firmware and software: upgrade or don't upgrade and why?

[ac0j]

Not no even close when you said ~ in almost EVERY case~ look what happened on past to android users

I cant think of anything recently that was proved to be a firmware issue.
Most problems do seem to be with certain android phones, but I think that is SOFTWARE problems, not firmware.

 

[Lopez0015]

So best combo for me modded app and 700

 

[ac0j]

When new firmware comes out, we all get the same firmware.
When new software updates come out, we all get the same software.
We all have mavics built the same way.

With that, we are going to blame the small percentage of people that cant make things work on firmware and software probems?
If two people have the EXACT same setup and one has problems, it is not correct to say there are firmware or software problems.

 

[Hollow Dog]

When you took your brand new Mavic out of the box YOU were flying unknown. It is a little ridiculous to think that the MANUFACTURER of the drone would release an untested firmware. I am also confident that they do not make major flight control changes. The biggest firmware/software issues I see people complaining about is;
Not compatible with their old or under powered tablets or phones
They dont want to be reminded that they are in NFZ's
They want to exceed altitude and distance limitations
They dont want to manually adjust their camera settings
In almost EVERY case when a person comes here and claims "firm ware update crashed my drone" It is later discovered to be operator error.

Of course, you can do what you want when it comes to updating or not. But it is not fair for you to give "update or not" advice to people based on your unfounded fears of a catastrophe because of a firmware update.
EVERY firmware version was someones first version. Of course they all work.

Did you read the title of the thread?

 

[ac0j]

Yes
'firmware and software: upgrade or don't upgrade and why?'

Is (basically)"because I'm scared" good advice to give for someone NOT to update? I dont think so.
I say fly it like it came out of the box, update as the manufacturer suggests. If you have problems, figure it out then.

 

[daisy-girl]

I am with the "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" here. As for the win95 argument, if it would be rock stable, secure, would support current hardware etc, and thats how i read "not broken" in an OS case, i would have no problem staying on it.

Ditto that. I'm still using Win 7 in the same state that it was when I bought the four machines. Uncle Norton watches them very carefully for me.

If ever I sense that going online with them is too dangerous, I'll take my two desktops and two laptops offline.

 

[daisy-girl]

When you took your brand new Mavic out of the box YOU were flying unknown.

To the contrary, new in the box is the only time one can rest quite assured that everything works.

 

[LarryM]

Of course, if you update, you need to update EVERYTHING. Not just software, or firmware. IOS must be kept up to date as well.. Some software updates are to adjust to new IOS updates.
Again, "disconnects" and app stopping are 2 completely different things. The RC flys the aircraft, the app just gives you a visual and some additional controls.
There is NO REASON for a mishap if the app drops out. UNLESS you are flying outside of the line of sight and do not understand how to use the distance on the RC to guide it back home.
No one can explain why thousands of people have no issues with firmware using a specific phone or tablet, but there is a couple percent of users with exact same equipment that are convinced their mavic wont work with current firmware. See the problem with that?
Switch device to airplane mode, shut down all other running apps, messaging, and shut facebook and instagram type apps OFF. If you havent done a hard reboot on your phone or tablet in awhile, that is also a GREAT idea before you fly.

Reread this particular reply carefully as it makes some very relevant distinctions. Firmware is 'primarily' associated with the MP and RC units which are the same for everyone whereas software is primarily the DJI GO4 app which needs to run on many different and differently configured phones or tablets. I think the GO4 app is the weak link; learn how to handle the drone with RC alone. You don't need to fear upgrades, but a little caution doesn't hurt, and do a few low risk flights after making changes if for no other reason than finding out what the changes are.

 

[msinger]

As soon as you launch with a new update you're flying unknown.
You could now be running code with a disaster attached to it, or not, but you do know the old code was good because it hopefully flew without a disaster.

Or could you be running old code that contains a bug that you just didn't run into yet? That game of the unknown can be played from both sides of the table.

Like most companies that write software, DJI does not disclose 100% of the bugs that have been fixed in each new release. They just cover the highlights in the firmware release notes. If DJI took the time and company resources to release new code, then I trust it was done for good reason.

And, sure, I never recommend anyone install new firmware the second it is released (unless one is a trailblazer). Play it safe, friend. Wait a few days, a week, or whatever makes you feel comfortable before installing new firmware updates. If dangerous code is released into the wild, you'll surely hear about it here, in the DJI forum, or other places where people are discussing DJI drones.

Personally I found software that works fine about 6 months ago and will never update again because everything works fine. And I don't want to go through update brain damage.

It seems many people fear said brain damage that was never inflected upon them. They read the stories of people on the Internet who post about firmware issues caused by user error, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" warnings from people who never experienced firmware update trouble, etc. Considering the amount of people who own DJI drones, it seems very few of them are running into update problems due to some kind of fault on DJI's end.

 

[ac0j]

Of course, you should do whatever you are comfortable with. I kind of see it Dji knows what they are doing. Not updating to me is like wearing the motorcycle helmet but not buckling the chin strap. Not updating because of what other people say just seems wrong when so many have no issues with current updates.

 

[MikeM3]

If that was true, you would still be on windows 95.
But, as you know, new software wont run on crappy old operating systems.
Pretty much every update for any platform has bug fixes, or they wouldn't be released. Unless you are in the "they are stealing features from me" camp.

Like iOS updates that brick iPhones? Or the OEM 'security patch' that bricked my local Costa Rica carry BLU phone?

The 'latest version' DJI firmware update screwed up the video feed from my Mavic Pro (pixelated screen on a clean install Nexus 7 tablet). Rolled back one version (and back to the Jan 2018 version of DJI GO 4 - which I originally had) and it cleaned up.

Before the 'latest version' firmware update I had zero issues. Firmware update and then the Mavic Pro is useless since I have no FPV. I guess the bug DJI fixed was 'using the drone'.

 

[MichWolverine]

Ok so maybe I should reword some of this in my question. I have an iPad 2 with iPad and recently found out that it won’t work with the Go 4 app. So I also have my current iPhone 7 up to date both iOS & Go 4 app. I’ve also updated the firmware on my Mavic Pro. Now randomly the app disconnects. And ideas why this might be? And how to fix it? What is the the combination that seems to work for anyone else? I also have a Samsung S5 kicking around.

 

[MichiganMavic]

I use an iPhone 7+, IPad Mini4, and a Huawei XT2. I tried all three yesterday and no problems arose. I put all my screens on Airplane Mode and I make sure I have plenty of memory space to not have glitches when running Go4 app.
Also make sure you use a quality cable to the USB on the RC to your monitor. A cheap cable can give you all kinds of trouble. I use a braided “Apple authorized” cable too. [emoji6].
I’m running V01.04.0100 in both Mavics
In Michigan? I’m SE [emoji106]

 

[MichWolverine]

In Michigan? I’m SE [emoji106]

Yes sir. SW Michigan here between Kalamazoo & Benton Harbor not far off I-94.