worth updating an iPad mini 4 to iPadOS?

[tusc]

I recently purchased a used Ipad mini 4 on ebay to use exclusively with my Mavic Mini. It came with iOS 12.3.1. I see that iPadOS is now up to 13.3. Is there any reason I should upgrade to iPadOS? I don't want to impact the performance of DJI Fly. Thanks.

 

[old man mavic]

its really up to you if the DJI fly app works ok and theres nothing in the update to make any difference then carry on as you are

 

[Mrveronn]

I updated my iPad Mini 4 (cell version) to the new OS, Fly app works fine...I don't see any real pros or cons as I use the Mini exclusively with my MM...so as old man mavic said, comes down to personal preference.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Can you update the OS on your Mini ? Just updated my Air 2 to 13.3 this morning.

 

[RonW]

My ipad mini 4 was updated to latest firmware and works fine. Some people like to keep on older firmware 'just in case', so it's a personal choice. I'm a Litchi user almost always, and so far no problems.

 

[Guitarzan]

After the holidays, I'm going to purchase an iPad mini 4 for exclusive use with MM...I'm tired of squinting with iPhone 6S, as well as removing the Otter Box before flying. From what I've read, I should be good with a 16GB cellular iPad mini 4, right?

 

[Maxxpsoft]

After the holidays, I'm going to purchase an iPad mini 4 for exclusive use with MM...I'm tired of squinting with iPhone 6S, as well as removing the Otter Box before flying. From what I've read, I should be good with a 16GB cellular iPad mini 4, right?

Have to ask yourself do you need a ipad that will cost an extra phone line. No its not like you want to make phone calls with that. Get one with wifi and more memory cause more mem is what makes anything run better. Check for updates at home that are not that often with the wifi then go fly.

 

[Robert Prior]

Probably worth updating, as iPads running iOS11 and iOS12 have had problems. Keep in mind that DJI does not officially support the iPad for teh Mini, so you are on your own as far as they are concerned.

More here:

Is it possible to use an Ipad or mini-Ipad with the Mavic mini?

I'm currently using an iphone 7 for my screen, but the actual screen is quite small. Is it possible to get the controller to work with a larger screen, since my vision isn't as good as it used to be....lol. Something that would be reasonable off of Amazon? Thanks for any help.....

mavicpilots.com

 

[raymacke]

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Have to ask yourself do you need a ipad that will cost an extra phone line.

The advantage of the cell model over the wifi is the compass which will allow the orientation indicator to work as well as Find My Drone. You do not have to have cell or data services. You will actually want to turn the cell service off in settings

 

[GadgetGuy]

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The advantage of the cell model over the wifi is the compass which will allow the orientation indicator to work as well as Find My Drone. You do not have to have cell or data services. You will actually want to turn the cell service off in settings

This is incorrect. All iPads have a built-in compass. What is missing from the Wifi Only iPads is GPS, which is only needed for resetting the home point to the RC location. Everything else can be obtained by hot-spotting your wifi only iPad to your smartphone.

 

[raymacke]

This is incorrect

My BAD. I meant to say GPS, not compass. But I still stand by the rest. I know you can hotspot it but from what I have read many do not suggest having an additional wifi signal in play when you are flying - especially in that close proximity. I use my cell as a hot spot to update the maps before the flight and then shut it off. Without GPS in the tablet the other features I mentioned don't function.

 

[GadgetGuy]

My BAD. I meant to say GPS, not compass. But I still stand by the rest. I know you can hotspot it but from what I have read many do not suggest having an additional wifi signal in play when you are flying - especially in that close proximity. I use my cell as a hot spot to update the maps before the flight and then shut it off. Without GPS in the tablet the other features I mentioned don't function.

The orientation indicator and Find My Drone have nothing to do with GPS in the iPad. They both work on all iPads because of the built-in compass. I have hotspotted to my iPhone in my pocket from my iPad during all of my DJI flights away from home over the last 4 years and have never had an issue.

 

[raymacke]

The orientation indicator and Find My Drone have nothing to do with GPS in the iPad.

I am no expert but that has not been my experience. Have you tried using Find My Drone with a wifi only device WITHOUT tethering? I have and it did not work. On the map, it showed where the drone was located but the problem was it did not know where I was. Yes, the Home icon (my location) showed on the map but when I started moving my physical location did not change. No matter what direction I walked it stayed locked on my original position. If I turned away the compass showed that but as I walked towards the drone my progress was not registering on the screen. So no idea if I was getting closer to the drone. And how could it? It needs GPS to track where I am and my movement. A compass can't show that - it will give direction not location. If it is tethered to your phone it should work but by itself, I can't understand how a device without GPS can't work.

The orientation indicator may work with a compass only as long as you stay at the original launch point although I could not get mine to function properly.

 

[Guitarzan]

OK, I don't need another phone number for the iPad mini 4, just the cellular (GPS) function, and maybe 32 GB of memory. Shouldn't that do it? Thanks.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I am no expert but that has not been my experience. Have you tried using Find My Drone with a wifi only device WITHOUT tethering? I have and it did not work. On the map, it showed where the drone was located but the problem was it did not know where I was. Yes, the Home icon (my location) showed on the map but when I started moving my physical location did not change. No matter what direction I walked it stayed locked on my original position. If I turned away the compass showed that but as I walked towards the drone my progress was not registering on the screen. So no idea if I was getting closer to the drone. And how could it? It needs GPS to track where I am and my movement. A compass can't show that - it will give direction not location. If it is tethered to your phone it should work but by itself, I can't understand how a device without GPS can't work.

The orientation indicator may work with a compass only as long as you stay at the original launch point although I could not get mine to function properly.

I haven't used the Find My Drone feature, but, as long as you have a cell phone with GPS, you can use it to show where you are, relative to the last displayed location on the wifi iPad. I've always found my drone that way. I also generally don't wander far from my Home Point, but unless you reset the Home Point, the orientation indicator will still be using the original home point. You cannot reset the home point to the iPad/RC location without GPS, but it has been reported the feature still isn't working with cellular iOS devices. You can also use a BT GPS device like the Bad Elf for GPS on a wifi-only iPad, in the same way you can use the internal GPS in the cellular iPads. Until it is verified that GO 4 can still reset the home point to the RC location on a cellular iPad on current iOS, a cellular iPad, it is likely a waste of money. The best solution, if flying from a moving boat, is to regularly reset the home point to the aircraft location, while using a wifi only iPad. To get the orientation indicator on the map to work, you first have to unlock the map orientation, by clicking on the compass icon, but you probably already know that.

 

[raymacke]

as long as you have a cell phone with GPS

So, a wifi IPad Mini will work BUT with an asterisk - * You must have a cell phone WITH hotspot capability.

but it has been reported the feature still isn't working with cellular iOS devices.

It worked fine on my Mini 4 running IOS 13.3

 

[GadgetGuy]

So, a wifi IPad Mini will work BUT with an asterisk - * You must have a cell phone WITH hotspot capability.


It worked fine on my Mini 4 running IOS 13.3

You don't need to have cell phone hot spot capability to use the GPS in your phone to know where you are on a map. The hotspot capability only helps to download maps in the field for GO 4, which can otherwise be preloaded at home over WiFi with good planning.

Which version of GO 4 were you using, and for which aircraft, where you were able to reset the HP to the RC location with iOS 13.3?

 

[Stevee7270]

OK, I don't need another phone number for the iPad mini 4, just the cellular (GPS) function, and maybe 32 GB of memory. Shouldn't that do it? Thanks.

get the 128 GB memory and just wifi

 

[Stevee7270]

apart from the updated 256 GB memory on the Ipad mini 2019 (5) is there any reason to update from a mini 4 to the mini (5) ?

 

[GadgetGuy]

apart from the updated 256 GB memory on the Ipad mini 2019 (5) is there any reason to update from a mini 4 to the mini (5) ?

Mini 5 will future proof you from the obsolescence of the Mini 4 which is now very long in the tooth and almost 3 years old. DJI keeps making the GO 4 app more powerful, requiring the fastest processor to keep up. Mini 5 is noticeably faster than the Mini 4 at all tasks. Additional storage memory beyond the minimum is of no real benefit to GO 4. It won't make things any faster. I updated from a Mini 4 to the Mini 5 as soon as it became available, and would highly recommend it. Mini 4 is truly sluggish by comparison, because of the outdated processor.