Newbie Alert -First startup - FW advice please.

[Mavkeb]

Hi everyone.
Newbie alert!
Going to get my brand new Mavic at the weekend!
Been aching to get one for ages and finally got the funds in place so it is a big investment for me and is my first drone. Mavic was the obvious choice for portability and all the features.
Great forum by the way, some very useful info here. Done quite a bit of reading, watching videos etc.
Does anyone know what firmware will be on it out of the box, in the UK?
Anyone bought one from John Lewis? 2 year warranty was the deciding factor, excellent returns policy and it's the same price pretty much everywhere unless you want to chance it.
Will DJI assistant give me all the available update options or just the latest .1000?
Once updated to .1000 can I roll back to previous versions if I have any problems, without any third party software?
I've read a lot about certain issues with certain releases and know it's a personal choice, but don't want to have it 'locked' in to a firmware that might have issues, as .1000 has only just come out.
Conscious that people only tend to write about problems they have had and for every one problematic drone there are probably a hundred ones that work faultlessly but would like to know what cannot be reversed easily.
Going to play safe and close to home till I am comfortable with it anyway.

Thanks for any advice.
Cheers

 

[lisadoc]

Does anyone know what firmware will be on it out of the box, in the UK?

It all depends on when the seller acquired the product, not the country or other factors. Likely, with the time lag between production and purchase, it's probably .700 or before.

Will DJI assistant give me all the available update options or just the latest .1000?

Using DJI Go, it will demand that you update to .1000. If you use DJI Assistant, it may give you the option to update to .900 or .1000. I'm not sure, as I won't update past .700 and simply ignore the higher versions.

Once updated to .1000 can I roll back to previous versions if I have any problems, without any third party software?

Not without 3rd party software (unless you're talking about using Assistant and rolling back to .900 - if it's still available). There's no reason to fear using Dumbldore or other software though, as they have proven very safe and easy to use.

I've read a lot about certain issues with certain releases and know it's a personal choice, but don't want to have it 'locked' in to a firmware that might have issues, as .1000 has only just come out.

Nothing (thus far) is "locked" with the firmware as DJI has not mandated firmware updates on the Mavic, unless you mean that you're not willing to use 3rd party software, as DJI only allows .900 or .1000 as of right now. My personal choice is .400 or .700, but the version that suits you best is the version you should use. Firmware updates though can cause as many problems as they solve, so I recommend to find something you're happy with and stick with it. Honestly, fly it as it comes out of the box and don't update, unless/until you see issues with your Mavic.

 

[Youser]

I'm on the same boat. Hopefully receive mine next week.

What I'd like to know is how to bypass the forced update messages?

From what little reading I've done, people are saying you have your phone on aeroplane mode but wouldn't that disable GPS?

I'd really like to stay with .700 if that's what the mavic comes with.

 

[djnee]

I got my Mavic today, and it came with .400 firmware.
After reading horror stories on here regarding updates getting stuck and all sorts of issues i really wanted to stay with .400.
It was really windy here today, so i couldn't really fly, but i wanted to take off in the garden to check everything was ok, but with the .400 firmware it kept giving me a message that i was locked to 20-50m. Grrr! After trying numerous things and still getting the message i took the plunge and decided to update the firmware (it was a last resort, believe me!)
I decided to download the DJI Assist prog for my PC (windows 7) and it updated to .1000 without a hitch.
I powered it all up, and now i seem to be able to fly as normal.
Like i say, i haven't had a chance to fly properly due to the weather, but after another short take off / landing i the garden everything seems to be as it should.
I'll report back here once i've had a chance to fly it properly..

 

[lisadoc]

What I'd like to know is how to bypass the forced update messages?

From what little reading I've done, people are saying you have your phone on aeroplane mode but wouldn't that disable GPS?

You'll see a message pop up when you connect the DJI Go app that says "Hardware not compatible" or something similar. "Hardware not compatible" is DJI's not-so-subtle way of fooling people into upgrading their firmware. It looks and sounds ominous (which is why they word it that way), but it is meaningless and updating (firmware or app) is not mandatory. I fly with older firmware and older apps, with the data connection on and experience no issue. You can turn it off out of an abundance of caution but up to this point, it's not necessary. I simply click the "Ignore" button, and have been doing so forever. It still flies just perfectly.

DJI can't force an update of your app either. Your device and OS control the updating of apps, not the app owner. All you have to do is turn off automatic updates in Android or iOs and nothing will update without your permission.

I see no reason to avoid connecting to the Internet. I wouldn't be so paranoid at this point about an Internet or data connection until it is shown that DJI is forcing users to update. Until someone notes that their app turns off on them (like was announced with the Spark), there's no real reason to avoid using data from the Internet. You can always roll-back your app or your firmware if that ever happens, so even that isn't a real risk.

Unless or until someone can clearly provide evidence that DJI has forced the app or firmware to be updated when connected to the Internet, there should be no real reason (other than extreme paranoia) to avoid it. Like I said, I have outdated firmware, outdated apps, and regularly use DJI Assistant, and I do it all while connected to the Internet (when available), and I have zero issues.

 

[Youser]

You'll see a message pop up when you connect the DJI Go app that says "Hardware not compatible" or something similar. "Hardware not compatible" is DJI's not-so-subtle way of making/fooling people upgrade their firmware. It looks and sounds ominous (which is why they word it that way), but it is meaningless and updating (firmware or app) is not mandatory. I fly with older firmware and older apps, with the data connection on and experience no issue. You can turn it off out of an abundance of caution but up to this point, it's not necessary. I simply click the "Ignore" button, and have been doing so forever. It still flies just perfectly.

DJI can't force an update of your app either. Your device and OS control the updating of apps, not the app owner. All you have to do is turn off automatic updates in Android or iOs and nothing will update without your permission.

I see no reason to avoid connecting to the Internet. I wouldn't be so paranoid at this point about an Internet or data connection until it is shown that DJI is forcing users to update. Until someone notes that their app turns off on them (like was announced with the Spark), there's no real reason to avoid using data from the Internet. You can always roll-back your app or your firmware if that ever happens, so even that isn't a real risk.

Unless or until someone can clearly provide evidence that DJI has forced the app or firmware to be updated when connected to the Internet, there should be no real reason (other than extreme paranoia) to avoid it. Like I said, I have outdated firmware, outdated apps, and regularly use DJI Assistant, and I do it all while connected to the Internet (when available), and I have zero issues.

Thanks.

I just downloaded the DJI Go App for iOS. I'm assuming it's the latest version. Will I have problems using this with FW less than .1000?

If so, how do I get an older version of the app for iOS?

One other thing, does everyone have to register on the app?

 

[lisadoc]

It was really windy here today, so i couldn't really fly, but i wanted to take off in the garden to check everything was ok, but with the .400 firmware it kept giving me a message that i was locked to 20-50m. Grrr! After trying numerous things and still getting the message i took the plunge and decided to update the firmware (it was a last resort, believe me!)

We're you online and logged into an account? The restriction comes when you're not logged in to a registered DJI account, not when you don't update your firmware.

I'm not saying that it is not possible that DJI forced the update on you but those restrictions (thus far) were limited to people not registered with a DJI account or logged in to that account.

No worries though. You can always rollback your firmware to .700 if you want. Directions here:
How to rollback Mavic firmware

You can always use an anonymous DJI account if you don't want to pass along personal info to DJI.

Anonymous DJI Registration

 

[lisadoc]

Thanks.

I just downloaded the DJI Go App for iOS. I'm assuming it's the latest version. Will I have problems using this with FW less than .1000?

If so, how do I get an older version of the app for iOS?

Latest DJI Go app has no issues working with older firmware versions (thus far).

Digdat0 has a good guide on how to install an older iOs version (it's not very "easy" and requires a 3rd party software but can be managed). iOs is a pain because apps must be registered to your iTunes account to install to your device. Android versions are simple. All you need is an older .apk file and install that file. Digdat0's has a video guide on how to obtain older iOs apps (when you do it for one, it's easy to get any version and download them all. You can then have access to whatever version you wish):

Thanks.

One other thing, does everyone have to register on the app?

You do have to log in to the DJI Go app in order not to have flight restrictions (see post above). However, you can always register with an anonymous account if you want, instead of your own personal details.

Anonymous DJI Registration

 

[Youser]

Latest DJI Go app has no issues working with older firmware versions (thus far).

Digdat0 has a good guide on how to install an older iOs version (it's not very "easy" and requires a 3rd party software but can be managed). iOs is a pain because apps must be registered to your iTunes account to install to your device. Android versions are simple. All you need is an older .apk file and install that file. Digdat0's has a video guide on how to obtain older iOs apps (when you do it for one, it's easy to get any version and download them all. You can then have access to whatever version you wish):

You do have to log in to the DJI Go app in order not to have flight restrictions (see post above). However, you can always register with an anonymous account if you want, instead of your own personal details.

Anonymous DJI Registration

At the moment, are there any advantages to using an older app version?

 

[djnee]

We're you online and logged into an account? The restriction comes when you're not logged in to a registered DJI account, not when you don't update your firmware.

I'm not saying that it is not possible that DJI forced the update on you but those restrictions (thus far) were limited to people not registered with a DJI account or logged in to that account.

No, i was logged in to my account (even made sure by logging out and in a few times, to be safe) and still had the 20-50m message appearing.

 

[lisadoc]

No, i was logged in to my account (even made sure by logging out and in a few times, to be safe) and still had the 20-50m message appearing.

People have reported that this isn't an actual restriction but a shown software restriction (i.e. even if your firmware is lower than .1000, it's not restricted anyway). They readily fly past 50 meters without issue. I routinely fly with older Go apps, so I don't see this restriction, so I suspect that it's in the newest DJI Go app (but unenforced).

You can also use Litchi or some other 3rd party app and never see this restriction.

 

[lisadoc]

At the moment, are there any advantages to using an older app version?

Yes. If you want to use Google maps instead of Here/Apple maps, the possibility of DJI restricting use of older firmware versions, introduction of software glitches or restrictions, etc. There may be a more comprehensive list somewhere or others may wish to chime in.

There's also reasons to use the newer versions (fixed wing mode, etc.).

Bottom line: find a version you like and stick with it. And if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Mavkeb]

Thanks all for your views.
I will see what it comes with and what is available on assistant and try .700 if I can.
Safe flying.

 

[lisadoc]

.700 is not available on Assistant. DJI only offers .900 or .1000 currently (they wiped the other firmware versions so you can't install via Assistant.). You need to use Dumbldore or MavicBreak to roll back firmware.

 

[Mavkeb]

.1000 hasn't been out long.
Is .900 a safe bet or are there known issues to consider?
Thanks

 

[lisadoc]

.1000 hasn't been out long.
Is .900 a safe bet or are there known issues to consider?
Thanks

Many people seem content with .900 . Enough people are griping about .1000 to hold off on that version if you can. (though many other people are not complaining about that version either)

 

[Mavkeb]

Yeah, I think that I will try the .900 and see how that goes, gonna be playing safe and close for a while till I am a bit more experienced anyways.
Cheers.

 

[pure3d2]

You'll see a message pop up when you connect the DJI Go app that says "Hardware not compatible" or something similar. "Hardware not compatible" is DJI's not-so-subtle way of fooling people into upgrading their firmware. It looks and sounds ominous (which is why they word it that way), but it is meaningless and updating (firmware or app) is not mandatory. I fly with older firmware and older apps, with the data connection on and experience no issue. You can turn it off out of an abundance of caution but up to this point, it's not necessary. I simply click the "Ignore" button, and have been doing so forever. It still flies just perfectly.

DJI can't force an update of your app either. Your device and OS control the updating of apps, not the app owner. All you have to do is turn off automatic updates in Android or iOs and nothing will update without your permission.

I see no reason to avoid connecting to the Internet. I wouldn't be so paranoid at this point about an Internet or data connection until it is shown that DJI is forcing users to update. Until someone notes that their app turns off on them (like was announced with the Spark), there's no real reason to avoid using data from the Internet. You can always roll-back your app or your firmware if that ever happens, so even that isn't a real risk.

Unless or until someone can clearly provide evidence that DJI has forced the app or firmware to be updated when connected to the Internet, there should be no real reason (other than extreme paranoia) to avoid it. Like I said, I have outdated firmware, outdated apps, and regularly use DJI Assistant, and I do it all while connected to the Internet (when available), and I have zero issues.

That part isn't entirely accurate. DJI can make use of what's known as "hot code push" on both iOS and Android. Apple has fired the first shot so I doubt DJI would try to push an update to your DJI Go App (they have the ability to). The DJI Go app on Android has some other components which not only allow DJI to push "hot fixes" to the app without going through the Google Play store, some of them have been collecting user data way more than they should be.

The group which figured this out went to the press with this and DJI has since responded by removing some of these "add-ons," but I believe 1 or 2 of them remain. For all intents and purposes, you're good on iOS, but on Android, it's still kind of sketchy. There are people actively working on reverse-engineering the Android app to add the new features while removing all unwanted spying add-ons, phone home subroutines, etc.

 

[Mavkeb]

I'm on iOS so all good there.
I'm not intending to use an older firmware to enable me to mess with any parameters, it's just that I don't want to be a beta tester on a new FW release with an £1100 investment. I'd rather be safe than sorry and you never really know if it is just a very small minority that have issues anyway. People only tend to discuss or highlight problems and not usually when everything is hunky dory. A bit like when people only leave bad reviews for a purchase and never bother if they are totally happy.
Fingers crossed then.

 

[Mavkeb]

Update:
The Mav came with .400 and I haven't updated it. Did all the calibrations etc. Had a few short, close and low practice efforts in the garden in beginner mode and tripod (pretty windy the last 2 days) and everything seems to be hunky dory.
Absolutely loving it. Just need some better weather to venture a bit further out.
I think I will stay put on .400 as long as I don't get any issues. I am coming round to the view of 'it ain't broke - so why fix it'.......[emoji28]