Anyone have any idea when DJI will update DJI Go 4 and fix the app crash issue for Android users?

[Cyberpower678]

Your model Samsung would be on Android 6.0 Marshmallow??

As I mentioned, it's people on newer devices running 7.0 that are having difficulties....

In my own case, I close all open apps,
run in airplane mode,
turn off Cache Locally and then the phone doesn't lock, only occasional pixelation issues every now and then.

Also we are still missing out on functions that iOS users get in their app.

I hear 7.0 has a bunch of OS API issues which is causing the app to crash. If you ask me it sounds like Nougat is the Windows Vista of android.

 

[cderoche]

I'm in the same boat as you.

This is what is working for me at the moment.
I haven't updated to 4.0.7 as I don't have a Phantom or DJI goggles (no other bug fixes noted in their release)

So DJI GO-4 version 4.0.6
- Sony Xperia XZ Android 7.0
-Switching phone to airplane mode and GPS on
- Turn Cache Locally off in the RC menu
- Do not use the still photo function
(as it will still cache to the phone even though the setting is off .... I have advised DJI)

I have almost 100% stable flights using this setup.
The only locked screen vision I am getting now is if I accidentally bump the photo button on the remote.

We are definitely the poor cousins in the DJI scheme.
We don't get filming options available to the iOS crowd (nowhere in the Android menu can you choose 30fps or 60fps to match vision with a POV camera for instance)

DJI aren't interested in Android....

My app crashed just as much with the previous DJI Go 4 version as much as the newest with fixed wing mode. I've tried turning caching off, reinstalling the app and a number of other things to no avail using my "recommended device" LG V20. I wish they would have never designed their app in Android if they don't want to make it work - then people will either buy a device that works with it or buy a different brand drone. (business they didn't want to lose I'm sure). The fact that my phone is listed as a recommended device weighed heavy on decision to purchase this drone. If Litchi, Autopilot and probably others have figured it out DJI needs to get on the ball or refund me $25 so I can buy a working app as I've told them already.

 

[cderoche]

You can't claim 9/10 Android users have crashes by looking at who complains about crashes on Play Store feedback.
It's never crashed on my Samsung S5, sometimes I get odd things like map in corner disappears or stopping the recording seems sluggish.
Usually find there's 5 or 6 things running in background I forgot to shut down.

I didn't crunch the number and take an online poll, it is just to get the point across. Like saying I have a million things to do today... It's for effect, but from the responses on any Mavic and drone forums I've read, and the play store reviews and many many youtube videos and any info I can get my hands on the vast majority of Android users are having significant app issues, particularly us that have modern devices running the latest OS IE Android 7 Nougat. I'm betting the fix will be Android 8 Oreo, and hope it's not Android 8 OMG.

 

[JoostGT3]

There is no "app crash issue for android users" they can "fix" just in a pinch.

A few device/software combinations don't work well, which is bound to happen due to android fragmentation, but sooo many others work perfectly fine.

I've used about 6 different Android devices with the app and never had any recurrent issue on any of them.

Well, I'm not sure. I think it may have to do with the architecture of android and how processes/memory are managed under the hood as well. This then may or may not surface for the device you are using, depending on available storage, memory, processor and GPU speeds, etc.

It is often mentioned that iOS does not have these issues because there is less of an OS/Hardware fragmentation. Be that as it may, I think there still is quite some fragmentation in the apple environment, so this might still be an issue.

A conclusion could be that despite harware/software fragmentation the software doesn't give as much problems at iOS as it does with android, thus either the DJI iOS app handles issues better, or iOS handles processes in a way that they don't yield issues. In the first case, DJI may solve the Android issues. In the second case, I'm not too sure...

 

[cderoche]

I am not sure how priorities lie with DJI, but I am in the "hardcore android user apple hater bought ipad mini 4 and never had any crashes ever since" boat. Cost me €500,- but couldn't be happier with the results.

DJI should just stop supporting Android and sell the drone with an ipad if they don't plan on fixing the app and making it work the same across the board. Personally I think everything made by Apple is way overpriced and not flexible enough for my uses, but I supposed for a dedicated use like flying a drone I'd consider buying a used or refurbed one, which would still be a rape $$$$.

Although a cheap $80 Android tablet running Litchi would be a smarter choice in my opinion.

 

[JoostGT3]

DJI should just stop supporting Android and sell the drone with an ipad if they don't plan on fixing the app and making it work the same across the board. Personally I think everything made by Apple is way overpriced and not flexible enough for my uses, but I supposed for a dedicated use like flying a drone I'd consider buying a used or refurbed one, which would still be a rape $$$$.

Agree. I had to apply serious man-math to be able to justify the purchase...

 

[adamflath]

Not sure if this adds any value... but I use an original ONEPLUS ONE(Android phone) which runs off the CyanogenMod and it has never crashed with any of the DJI GO app versions. I have experienced a disconnect once or twice though with the older firmware, but havent had enough time with the new .700 firmware to see how it performs.

 

[cderoche]

Not sure if this adds any value... but I use an original ONEPLUS ONE(Android phone) which runs off the CyanogenMod and it has never crashed with any of the DJI GO app versions. I have experienced a disconnect once or twice though with the older firmware, but havent had enough time with the new .700 firmware to see how it performs.

Seems that using an older Android device running anything prior to Nougat is the quick fix for some, but the issue is, how long will the DJI Go 4 app support Android 4 and up, eventually they will move on like all other developers do. I'm thinking about buying one of the Acer Iconia 8" tablets that has the MediaTek processer running Android 6 Marshmallow, at least the software won't be the oldest supported and I might be able to fly longer using it.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

Android means a lot of h/w versions and o/s variants. Much harder to code, test and release solid code for all those variations.

 

[cderoche]

Android means a lot of h/w versions and o/s variants. Much harder to code, test and release solid code for all those variations.

Exactly. Whereas Apple just has to make it work for say an iPhone 7 and an ipad whatever, which they design to specifically work with their own software, not a hundred different phones that wireless carriers add their junk onto. I actually have no other app on my LG V20 running Neugat that consistently crashes like DJI Go 4 which is 100% guarantee, I just tried using the full sized USB connection and still it crashes.

 

[Kilrah]

Be that as it may, I think there still is quite some fragmentation in the apple environment, so this might still be an issue.

Some... but an order of magnitude or 2 less. There are what, roughly 15 iOS devices that can run DJI GO vs hundreds or thousands on Android, and it's known that about 70% of iOS users update within a month of a new SW version being out, vs maybe 6-12 months on android (and that's for a few high end devices, anything not as high profile simply never even receives updates).

3 devices that were upgraded from M to Nougat here and of them only the Shield had some issues at the beginning that were shortly resolved.

 

[Turnerm]

I quit using Android for my flights even though that's my preferred OS. I've been using my iPad Pro without issue.

They really do need to address the Android App. It was very unsettling for my app to crash on my maiden flight...

 

[cderoche]

I quit using Android for my flights even though that's my preferred OS. I've been using my iPad Pro without issue.

They really do need to address the Android App. It was very unsettling for my app to crash on my maiden flight...

Wouldn't it have been much cheaper to just use DJI Go 4 to adjust the settings and use Litchi to fly? I don't have Litchi (yet) but would this be the smartest option? I have nothing Apple and don't want to have to figure out non-compatibility issues with my 10 year old Dell running Windows 10.

 

[harryb]

I quit using Android for my flights even though that's my preferred OS. I've been using my iPad Pro without issue.

They really do need to address the Android App. It was very unsettling for my app to crash on my maiden flight...

True.
I bit the bullet and bought a iPad mini4 because of crashes and Hangar 360 is not supported on android.

 

[cderoche]

True.
I bit the bullet and bought a iPad mini4 because of crashes and Hangar 360 is not supported on android.

Now that is one cool app.
Luckily Android support is on the way at some point...

Hangar 360 FAQs | Hangar
When will you support Android?
"We're working to support Android in the future. We cannot commit to a timeline at this time."

 

[harryb]

Now that is one cool app.
Luckily Android support is on the way at some point...

Hangar 360 FAQs | Hangar
When will you support Android?
"We're working to support Android in the future. We cannot commit to a timeline at this time."

I did read that on their website. Seems like there is no priority for Android support from Both DJI and Hangar 360. The Mini will be dedicated to my Mavic Pro.

 

[dwallersv]

DJI should just stop supporting Android and sell the drone with an ipad if they don't plan on fixing the app and making it work the same across the board. Personally I think everything made by Apple is way overpriced and not flexible enough for my uses, but I supposed for a dedicated use like flying a drone I'd consider buying a used or refurbed one, which would still be a rape $$$$.

Although a cheap $80 Android tablet running Litchi would be a smarter choice in my opinion.

Actually, I think this is basically the Crystal Sky strategy. Except its Android rather than iOS for the very pricing reasons you mention.

I'm pretty sure the main problem is development was first done on iOS, and then the app was ported (rather than starting clean) to Android. This was not planned ahead of time, so the app isn't architected in a way to isolate the respective run-times, which are profoundly different between the two systems.

As such, a beautiful supermodel on iOS is transformed into a Frankenstein on Android with all the crap grafted on, patched, etc. to get it to work.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

Actually, I think this is basically the Crystal Sky strategy. Except its Android rather than iOS for the very pricing reasons you mention.

I'm pretty sure the main problem is development was first done on iOS, and then the app was ported (rather than starting clean) to Android. This was not planned ahead of time, so the app isn't architected in a way to isolate the respective run-times, which are profoundly different between the two systems.

As such, a beautiful supermodel on iOS is transformed into a Frankenstein on Android with all the crap grafted on, patched, etc. to get it to work.

iOS and Android are both 'nix so the underlying code will be identical to a very large degree assuming a GPPL such as C (yechhhh) or some variant. Where it's different is in driving the UI and communicating with the RC. Both areas where the wide variety of hardware and Android version differences would make for more failure opportunities in the s/w. There are probably on the order of a dozen exception cases for each interface ("calls") to the phone/tablet OS for Android GO because of these variances. All these exceptional cases make for complexity and error, not to mention inefficiency.

Apple on the other hand do not make exceptionally bright displays. The new full size pro is quite bright, but others like my iPad 4 mini are not super bright. Also seems to love finger goo. I'm wondering if I should try latex gloves...

DJI have come out with Crystal Sky, and thatsa nice. It would allow them to focus on a given narrow set of hardware and underlying OS version. That is sure to reduce the sort of errors described above. OTOH, it's expensive and to date does not host 3rd party s/w.

While I'm an Apple guy at heart I don't have a lot against Android and if DJI could excel there I'd happily get an Android device to devote to drones.

 

[mark_t]

I'm pretty sure the main problem is development was first done on iOS, and then the app was ported (rather than starting clean) to Android. This was not planned ahead of time, so the app isn't architected in a way to isolate the respective run-times, which are profoundly different between the two systems.

That isn't usually the problem, the core code doesn't change much in my experience. You don't have to look beyond the range of CPU/GPU combinations and the additional customizations and apps that most manufacturers layer onto their devices.

iOS are and always have been incredibly easy to QA as you can test on every device that you will support, can't get even vaguely close to that with Android and even when you pick a subset to test against and 'approve' it only takes a firmware push from the manufacturer to change the playing field again...

At least with Crystalsky, DJI have full control so they should be able to support that to simplay levels of reliability to iOS, with no excuses

 

[cderoche]

Actually, I think this is basically the Crystal Sky strategy. Except its Android rather than iOS for the very pricing reasons you mention.

I'm pretty sure the main problem is development was first done on iOS, and then the app was ported (rather than starting clean) to Android. This was not planned ahead of time, so the app isn't architected in a way to isolate the respective run-times, which are profoundly different between the two systems.

As such, a beautiful supermodel on iOS is transformed into a Frankenstein on Android with all the crap grafted on, patched, etc. to get it to work.

I would settle for a 100% stable Android version even if it was short a few features for now. Just wanna fly the thing without an app crash with stuff I already own. Spent enough money already and it's advertised to run on Android. The crystal sky looks nice but I may as well buy an Apple tablet and a sun hood for half of what that thing costs. And at least the Apple tablet can be used for other things. To me they owe Android users a Crystal Sky for a huge discount to be able to fly normally.