Be a big spender on your Mavic.

[Panamawise]

You have taken the plunge. You have spent $1000 or more on your drone. You get it home and want to fly right away. You charge it up, head for the outdoors, and are ready to soar into the wild blue yonder. You start everything up, connect to your device, and... nothing. No video, no connection. No joy. Why?

Could it be because you didnt look on the list of approved devices and are having a compatibility problem? In the past few weeks I have seen a number of posts of people who can't connect, connections are lagging, or are disconnecting frequently. Many are from new pilots who are trying to use older devices to run their state-of-the-art drone. OK, some are due to software and firmware, but the majority are from people who are just trying to use a cheap or older device to run their expensive drone.

The Mavic is a mechanical and technological marvel. To get that much technology in a device smaller than a loaf of bread is just amazing. DJI has done their part to bring you up to and into the future, so why stay in the past using an old device? I have found that I have to replace my device every 2 years to keep up with DJI's cycle of innovation. If you are trying to run a device that's more than 3 or 4 years old, try not to expect too much from your drone. Some older Apple devices might be able to keep up, but I have found that android devices need to be replaced more often.

I also believe you should treat your Mavic like a lady. Don't you want your lady to look beautiful? You can keep her looking that way if you show her respect. One of my pet peeves is people using glue instead of replacing a part. Glue might work in emergency but it's unsightly and sometimes will cause you more problems than it will solve.

Self repair is another way to save money, but sometimes by trying to fix one thing you end up breaking another. More complicated repairs should be left to professionals who know what they're doing and will return your drone to you in flyable condition. I'm not using this to self promote, but to discourage amateurs from attempting the complicated repair that could cost them more in the long run.

My whole point is if you want to fully enjoy this hobby you should think about spending a little bit of money up front. One thing would be adding a contemporary device to operate your Mavic if you don't already have one. If you are professional it is really not an option to try to capture customers footage with an inferior device.

Another thing is drone damage insurance. Why take the risk of something bad happening when you could easily buy DJI refresh or get a drone insurance policy from an Insurance company. These policies are readily available and quite reasonably priced.

Every time I do a repair or sell a drone I mention all of these things to my customers. Most listen and enjoy the additional input I give them and wonder why they didn't think of it sooner.

Thank you for reading this long post and I hope you're making the most of this great weather we are having in the USA.

Best regards,

Rob
Thunderdrones

 

[Panamawise]

You have taken the plunge. You have spent $1000 or more on your drone. You get it home and want to fly right away. You charge it up, head for the outdoors, and are ready to soar into the wild blue yonder. You start everything up, connect to your device, and... nothing. No video, no connection. No joy. Why?

Could it be because you didnt look on the list of approved devices and are having a compatibility problem? In the past few weeks I have seen a number of posts of people who can't connect, connections are lagging, or are disconnecting frequently. Many are from new pilots who are trying to use older devices to run their state-of-the-art drone. OK, some are due to software and firmware, but the majority are from people who are just trying to use a cheap or older device to run their expensive drone.

The Mavic is a mechanical and technological marvel. To get that much technology in a device smaller than a loaf of bread is just amazing. DJI has done their part to bring you up to and into the future, so why stay in the past using an old device? I have found that I have to replace my device every 2 years to keep up with DJI's cycle of innovation. If you are trying to run a device that's more than 3 or 4 years old, try not to expect too much from your drone. Some older Apple devices might be able to keep up, but I have found that android devices need to be replaced more often.

I also believe you should treat your Mavic like a lady. Don't you want your lady to look beautiful? You can keep her looking that way if you show her respect. One of my pet peeves is people using glue instead of replacing a part. Glue might work in emergency but it's unsightly and sometimes will cause you more problems than it will solve.

Self repair is another way to save money, but sometimes by trying to fix one thing you end up breaking another. More complicated repairs should be left to professionals who know what they're doing and will return your drone to you in flyable condition. I'm not using this to self promote, but to discourage amateurs from attempting the complicated repair that could cost them more in the long run.

My whole point is if you want to fully enjoy this hobby you should think about spending a little bit of money up front. One thing would be adding a contemporary device to operate your Mavic if you don't already have one. If you are professional it is really not an option to try to capture customers footage with an inferior device.

Another thing is drone damage insurance. Why take the risk of something bad happening when you could easily buy DJI refresh or get a drone insurance policy from an Insurance company. These policies are readily available and quite reasonably priced.

Every time I do a repair or sell a drone I mention all of these things to my customers. Most listen and enjoy the additional input I give them and wonder why they didn't think of it sooner.

Thank you for reading this long post and I hope you're making the most of this great weather we are having in the USA.

Best regards,

Rob
Thunderdrones

I am one of those DoYourselfers Thunderdrones refer to... After my MP crashed against a building in Panama, and I was lucky to find it three weeks later, I initially bought replacement parts on eBay but when faced with totally replacing the gimbal, I found a way to FedEx my drone to Rob. I should have done that from the start. Friendly advice, VERY prompt service, reasonable fee. I am very happy!

 

[Drone on]

My wife and I own and have owned several Apple devices including computers, audio players and handsets and I find they inadequately fit into my ecosystem and philosophy. The deliberate slowdowns of hardware, obstensibly to preserve battery life, is the kind of lack of transparency I've come to expect and experience from DJI. I can see how a person who is satisfied with abdicating choice and control might see a fit between Apple and DJI.

I have no agony. I'm peeved that DJI misdirected me in selecting a handset but now have an inexpensive device that can serve as a back up phone should either my wife or I destroy our current devices. A simple SIM card transfer and software restore and we're up again. It also runs my selected version of Go 4 flawlessly. I agree that Apple devices appear to have a good track record with the Mavic and would be a reasonable choice for people who can accept and tolerate Apple's way.

Please tell me in what way the DJI product called Crystalsky meets your generalization as being "meant for Apple."

Crystalsky is an exception, largely because DJI doesn't allow other apps, or external developers, at least they did not; previously. It's not that Android is a problem in and of itself. Watch the video I referenced for a better explanation of why Android creates challenges.
I have CS Ultra, and believe it or not, it lags. Not badly, but it definitely lags.
I have an old iphone 6, and it performs flawlessly with both the MP, and Spark. Unfortunately, the screen is small and not particularly bright.
I also have a Nexus 7 2013, and it works well. At first it did not perform well. I have had to force shut all other apps, disable notifications, enable debugging as a developer, reduce cache to 1 GB and auto clear cache I've had to strip all resources down to process the Go 4 app. Doing so is essentially the message of the video I referenced. With the iphone 6, I don't have to do any such management. It just works, flawlessly.
I used to despise Apple. I thought they should have been allowed to go bankrupt in the 90s. I thought the whole clique was snobbish, and I hated the fact that if you bought apple you were trapped in apple. 'trappled', if you will.
Now, I greatly appreciate their products. I am not a fanatic. I would never wait in line to get any gadget early. Instead, I appreciate their controlled ecosystem. IMO, this greatly enhances quality control.
BTW: "meant (made) for Apple" is not a generalization. The DJI Mavic Pro box states so. Did you see the picture I included?
I also have the DJI goggles, and while both the CS and goggles are valuable to me, I was disappointed when I learned they were Android. The CS lags as I've mentioned, and the Goggles pixalate (sp?) when the MP travels further out. I sincerely believe both would have worked better if ios, but that's not possible because they are not apps, and so we have android.

 

[chezedog]

I've found that every time I buy some cheap alternative to whatever I really wanted, I'm almost always disappointed. Whether it's Mavic Pro accessories, or not. Do the research, sure, but the good stuff is usually worth it.

 

[Phill]

Just use Litchi guys.
No updates and no probs

 

[Jwelz]

I have my experience with Apple and their hardware is usually brilliant. Like DJI, they do much to protect users from themselves.

Apple's iPhone slowdown: Your questions answered - CNET

Try to switch a Mavic to Atti mode.

I select phones that have user interchangable batteries and a micro SD card slot. I have multiple batteries for my Mavic and also have multiple batteries for my G4 in order to maximize shooting that involves travel or fixed windows of opportunity. My phones use inexpensive OTG adapters that permit the simple built in file manager to back up and move files from the Mavic micro SDs to internal and external storage. It permits immediate zoomable review of actual footage on a sharp phone screen with higher than 1080 resolution while on site.

I'm not dogmatic about any particular hardware or software but am currently invested in something that neither lags nor glitches and fits with my workflow.

I've seen the Drone Valley video. I cue up a playlist of informational videos to watch on a projector during 5/week hour long work out sessions and watched this several months ago. He says that DJI "touches" a lot of stuff. Network? Not in airplane mode. GPS? I rely on the ones in the Mavic. Video encoding? Done on the controller. My G4 shoots 4K and easily handled 4K videos over the OTG connector from a USB stick with never a glitch or lag. I used my V20 to view a 4 K 150 Mb/s file I shot on a Canon XF405 yesterday through a USB card reader plugged into my OTG USB C adapter. Given that OcuSync supports a claimed maximum data rate of 40 Mb/s, one could hardly think that the USB system is stressed. For my purposes, the phone is used as a display device that stores a few settings it can send to the controller. My Mavic has flown well over a hundred times while the Go 4 was crashed without the slightest difference in how it flies. Go 4 is an aid to composition, focus and exposure that caches video to phone storage. As Drone Valley fails to note, perhaps it predated audio support, it also stores concurrent audio via the phone microphone which I have found helpful for events. It can do more but all the obstacle crap is external to the phone. I've had little use for the intelligent flight modes.

I can't recall ever having a flicker, glitch or lag with the G4. Such problems would be caused by signal issues between controller and craft and have nothing to do with the phone.

When I checked app settings to force close Go 4 in the past, it frequently reported network usage which aligns with what the US military has concluded about DJI products. The same goes for for a lot of Chinese phone manufacturers. Having a dedicated flawless device that has an acceptable workflow that has no SIM card that is permanently in airplane mode is a no brainer to me. As a bonus, I periodically clear the flight logs in the app. Using a stable dedicated device in a known good configuration is not being cheap.

I still am unhappy with DJI continuing to keep the V20 on the supported list without explanation or qualification. I'm glad you're happy with your iPhone. My brother uses his Mavic with an iPhone 7 and it works well enough. It is not an acceptable option for me even though the Mavic may have been made to sell in Apple stores.

 

[Jwelz]

I allowed my V20 to update its OS to Android 8.0.0. That device is now no longer able to connect to the Mavic via the controller. I tried the short USB C cable that connects to the shoulder of the shoulder of the controller and after that failed, unplugged that cord and tried 3 other USB C cables to the larger port at the bottom of the controller.

Still wanting to use the V20 as a backup, I finally upgraded Go 4 on it as well as updating the Mavic firmware. The unsupported LG G4 was also upgraded to the latest Go 4 and it a couple test flights confirmed all is well and both controller ports function. Alas, the officially supported V20 continues to fail to connect. I should not have allowed the Android update on the V20 and will need to acquire another G4 in order to have a backup device.

Regrettably, Go 4 no longer even starts unless you give it access to phone in order to "make and manage calls as well as access to your contacts. Curiously it works on tablets without cellular capability. There can be no legitimate need for access to those resources so DJI is probably using them solely to steal information I'd rather not share. Before allowing Go 4 access to phone and contacts, I first removed my email account from the G4 and deleted all contacts and as it doesn't have a sim card, phone capability doesn't apply. As I fly in airplane mode and force stop the app before reactivating Wifi, the G4 remains a viable device for running Go 4 and can use my V20 SIM in a pinch.

DJI has finally convinced me to try rooting the Mavic so I can experiment with different versions of Go 4, dumping restrictions and perhaps getting my V20 back in service with Android 8. Of course, even today, DJI continues to list the V20 as a phone supported for use with the Mavic Pro using Go 4 without any qualification or reservation. That's just as honest as saying Go 4 can't function without ability to make and manage calls.

 

[dondude]

Broke down and bought an Apple iPad mini 4 and have had no issues since. It fits the controller perfectly. I gave up on anything Android. Also bought a cheap right angle usb to lightning connector and it works great. Dji goggles are still my favorite way to fly.

 

[Jwelz]

I own 2 versions of the 9.7" iPads, have had several iPods of various sizes, an iMac, an Apple 2E and iPhones from 3 through 5 and have concluded that I no longer have enough patience to deal with the aggravation the Apple products have caused me.

I've had PC's a good deal longer and have worked in database software development for many years and use several for video editing. I've dealt with Palm and had a preference for Blackberry and Betamax. I use Nikon, Canon, Panasonic and Leica for photography and videography and lean to Canon as I have more and faster glass but there are niche applications better filled by other manufacturers.

I really try to be open-minded and select the best tool for the job but my experience with Apple and their software means I would not enrich that company unless there was an extremely compelling reason to do so. I view DJI in the same light and don't expect to send them another dollar except for possibly a replacement battery or propellers.

I doubt there is any Apple product in existence today that is superior for flying a DJI drone than my LG G4. It is and has been solid and I can swap batteries and micro SD cards and it is fast and responsive with no lag and never crashed after weeks between reboots. Some early G4 models suffered motherboard failures and I had one replaced under warranty but I've also needed warranty service for Apple phones.

 

[MavicMikeMinh]

Some additional clarification might help:

"Made for iPhone" is Apple's licensing program for developers of hardware and software peripherals that work with Apple's iPhone. See Wikipedia for details. The background for having such a licensing program is Apple's proprietary Lightning connector. Androids use standardised USB, love it or loathe it, just a statement of fact. It doesn't mean that a device/drone or App is primarily "Made for..."

About DJI's list of approved devices.
DJI say:
iOS Version v4.2.12.
Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with........

There never was an iOS Version 4.2.12, at least never publicly released. Available versions were 4.2.10 (back in 2011), followed straight by 4.3 (in March 2011). When DJI speaks of version 4.2.12 they must refer to maybe their own version of this compatibility list or something.

The oldest iPhone in the DJI list is an iPhone 5S, this came out in 2013 with iOS 7.

 

[Jwelz]

With the latest Go 4 app release, DJI no longer claim support for any LG phones. I tried it on my V20 just in case since it completely failed with an older version after an Android update but I can no longer get the app to even start without giving it my contacts and the ability to make and manage phone calls. The moment I turn that off, the app refuses to launch unless I give it access. My older G4 will just keep soldiering on with its 1 version older Go 4 which also demands access. Though never supported, it has never failed me in well over a year. As it has No SIM and is devoid of contacts, it is welcome to all the access to making calls it wants

 

[NAVMAV]

Query for Thunderdrones:

We have a one month old Mavic Air Fly More package, and accidentally mulched the tab in the left-side port. We've been searching for repair facilities in Toronto and/or Eastern Ontario, OR a good condition replacement controller.

Can you give us some idea on costs to fix that port? We did find a link for a replacement controller @ around $400 Cdn, BUT would hate to discover the FIX would cost a lot less. Any suggestions?

Rgds, NAVMAV

 

[MavicMikeMinh]

With the latest Go 4 app release, DJI no longer claim support for any LG phones. I tried it on my V20 just in case since it completely failed with an older version after an Android update but I can no longer get the app to even start without giving it my contacts and the ability to make and manage phone calls. The moment I turn that off, the app refuses to launch unless I give it access. My older G4 will just keep soldiering on with its 1 version older Go 4 which also demands access. Though never supported, it has never failed me in well over a year. As it has No SIM and is devoid of contacts, it is welcome to all the access to making calls it wants

What kind of "calls" would a cell phone make when it's used as a controller for a drone?

 

[Jwelz]

Well... Go 4 is an app that is asking for permissions, based on your comment, for which there appears to be no legitimate explanation. Consider the fact that the app can run on a tablet without cellular service and runs just fine in airplane mode on a phone. That leaves only illegitimate reasons.

Furthermore, in the past, I always force stopped unnecessary running apps in order to free up resources for Go 4 and noticed that the Go 4 always reported data usage, even in time periods where I hadn't opened the app or gone flying. Since noticing that, I've always force stopped Go 4 everytime I rebooted my phone and only ever started the app in airplane mode.

Now it could be actively checking the mothership for app or firmware updates or fly zone restrictions periodically, but it also obviously does this when you launch the app for flying, but that still doesn't justify access to my contacts or phone.

DJI has been known to be a risk to military security and I'll post just one quickly Googled link: The Army Grounds Its DJI Drones Over Security Concerns

At the time of that story, the app ran fine without the access it now requires. I believe it's only reasonable to assume DJI is collecting information, I would not choose to share, that it thinks it can use to gain a market advantage. Or worse...