The state of DJI's policing, new firmware, Go app, and third-party apps

[AyeYo]

By way of some simple background..

I've been running Go4 4.0.7 and old P4P and P4A firmware on an Android 5 tablet since the day Go 4.0.7 was released. I've flown blissfully issue-free while everyone else screamed, cried, and nashed their teeth at DJI's destruction of its own products.

However, using DroneDeploy is a significant part of my business and they seem to have done something to beginning killing or dropping support for their old app. Their newest app version doesn't like to connect to the drones with old firmware - neither does any alternative mapping software except Pix4D (which will only connect with my phone and not my tablets).

So now I have a dilemma. Do I upgrade firmware just to use the new DD app? How many new issues with this introduce?

My main concern is the stupid "need to be signed in to fly" garbage. I fly in many areas with no service. DD also already has enough connectivity issues as it is. Does this stupid new system mean I have to open the Go4 app and connect to the drone EVERY time the drone is freshly powered on and THEN switch to DD (or whatever other third party app)? I'd like some more information on how this new system actually works and what other issues people are experiencing with new firmware. I've obviously searched and here on Google, but it would take decades to wade through the endless threads full of complaints to find out what the actual solutions are (or are not).

 

[sar104]

There is no requirement to have a network connection in order to fly. You do need to have signed in on the Go app at some point, but not every time you power up and launch. This is a non-issue.

 

[GMack]

Do you need to update the DD app? If all is working well, might benefit to stay there if possible. Even if the chance of breaking it somehow is 10%, might not be worth it.

Problems I run into are the maps on screen may not work if no cellular connection is available unless I can cache them somehow which seems stubborn at times. Also, DJI seems to screw up the drone's firmware which may be your biggest concern by doing any update of theirs. For some, it might not fly as well and do odd things like camera going limp, track or follow me not working right and flying off to who knows where looking for the preset target (ahem!), and now for me, suffering with shaking and wobbles while landing and powering down which sounds like a prop flew off or a bad bearing.

DJI seems on a roll to mess something else up while trying to fix one thing, and it could be perpetuated in their SDK kits the other app makers are using. They had a half year of beta testers giving input to them on their Pinto 4, yet their final release is still messed up for me with the howling and shaking on landing. Sometimes I think their programmers are spies working for another drone maker and on a secret mission to screw up their product line.

Dunno. Ultimately, it's your call.

 

[AyeYo]

Do you need to update the DD app? If all is working well, might benefit to stay there if possible. Even if the chance of breaking it somehow is 10%, might not be worth it.

Unfortunately, it seems I do need to update at this point. The old app has stopped connecting to the drone on all but one of my devices. I can't have no backup device like that. I've tried for the better part of two days to figure out what exactly is allowing it to connect on that one particular device (which is identical to my other tablet) and I can't. Nothing I've done has gotten new or old versions of the app to connect on any other device.

It is crazy that DJI just seems hell-bent on making its own products useless. I always giggle a little when I see a company spending big money on an M210 that's going to end up hampered by the same glitches and issues as a Spark.

 

[AyeYo]

There is no requirement to have a network connection in order to fly. You do need to have signed in on the Go app at some point, but not every time you power up and launch. This is a non-issue.

So do you need to launch the Go4 app every time you power on the drone to "unlock" it?

 

[sar104]

So do you need to launch the Go4 app every time you power on the drone to "unlock" it?

No.