Phantom 3 Advanced Controller not Linking to iPhone/iPad

[HelioCentrick]

Decided to get my old drone out of storage and fire it up. However, there seems to be an issue. The iPhone 17 nor the iPad mini 4 will connect to the controller. The controller just blinks the red light and beeps loudly. The DJI Go app just shows the “How to Connect” button and never shows a button to connect to camera.

iPhone 17 iOS 26.4.2

iPad Mini 4 iPadOS 15.8.7

DJI Go app v3.1.81 (3060)

DJI Controller version - No Idea

DJI Phantom version - No Idea

 

[RodPad]

Hum, welcome to the forum!

You have turned the bird on also?
My mind set at the moment, with or without a mobile device it would be green, no beeping?
Unless they haven't been paired?

Old drone out of storage?
Check this link out

DJI Phantom 3 Advanced Accessories & Tips | Phantom Help

Phantom Help is a site for help with DJI Phantom 3 Advanced drones. Find the latest fixes, how-tos, guides, accessories, modifications, and more.

www.phantomhelp.com

Keep this thread active, you will get help!
Share what you find

A few of us have been here for a while.

Rod ..

 

[HelioCentrick]

Thanks, Rod, for the quick reply!

So, some back story that may or may not be relevant. When I first turned on the controller and drone, there was a lot of lights flickering on the drone, and I remember the controller beeping with a red light as well. Upon a couple more attempts turn off and on's, I got the controller to be green and the drone to also be green on two, red on two. Pressing the left joystick, made the camera gimbal move slightly. But, the phone and tablet never linked to the controller so I never got the "camera" link on the screens. I thought maybe they needed either a firmware update, or some reparing process. I tried all the things people said to do, and eventually I got the drone to flash yellow on two and red on two which it does now and should mean its not paired. The controller is back to just turning on, staying red for 30sec, and then the constant beeping starts. Still nothing on the screens for getting into the drone interface to do any kind of firmware update or stick calibration.

 

[Capt KO]

Red light with beeping controller usually means the control sticks are sticking. The sticks calibration is done in the GO app but first try temporarily moving both sticks throughout their range quickly several times and see if the beeping stops, if so, complete the steps as shown in the app. Don't forget to hit finish when done or you'll need to repeat the steps next time.

 

[crash1sttime]

You really should not have done any firmware updates, the issue you described is due to the app being incompatible with a lot of the newer ios devices, same for android.
Lights on the drone usually reflect the status of GPS lock and will show red and green until it locks enough satellites
To pair this backup you will need to find a device that will run the DJI GO app properly i suggest finding an old android device on nothing higher than android 7.

 

[HelioCentrick]

So yeah, I didn't do any firmware update nor can I do any stick calibration. The root problem is that the iOS devices I have been using do not allow me to connect to the controller in the DJI GO app.

@crash1sttime I will try to get an older device to run the app and see if it can link up with the controller.

 

[HelioCentrick]

I did find this on DJI website -

The iPad mini 4 was the original device that I had and it worked without issue. So, maybe Apple changed something in the iOS? What are other people using to connect to the Phantom 3 Adv?

DJI GO​

Camera Drones
Handheld

Capture the world from above. Compatible with the Phantom 3 Series, Matrice Series , OSMO Series, and more.​

Only supported for download on phones.
iOS
Android
V 3.1.81
Requires iOS 8.0 or later.

Recommended Models
Compatible with: iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus,iPod touch 6,iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 3 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 4, and iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi + Cellular. This app is optimized for iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus.

 

[HelioCentrick]

Oh wow, one more piece of the puzzle. I found the above information on the DJI Phantom 3 Standard page and I checked the Professional page and it says the same. However, on the Advanced page there is no information for using the DJI GO app.

Phantom 3 Advanced - Download Center - DJI United States

Learn and download Phantom 3 Advanced related apps, software, and manuals at the DJI Download Center

www.dji.com

 

[crash1sttime]

Oh wow, one more piece of the puzzle. I found the above information on the DJI Phantom 3 Standard page and I checked the Professional page and it says the same. However, on the Advanced page there is no information for using the DJI GO app.

here is the link for both android and IOS

DJI GO - DJI

Capture and share beautiful content using the DJI GO app with the Phantom series, Inspire series and Osmo. Built for universal DJI compatibility and upgraded usability, simply connect your device, launch the app, and GO.

www.dji.com

 

[HelioCentrick]

So, after more and more testing with cables and turning the controller on and off with the drone, I am now able to connect to the drone with a green light on the controller, and green/red lights on the drone. When I press the left stick on the controller the camera moves slightly. However, I still have no video from the controller to the IPad Mini. I reset the iPad and reloaded the software and created a new DJI account. Nothing. Then I loaded up the DJI App 4, and has an "Enter Device" button that allows me to see the drone software, but just says device is "Disconnected". Obviously, the DJI App 4 doesn't work with the Phantom 3, but it proves the iPad and data cable are working. I suspect there is an issue with the DJI App v3.1.81.

 

[captainmilehigh]

The DJI Phantom 3 Advanced is compatible with the iPad Mini 4 running iOS 15, but it requires using the older DJI GO (v3.x) app. While the hardware is compatible, you may experience stability issues or app crashes, as DJI officially ended support for the Phantom 3 series in early 2023.

The older DJI GoApp 3.1.81 is available for download on the official DJI site, and should be downloaded directly from DJI, not a third party site. I'd suggest you delete the current version, and start over with a clean install.

 

[HelioCentrick]

For iOS you can only download it from the App Store. I have deleted it and reinstalled with same results.

 

[captainmilehigh]

The iPad mini 4 (2015) is no longer supported with major iPadOS updates and is considered obsolete by Apple as of March 2026. It is permanently locked to iPadOS 15 (last version 15.8.x) and cannot run iPadOS 16, 17, or later due to hardware limitations.

Might be time to consider a newer device for your P3A.

 

[rheckbert3]

I am having the same issue - pulled the drone out of storage and can not get the app on the phone to talk to the controller. The controller is taking to the drone with a green light on the controller. I can also start the blades by holding both sticks in the diagonal middle down position. The drone is getting GPS lock with green flashing lights.

I tried this with DJI GO 3 app on IPhone 17 Pro Max with iOS 26. I also tried it on an iPad running iOS 26. Lastly I tried it on a Google pixel with DJI GO 3 downloaded from the website.

I tried multiple cables and was pretty sure I was using the same cable that I used 2 years ago.

Seems like I need an old phone that isn’t supported for updates in order to keep using this drone. P3A.