODE will not be able to reconnect as the device side of the pairing has been forgotten.

Now follow the instructions for ‘First Connection’.

Troubleshooting

The blue pairing light is flashing on CODE but your device cannot see the CODE unit

Make sure that your device’s Bluetooth is turned on.
Move closer to your CODE unit.
Re-press the REV and POWER buttons to re-start the pairing process.
Turn the CODE unit off and back on and press the REV and POWER buttons again.
Make sure you don’t already have an old pairing for this CODE unit. If you do, forget the pairing and try again.
Turn the Bluetooth on your device off and back on.
Re-boot your device.

The blue light is flashing; Gateway can see the CODE unit but fails to pair when tapped

Make sure you don’t already have an old pairing for this CODE unit. If you do, forget the pairing and try again.
Re-press the REV and POWER buttons to re-start the pairing process.
Re-boot the CODE unit.
Re-boot your device.

CODE and your device are paired and connected (solid blue light) but you cannot play music

Move closer to your CODE unit.
Check the volume settings on CODE and your device.
Check your device isn’t muted.
Check that you don’t have another device paired and connected. (If you swap between two different control devices then CODE will automatically reconnect to the last one used)
Re-boot your CODE and allow it to re-connect.

CODE and your device are paired and connected (solid blue light) but music playback is glitchy

Move closer to your CODE unit.
Check that you are not too close to a Wi-Fi router or other source of radio interference.

CODE and your device are connected and you can play music but Gateway can’t see your CODE

Move closer to your CODE unit.
Re-start Gateway and try again.
Re-boot your CODE and wait for the normal Bluetooth to reconnect (solid blue light) then try again.

Gateway can see your CODE unit but when you try to connect you see a message that says “CONNECTION REJECTED - You may only control amps you are already connected to for audio output”

Check that it is your current device that is connected to CODE by playing some audio. (If you swap between two different control devices then CODE will automatically reconnect to the last one used)
Re-start Gateway and try again.
Re-boot your CODE unit and try again.

CODE and your device are connected and you can play music; Gateway can see your CODE but won’t connect

Re-start Gateway and try again.
Re-boot your CODE unit and try again.
Delete and re-install Gateway.

CODE and your device are connected and you can play music; Gateway is connected to CODE but no messages seem to be sent, or messages are only sent in one direction

Re-start Gateway and try again.
Re-boot your CODE unit and try again.
Delete and re-install Gateway.

CODE and your device are paired and connected (solid blue light), Gateway is connected to CODE but the connection keeps dropping

Move closer to your CODE unit.
Check that you are not too close to a Wi-Fi router or other source of radio interference.

When turning on CODE to reconnect with a device you have used before the blue light does not come on

Move closer to your CODE unit.
Make sure your device’s Bluetooth is turned on.
Make sure you are using the same device you last connected to CODE.
Re-boot your CODE unit and try again.
Turn your device Bluetooth off and back on again.
Re-boot your device.

CODE will not reconnect after a firmware upgrade

CODE may have forgotten the standard Bluetooth pairing to your device so you will need to re-pair. Follow the instructions under ‘Resetting Connection’.

Last resort

If all else fails, then try the process under ‘Last Resort’ to start the whole installation and connection process from scratch.