GOOGLE MAP PETITION! For Androids outside of China.

[UniqueName]

Please give us GOOGLE MAPS BACK using Android devices outside of China. I'm in Ontario Canada and this stupid, useless 'HERE' maps is either a white rectangle or a green blur.....totally useless. I have a Phantom 4 and a Samsung Tablet E.

I was on location, crew hired, cabins rented for 3 days and was forced (by DJI) to upgrade on my first day to this 'HERE' map. WE HAD TO CANCEL THE ENTIRE SHOOT! (Should I submit a bill to DJI?)

Did I mention I have 40 years experience as a Creative Director creating major International advertising campaigns for companies such as SONY and won't hesitate to go an a Social Media rampage against DJI for leaving it's customers hanging in a (green) fog. WHERE'S YOU'RE LOYALTY TO US!

Did I say Please? Please!

 

[GMack]

Don't think DJI comes here. I doubt they care either and probably have a financial stake in Hero too. I think Intel or MS also has some financial interest in Hero so maybe it will improve - maybe.

Time too look at another flying app like Litchi or Autopilot who still use Google I think.

 

[Jayfdee]

Fly Litchi, much better app and Google maps as well.

 

[UniqueName]

Thanks folks. Fairly new to flying. I have my UAV Pilot Certification & Insurance (Canada). Can you tell me if Litchi totally replaces the GO App. As in 'uninstall GO'. Some sites say you 'start' with GO then force shut it down and then trigger Litchi when in flight. If true, seems unsafe for total control of the drone.

 

[Richard R]

After you use GO for initial activation, you can pretty much do everything (and more) in Litchi. Main thing you miss is the cached videos and pics. I often fly start to finish in both P and F mode on Litchi only. Probably won't uninstall GO (just in case), but its turned off and usually won't be turned on again (I'm on IOS, so minimum worry about Go spontaneously starting up).

 

[UniqueName]

Thanks for sharing your experience Richard. May I ask, "GO for initial activation" means for GPS/Satellites and Home Point (to get SAFE TO FLY) then how do I physically turn it off? Then, do I tap on Litchi to activate it and does it tap into the GPS/Satellites/HOME POINT somehow ... meanwhile is the drone just hovering waiting for instructions/connection to RC while this goes on?
I've been looking at YouTube stuff but no one shows answers.

 

[rocketflyer]

As in 'uninstall GO'. Some sites say you 'start' with GO then force shut it down and then trigger Litchi when in flight. If true, seems unsafe for total control of the drone.

NO, they are wrong. You must however ensure that only the one app (whichever you want to use at the time) is active, ie you must completely kill the other app otherwise the apps will interfere with each other. On some phones you can't even have both apps installed. Refer to the Litchi site which explains this in full.

GO for initial activation

He means you need to use the go app to activate a brand new craft before you can fly at all. Litchi cannot be use for registering/activating your craft.

Home Point (to get SAFE TO FLY) then how do I physically turn it off? Then, do I tap on Litchi to activate it and does it tap into the GPS/Satellites/HOME POINT somehow

Not sure what your question is here.

And BTW which go app are you using? And if you'll excuse the question, why aren't you using an inspire on a commercial shoot which offers better video quality and control options?

 

[Loz]

OP your point well made. As a suggestion - use an iPad / iPhone rather than Android device as IOS devices still use Google Maps for DJIGO (and Litchi). A quick device swap, given the expensive shoot, would have you up and going in minutes if you had access to one. I'm just offering a work around which your post suggests you are not aware of and might save you time and money by not cancelling..


- Phantom P3A and P3P -
Sent from my iPad Pro using PhantomPilots App

 

[BigAl07]

I'd say get a dedicated iOS tablet for your flying needs and worry no more. Would have been an easy solution and most likey someone on-site had an iOS device you could have used.

 

[Onajourney]

Please give us GOOGLE MAPS BACK using Android devices outside of China. I'm in Ontario Canada and this stupid, useless 'HERE' maps is either a white rectangle or a green blur.....totally useless. I have a Phantom 4 and a Samsung Tablet E.

I was on location, crew hired, cabins rented for 3 days and was forced (by DJI) to upgrade on my first day to this 'HERE' map. WE HAD TO CANCEL THE ENTIRE SHOOT! (Should I submit a bill to DJI?)

Did I mention I have 40 years experience as a Creative Director creating major International advertising campaigns for companies such as SONY and won't hesitate to go an a Social Media rampage against DJI for leaving it's customers hanging in a (green) fog. WHERE'S YOU'RE LOYALTY TO US!

Did I say Please? Please!

I must say, if you cancelled the shoot because you did not have maps, you map need to work on your piloting skills. I any event, here's the fix if you want google maps back. Use Google Maps on Android (ROOT)

 

[UniqueName]

OP your point well made. As a suggestion - use an iPad / iPhone rather than Android device as IOS devices still use Google Maps for DJIGO (and Litchi). A quick device swap, given the expensive shoot, would have you up and going in minutes if you had access to one. I'm just offering a work around which your post suggests you are not aware of and might save you time and money by not cancelling..


- Phantom P3A and P3P -
Sent from my iPad Pro using PhantomPilots App

Aww. Now THAT"S a good idea. I'll look into cost. I'm using a Samsung Tab E with a nice large screen. Don't use IOS - any suggestion to model at all?

 

[UniqueName]

I must say, if you cancelled the shoot because you did not have maps, you map need to work on your piloting skills. I any event, here's the fix if you want google maps back. Use Google Maps on Android (ROOT)

Pilot skills: I was going to do an initial on location Waypoint flight so I could return and re-fly in another season. It was quite a distance from home, I did a scout weeks earlier - now I'll fly on those 'scouts'...live and learn. My skills are pretty good. I practice in a local forest in and around trees and haven't hit a thing. It's like an obstacle course. Plus a lot of open air practice.

 

[UniqueName]

I must say, if you cancelled the shoot because you did not have maps, you map need to work on your piloting skills. I any event, here's the fix if you want google maps back. Use Google Maps on Android (ROOT)

Thanks for Google Maps on Android LINK. Much appreciated for your help.

 

[UniqueName]

I'd say get a dedicated iOS tablet for your flying needs and worry no more. Would have been an easy solution and most likey someone on-site had an iOS device you could have used.

Good suggestion. Thanks. I've been PC for decades and don't 'think' iOS. I've worked in TV for 35+ years and it's all PC. Advertising world uses iOS.

 

[UniqueName]

NO, they are wrong. You must however ensure that only the one app (whichever you want to use at the time) is active, ie you must completely kill the other app otherwise the apps will interfere with each other. On some phones you can't even have both apps installed. Refer to the Litchi site which explains this in full.


He means you need to use the go app to activate a brand new craft before you can fly at all. Litchi cannot be use for registering/activating your craft.


Not sure what your question is here.

And BTW which go app are you using? And if you'll excuse the question, why aren't you using an inspire on a commercial shoot which offers better video quality and control options?

Turn ON/OFF: I thought (from all the Youtube videos) that one had to use GO to start 'each' flight (through use of "initially use GO" language). YOU are the first to explain this. Thanks.
APP: I was 'forced' to upgrade to 3.3.3 (my device was locked TILL I UPGRADED).
Version: 01.02.0503
Device: I use a Samsung Tab E (for the large screen as I'm used to on-set TV monitors to frame good shots/video)
Some good folks in this thread suggested going to iOS for Google Maps. I'll look into cost.
Why not Inspire?: We were 'easing' into drone videography. We have 35+ years experience in Advertising, TV & Film (as Art/Creative Director, Producers) but have never ventured into the airborne video world. (I'm showing my age - 63) Believe me, I love it and am saving pennies and casually looking to see what else 'more professional' is out there.

 

[UniqueName]

I'm new to PHANTOM PILOTS. You folks ROCK!!! Thank you so much for your advice and sharing your experience.

 

[GMack]

iOS was a big step up for me into Apple Land. Never been there before, just Windows and Android which sucks badly for video lag issues against iOS too! Especially Samsung and all the crapware they install and then the cellular provider adds their junk too and bloat it up to the point GO won't run right, reboots, or shows ads or "Your phone bill is now due and payable" memos while flying. Terrible system!

Get an iPad Air 2 or Pro with the 9.7 inch screen and be done with it. Fwiw, the iPad Pro 12" runs slower than the 9.7" too, maybe the smaller screen takes less HP to run. Supposedly Apple is coming out with some new ones in a month or two.

For fun, I just opened the map in GO4, Google Earth on a laptop, and the GO4 on a Samsung S6. The Samsung had the worst image resolution with the map (Hero?) - just blurry. The iOS was far better in sharpness than the Android, and Google Earth was equal to the iOS but it would allow me to zoom in much closer than the GO iOS does which seems to lock you from zooming in at some altitude it sets. The same map on iOS and Google Earth appear to be different times of day due to shadows so I don't know if iOS is Google Maps or perhaps something else (I've heard Apple maps mentioned but don't know.). Least I know iOS is far sharper in GO 4 and Android still sucks for their map resolution quality in GO 4.

 

[BigAl07]

Good suggestion. Thanks. I've been PC for decades and don't 'think' iOS. I've worked in TV for 35+ years and it's all PC. Advertising world uses iOS.

I too was all "Windows" for many MANY years. Then my VP decided he wanted our company to switch to iOS (his son had an iPhone and told him how easy it was to use) and against my will (I fought it tooth and nail LOL) I moved over to iOS for phones & tablets. It was a GREAT move and I wish I had done it sooner.

 

[UniqueName]

iOS was a big step up for me into Apple Land. Never been there before, just Windows and Android which sucks badly for video lag issues against iOS too! Especially Samsung and all the crapware they install and then the cellular provider adds their junk too and bloat it up to the point GO won't run right, reboots, or shows ads or "Your phone bill is now due and payable" memos while flying. Terrible system!

Get an iPad Air 2 or Pro with the 9.7 inch screen and be done with it. Fwiw, the iPad Pro 12" runs slower than the 9.7" too, maybe the smaller screen takes less HP to run. Supposedly Apple is coming out with some new ones in a month or two.

For fun, I just opened the map in GO4, Google Earth on a laptop, and the GO4 on a Samsung S6. The Samsung had the worst image resolution with the map (Hero?) - just blurry. The iOS was far better in sharpness than the Android, and Google Earth was equal to the iOS but it would allow me to zoom in much closer than the GO iOS does which seems to lock you from zooming in at some altitude it sets. The same map on iOS and Google Earth appear to be different times of day due to shadows so I don't know if iOS is Google Maps or perhaps something else (I've heard Apple maps mentioned but don't know.). Least I know iOS is far sharper in GO 4 and Android still sucks for their map resolution quality in GO 4.

Thanks for the info. Now to think about another $600+ outlay....

 

[UniqueName]

I too was all "Windows" for many MANY years. Then my VP decided he wanted our company to switch to iOS (his son had an iPhone and told him how easy it was to use) and against my will (I fought it tooth and nail LOL) I moved over to iOS for phones & tablets. It was a GREAT move and I wish I had done it sooner.

Ya. Will start saving my pennies and devote the device to ONLY flying like I do now with my Samsung Tab E. Thanks for the insight.