Couldn't fly because of update

[Jim D]

I just got back from a three week trip to the mountains of British Columbia and Alberta. After driving half a day to get to an incredibly beautiful remote valley I was very unhappy to find the drone wouldn't go more than 50m up or away until I logged in and did an update, which was obviously impossible at that location. I'm actually more of a still photographer, so still captured some great images from the ground with my Sony Cameras. The next night I brought it into a restaurant with wifi and updated. Anyone else had this issue?

 

[shb]

I just got back from a three week trip to the mountains of British Columbia and Alberta. After driving half a day to get to an incredibly beautiful remote valley I was very unhappy to find the drone wouldn't go more than 50m up or away until I logged in and did an update, which was obviously impossible at that location. I'm actually more of a still photographer, so still captured some great images from the ground with my Sony Cameras. The next night I brought it into a restaurant with wifi and updated. Anyone else had this issue?

Seems strange because you should be able to fly without doing a firmware update. How would it even know there was a firmware update available, if you didn't have internet?
I just had to unlock a geo zone that I had already unlocked after I updated fly. I didn't like that, and it shouldn't happen.

 

[WanderLost]

I just got back from a three week trip to the mountains of British Columbia and Alberta. After driving half a day to get to an incredibly beautiful remote valley I was very unhappy to find the drone wouldn't go more than 50m up or away until I logged in and did an update, which was obviously impossible at that location. I'm actually more of a still photographer, so still captured some great images from the ground with my Sony Cameras. The next night I brought it into a restaurant with wifi and updated. Anyone else had this issue?

I think there are 2 things here. The drone will only go a short distance if you aren't logged in. You can also cancel the update and perform it later. I got stuck performing an update in the field the other day and it took over 30 minutes draining 10% out of my battery. If I would have known it would take that long, I would have canceled and performed the update at home over WIFI.

You should always check to see if you are logged in before heading for places that might not have cell service. Once logged in, you will be fine to fly even in areas where there's no service.

Apparently the app will log you out if you haven't used it in 3 months.

 

[Felix le Chat]

This is another subject I'm going to be watching with interest. There are quite a few other people on this forum reporting similar behaviour.
Questions:
What firmware is the drone on?
What version of the FLY app?
Did the drone exhibit this behaviour with the previous version?
How long ago did you last update the app or firmware?

 

[shb]

I think there are 2 things here. The drone will only go a short distance if you aren't logged in. You can also cancel the update and perform it later. I got stuck performing an update in the field the other day and it took over 30 minutes draining 10% out of my battery. If I would have known it would take that long, I would have canceled and performed the update at home over WIFI.

You should always check to see if you are logged in before heading for places that might not have cell service. Once logged in, you will be fine to fly even in areas where there's no service.

Apparently the app will log you out if you haven't used it in 3 months.

 

[djwak59]

Possibly anything to do with the “jump through flaming hoops” of RID updates/ registration ??

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

Possibly anything to do with the “jump through flaming hoops” of RID updates/ registration ??

NO, this is most likely the random logging out of his account. I don't think anyone has figured out quite what triggers it.

 

[rwilliam99]

Apparently the app will log you out if you haven't used it in 3 months.

Someone reported in a different thread that it was a one month logout if you had not been active.

All I know is that if you haven't flown in a few weeks, it is prudent to verify everything is functional before leaving to fly somewhere that doesn't have cell service. I've been caught by this as well and it is really frustrating.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

The auto logout started with a FW update 2-3 versions back. Had the same problem which as mentioned above a lot of pilots have complained about. After the first occurrence and finding the problem, I make sure to sign in routinely checking settings and making sure it is connected before leaving on a flight.

 

[Jim D]

Thanks for all the replies. It was the login that shut me down. First time it has happened to me. I haven't been flying much lately so it must have logged me out - never happened before so I didn't know it was a thing. Good advice to turn it on and keep it logged in every now and then, esp. before a trip into the back-country.

 

[Zbip57]

That auto logout is a real nuisance!

I use a password-safe program to generate and store random passwords that cannot be easily guessed (or remembered!). The first time I got hit with this auto logout nonsense I, of course, had no clue what my password actually was. I needed access to my computer to retrieve that password, and then painfully re-enter the random series of characters, digits, and letters one-by-one to login to the Fly app again . Nuts...

Now I'll need to change my DJI password to a less secure one that I can actually remember whenever I eventually need to use it next time.

 

[pommy]

Sure is a pain. It’s got me a few times without cellular service available, so no way to log in. Sucks. Used to stay logged in.

 

[pistel]

Same for me during summer vacation this year with my Mini. Perfect weather, perfect spot... but stop, no Login possible...
So In this situation I quickly changed to Litchi, just not to miss the chance.
But yes, that's annoying.

 

[Daytona500]

Now I'm wondering, I haven't flown my air 1 since I got the mini pro 3, like a long time LOL wonder if it will fly , need to chrg Bats and see.

 

[EssenYVR]

Same for me during summer vacation this year with my Mini. Perfect weather, perfect spot... but stop, no Login possible...
So In this situation I quickly changed to Litchi, just not to miss the chance.
But yes, that's annoying.

So what I'm taking away from this thread is that if you're about to set out on an outing with your drone it's a good idea to launch it at home first to make sure there aren't any pending issues that would cause it to require an Internet connection....?

 

[Zbip57]

So what I'm taking away from this thread is that if you're about to set out on an outing with your drone it's a good idea to launch it at home first to make sure there aren't any pending issues that would cause it to require an Internet connection....?

Yup. It's yet one more [NEW] item to add to the before-leaving-home checklist.

Like, did you remember to stick the micro-SD card back into the drone this time, and not leave it in your computer as you did when leaving on your last vacation? D'oh!

 

[EssenYVR]

Yup. It's yet one more [NEW] item to add to the before-leaving-home checklist.

Like, did you remember to stick the micro-SD card back into the drone this time, and not leave it in your computer as you did when leaving on your last vacation? D'oh!

I have the same type of microSD card in the drone and in the controller. I basically never use the one in the controller, it's primarily there as backup for the one in the drone. If I'm on a trip I'll sometimes swap the two of them partway through so that if I loose the drone then at least I'll still have the footage I shot earlier.