Phantom 3 Professional Firmware & DJI GO App Question

[cybtrash]

Good day,

I recently got my hands on a used Phantom 3 Professional from someone who unfortunately became seriously ill. The drone hadn’t been used in quite a while.

It came with two batteries, both still showing one green LED. The remote also had one bar of charge left. I was able to recharge everything to full capacity, and I hope the batteries haven’t suffered any damage from being unused and uncharged for so long - time will tell.

I’d like to keep the drone on its current firmware and avoid any updates. From what I’ve read, I need the DJI GO app to calibrate the drone.
Is there a modded version of the app that doesn’t try to automatically update the firmware? Or should I stick to a specific version?
Also, does the latest version include any embedded firmware files that could be installed without my knowledge?

I live in Germany and of course want to stay within legal boundaries - but I’d also like to avoid the drone becoming restricted or “locked down” in ways I didn’t agree to.

Thank you in advance!

 

[DoomMeister]

You will find all knowledge for the P3 Pro here:

DJI Phantom 3 Professional Accessories & Tips | Phantom Help

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

www.phantomhelp.com

 

[WV. Rootman]

I never had my P3 forced to upgrade. They make it look like you have to upgrade, but don't do it. They don't make any upgrade for P3 anymore. Calibration has nothing to do with upgrading. There are a lot of online hacks for the P3's. Have fun.

 

[quaddamage]

Is there a modded version of the app that doesn’t try to automatically update the firmware?

There was a modded version available through DJI-Rev Mattermost instance, not sure if that's still active.
Personally I modded the app myself, using deejayeye-modder - though I think it was GO4, not the GO3 used with Phantom 3. Or was it? not sure.

Whether the unmodded version will force you to update firmware - I'm not sure. I remember altering some files on my Android device to get rid of the upgrade nag, but that was years ago.

> Also, does the latest version include any embedded firmware files that could be installed without my knowledge?

DJI Go has no embedded FW. It downloads that separately. But if I remember correctly, it was showing full screen "upgrade now" request instead of allowing you to fly. I think I was modifying some JSON files to make the nag disappear, there should be some old posts which describe the procedure in case it happens to you. It's definitely hard to do the modification in the field, but it's really a simple change in a file with information about latest available upgrade.

 

[captainmilehigh]

In my case, I haven't updated the firmware on my P3S's since 2016. They fly great, with no additional limits....and NONE of that GeoFencing garbage DJI came up with a few years ago

If it flies great, don't mess with it. Remember, DJI no longer supports the P3S, so beware. Calibrate yes,......update..NO.

 

[cybtrash]

Thanks to everyone here! You’ve helped me out. Now I can start flying with peace of mind