hello there how offen do I have to update the firmware on my phantom 3 standard, just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to keep my drone flying, thanks for any advice,
phantom 3 standard
- Thread starter phantom twin
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If it's new and still under warranty, you will want to update as DJI pushes them out which, on the P3S, is not often. Not updating will risk a warranty claim being denied per the DJI after sales conditions.
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
And on the flip side, if they are older and out of warranty it’s up to you.
For example;
My two P3S’s are almost three years old, both on the same firmware from over two years ago. They fly perfectly with no issues. Plus, none of that GeoFencing nonsense. I haven’t updated the GoApp in over two years either.
Would they both still fly if I updated them today? Probably. Maybe.
But I’d rather not find out since they are not having issues.
I think it’s personal preference depending on your situation and warranty coverage.
For example;
My two P3S’s are almost three years old, both on the same firmware from over two years ago. They fly perfectly with no issues. Plus, none of that GeoFencing nonsense. I haven’t updated the GoApp in over two years either.
Would they both still fly if I updated them today? Probably. Maybe.
But I’d rather not find out since they are not having issues.
I think it’s personal preference depending on your situation and warranty coverage.
Yup, so long as everything is working as you want it to, no need to update.
msinger
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While I think it's best to always update the firmware, it's optional. The DJI warranty includes no language that states warranty claims will be denied when running old firmware.
My cousin tried that. No dice and his claim was denied.
"Damage caused by flights which did not follow instruction manual recommendations"
DJI said he failed to follow instructions to update when prompted.
So many loopholes and they will find one.
msinger
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Interesting. That's the first time I've ever heard of a claim being denied due to using an old firmware version. It would be interesting to check out that case in more detail if you have a link handy.
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captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
I’m surprised they used the word “recommendations” in their text. That would be a gray area for me not being a “requirement” to update firmware when prompted.
Recommended but not required sounds like it’s my choice.
Most definitely your choice. That's exactly what mu cuz said! DJI didn't see it that way :<
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
Understand. Maybe if my birds were new and/or under warranty I’d consider updating. At least I’d have some recourse with DJI if the update bricked the bird.
There are probably hundreds of pilots who update daily with no issues, and we never hear from them on this forum. It is the chosen few that log in to the forum all frustrated and mad due to something going wrong.
I skimmed through the DJI disclaimer and see what you mean. If DJI doesn’t hang you with one loop-hole, there are plenty more to choose from.
I bought a used 3 standard but I'm not sure how old it is if there's is a firmware update won't it show in the app when you sign on to it?
I bought a used Phantom 3 standard and I'm not sure how old it is. If there's a firmware update won't it show you when you sign into the app? Or do you have to manually check it somehow now I'm not sure
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
The available firmware update will usually show up on the GoApp when you start the app. It is up to you whether to update or not.
My two P3S’s are on very old firmware and fly great, so I ignore any firmware updates.
You can find what your current firmware is on the GoApp. You must have the bird ready to fly (powered on) for the information to be available. Go to general settings in the app, and go to the ‘about’ section. It will show you information on your A/C, R/C, and GoApp version.
A word of caution: if you do power up your bird inside, take the props OFF as a precaution. You don’t want an unintentional takeoff.
The subject of updates has been discussed ad nauseam on this site and likely will continue to be. To Captain's point, this entire site may or may not be representative of the world of DJI products at large. And I would agree, typically you don't hear from someone unless they have an issue with something. Of all the topics appearing on this site, I think most would agree that updates (or rather, update failures) regularly fall in the Top 10 discussion threads. And while there are a number of members who are vocal in their support of updates, I tend to believe there's a vocal majority here who have done updates with not so good results and then wrestled with trying to get their machine back to a flyable state. If the whole matter was simply isolated reports from a very small number of users I might be inclined to dismiss them as not knowing what they're doing. But, after seeing so many postings about updates gone bad, I have to believe that there may be more at work here than is known by our community of users. There's no shortage of very knowledgeable and gifted members on this site who regularly enlighten us with their wisdom and insight as to what went wrong after the fact. I'm inclined to believe that there's a smoking gun with respect to the whole matter of updates that may warrant an objective investigation by someone who is knowledgeable in that field. As always, just my two cents.
