I think there have been comments and threads here talking about the fact that you can't do a self-unlock of DJI's blue authorization zones with the Mini.  I decided to go out and give it a bit of a test to see what it did.  For comparison, I took my Spark and Air with me too.

DJI Support has stated they expect to have the self-unlock feature released in a late December firmware update.

I didn't discuss this in the video, but always make sure you have a solid GPS signal before you take off.  This is important for many other safety reasons, but you don't want it to discover it is in an authorization or restricted zone when it is in the air and have it force you down in a bad spot.

Good job David!
Dji really needs to get this update done sooner than the end of December.

Hi. Thank you for sharing this informative video and your insights with the DJI Mavic Mini. You are correct DJI will be launching a new version of the aircraft firmware and DJI Fly Application in late December to support unlock the no-fly zone. Please pay attention to the official announcement or kindly please visit our official website at www.dji.com. Please submit the unlocking request at that time. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Nice work!

DJI Paladin Posted at 11-18 15:33
Hi. Thank you for sharing this informative video and your insights with the DJI Mavic Mini. You are correct DJI will be launching a new version of the aircraft firmware and DJI Fly Application in late December to support unlock the no-fly zone. Please pay attention to the official announcement or kindly please visit our official website at www.dji.com. Please submit the unlocking request at that time. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Hi,

thanks for this info - suffering the same issue. I live in a restricted zone but we have a huge indoor flight hall. Once the Mini gets GPS signal it starts auto-landing as mentioned and can not take off again (although indoor). This feature to disable the restricted zones is badly missed. What is the planned ETA date for the release?

great video, thanks for sharing.

DJI Paladin Posted at 11-18 15:33
Hi. Thank you for sharing this informative video and your insights with the DJI Mavic Mini. You are correct DJI will be launching a new version of the aircraft firmware and DJI Fly Application in late December to support unlock the no-fly zone. Please pay attention to the official announcement or kindly please visit our official website at www.dji.com. Please submit the unlocking request at that time. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Thanks for the reply. Is there any reason for the update being so late? We're talking more than a month from now. This is basically putting the mini on the ground around the world

Thanks you for your remark !

Thank you Kloogee for sharing this. I don't know as I will be in any zones that would require unlocking, but if I am at least now I know what to expect.  Thanks again man, very informational!!

Pretty poor planning that DJI would release a drone that is locked in places you can legally fly and not have the unlock ready to go for 1 1/2 months.  They should have disabled the lock feature until they were ready with the unlock.  Right now I have a drone that I can’t even fly in y house.  

The Mavic Mini is my first DJI drone and I expected to fly it in Queens this weekend.  Super disappointed as I don't make trips to New York that often and it would've been nice to get some good shots.

I'll be returning mine because of this issue. It is 100% unacceptable to not have this feature ready at launch. You have lost all of my business from this moment on, DJI.

Very good tutorial KlooGee, thank you.

Maybe, waiting for the December update, the option of low altitude flight and 100m distance should be introduce. I just wanna fly it ;d

A ridiculous situation that we are in after spending a fair chunk of money on the Mini, this is NOT acceptable to wait till Late December. This should have been corrected before they sold the first drone.

Zak6 Posted at 11-19 00:24
Hi,

thanks for this info - suffering the same issue. I live in a restricted zone but we have a huge indoor flight hall. Once the Mini gets GPS signal it starts auto-landing as mentioned and can not take off again (although indoor). This feature to disable the restricted zones is badly missed. What is the planned ETA date for the release?

Hi, Thank you for the additional information and inquiry. With regards to your query for the exact day of the release. I am sorry to say the we don't have that information available for now. However, rest assured that our R&D team are working on the said software and once the testing is finished it will be posted and placed on our official DJI website at ( www.dji.com ). Thank you for your understanding and support.

zephiruspt Posted at 11-19 01:15
Thanks for the reply. Is there any reason for the update being so late? We're talking more than a month from now. This is basically putting the mini on the ground around the world

Hi. I am sorry for the trouble. I understand how you feel but for the safety of everyone. We will need to make sure that the DJI Fly Geo Fencing is properly tested and working properly. Rest assured that our DJI R&D team are working and testing the DJI Fly continuously before the said release date. Again, I am sorry for the trouble the thank you for your understanding.

DJI Paladin Posted at 11-19 14:00
Hi. I am sorry for the trouble. I understand how you feel but for the safety of everyone. We will need to make sure that the DJI Fly Geo Fencing is properly tested and working properly. Rest assured that our DJI R&D team are working and testing the DJI Fly continuously before the said release date. Again, I am sorry for the trouble the thank you for your understanding.

Ok, don't release it without proper testing. Let's see if you can make it earlier neverteless

djiuser_CK8Z1xYGy68k Posted at 11-19 07:22
I'll be returning mine because of this issue. It is 100% unacceptable to not have this feature ready at launch. You have lost all of my business from this moment on, DJI.

I can understand being frustrated, but I would suggest taking a look at the bigger picture.  They will likely have this resolved in about a month.  I'm not sure where you live, but the authorization zones in my region are actually quite small.  So even though there are a few places I'd like to fly and can't currently with the Mini, I still have a ton of other places to be able to fly.  I know for some, that means they can't even fly in their house or in their backyard, so I get that can be super frustrating.

However, there really isn't another drone on the market that can do what the Mini can do at that size and price.  Of course there are some other great drones out there such as the Autel Evo, Parrot Anafi, and Skydio 2.  But DJI really does have some of the best products in the market in spite of some of the deficiencies (such as this).  

Anyways, you've got to do what is right for you, just suggesting that in the long run, I'd recommend keeping an open mind and not let a temporary situation cloud your long term decisions.

Cheers!

Brightlights2001 Posted at 11-19 09:44
A ridiculous situation that we are in after spending a fair chunk of money on the Mini, this is NOT acceptable to wait till Late December. This should have been corrected before they sold the first drone.

Although it can be frustrating when a product comes out without 100% of the expected features, in this case, I'm 100% happy they have gone ahead and released it without this feature while they finalize it.

For me personally, I can still use my Mini in 95% of the places I normally would like to fly.  So I still get the chance to play with it for the next 4-6 weeks while they finish off the features to be able to unlock the last 5%.  However, I understand others live in a more challenging location with more restrictions than I do.

My opinion may be a bit skewed though.  I've worked in the software and tech industry most of my life.  So I have some sympathy on how release cycles go....

Cheers!

Oh, I'm also hoping the December update will add manual control for video capture like they have for photos.  Pretty please!

KlooGee Posted at 11-19 20:06
Although it can be frustrating when a product comes out without 100% of the expected features, in this case, I'm 100% happy they have gone ahead and released it without this feature while they finalize it.

For me personally, I can still use my Mini in 95% of the places I normally would like to fly.  So I still get the chance to play with it for the next 4-6 weeks while they finish off the features to be able to unlock the last 5%.  However, I understand others live in a more challenging location with more restrictions than I do.

It should have been disclosed! Or was it and I missed it somewhere??

Alan E Posted at 11-19 20:12
It should have been disclosed! Or was it and I missed it somewhere??

Fair point!  I'm not aware of it being disclosed.

I probably sound like a DJI apologist at this point, but quite honestly, I wonder what is the percentage of users that have a drone using DJI Go 4 that have ever done a self-unlock?  I would guess the percentage is likely in the low single digits and likely even lower for drones such as the Spark that largely attract new drone owners.  

I still think they should have disclosed like you said, but the number of people it likely affects is probably quite low.

zephiruspt Posted at 11-19 14:51
Ok, don't release it without proper testing. Let's see if you can make it earlier neverteless

Thank you for the respond and thank you very much for your understanding.

This should have been disclosed prior to the point of sale,
I understand that many users will not have an issue living in large spaces that do not have any form of restrictions on them.
However for those of us that do live within a NFZ or similar & have taken the effort to get an exemption for the airspace which may take some convincing of authorities in light of the Gatwick Fiasco.
Then not to have the ability to unlock it as we can with our other DJI drones is ver poor planning from DJI & shows a lack of customer focus, If they had told us this upfront then customers could have taken an informed decision as whether to purchase now or await a possible firmware update in 4-6 weeks time presuming all goes well.

Authorization zones for me are quite problematic. I'm from Poland.  In the place where I live there's  fresh build air port ( about 5 years working now) and authorization zone includes my house and big area around it, my work place and basically all places Im spending free time are in that zone. If I want to fly with my drone I need to drive like 45 minutes to place where I will not disturb any one, cause I don't wanna go on some guy field and fly there. Those zones are so big. I understand, safety first. But I live 7 km from air port. Maybe there should be done some changes. Authorization zone maybe should have something like allow to fly in that zone but there's should be altitude limit, cause planes don't fly that low.. At this moment I can't use my drone at all cause don't have time to drive somewhere where I can fly with it safely.  Sorry for spelling and grammar mistakes, english isn't my first language.

gruszon188 Posted at 11-23 12:59
Authorization zones for me are quite problematic. I'm from Poland.  In the place where I live there's  fresh build air port ( about 5 years working now) and authorization zone includes my house and big area around it, my work place and basically all places Im spending free time are in that zone. If I want to fly with my drone I need to drive like 45 minutes to place where I will not disturb any one, cause I don't wanna go on some guy field and fly there. Those zones are so big. I understand, safety first. But I live 7 km from air port. Maybe there should be done some changes. Authorization zone maybe should have something like allow to fly in that zone but there's should be altitude limit, cause planes don't fly that low.. At this moment I can't use my drone at all cause don't have time to drive somewhere where I can fly with it safely.  Sorry for spelling and grammar mistakes, english isn't my first language.

It is unfortunate that the Mini doesn't allow for unlocking of the blue DJI authorization zones. I'm sure this is especially frustrating in your situation.  

However, once they are implemented, I expect it will work very similar to how I demonstrated in the video for the Spark and Air.  It is really quite easy when it works.  However, even if DJI will allow you to fly, you will still need to make sure that you are following whatever regulations apply for your country if you plan to keep yourself legal and out of trouble.

KlooGee Posted at 11-23 13:19
It is unfortunate that the Mini doesn't allow for unlocking of the blue DJI authorization zones. I'm sure this is especially frustrating in your situation.  

However, once they are implemented, I expect it will work very similar to how I demonstrated in the video for the Spark and Air.  It is really quite easy when it works.  However, even if DJI will allow you to fly, you will still need to make sure that you are following whatever regulations apply for your country if you plan to keep yourself legal and out of trouble.

Of course I will follow rules. I don't want to fly on high altitude or far out of sight. I just want to fly in my backyard, that's all.   And btw I'm on this forum because of you're video review of Mavic Mini on YouTube. And when I was looking for some answers on  this forum, searching for information, I came across your post.   Many people did not expect restrictions that came out after the purchase of Mavic Mini.   It's my first drone, but I make some research about flying with drones. And there's was no information about zones. I mean, there was restrictions, like no  flying nearby and over the airport  but is so obvious. Maybe only I have the impression that these zones are too restrictive, that only for me it is so obvious not to fly to the airport because it will create a threat. Not everyone is aware of the threat they can create with their actions.

MavMini Tinfoil

Temp solution to fly indoors in restricted zone until the new firmware drops.  I don't recommend for outdoors.

Supergoldfish Posted at 11-23 16:12
[view_image]
Temp solution to fly indoors in restricted zone until the new firmware drops.  I don't recommend for outdoors.[Image]

Is that safe? I mean, by using aluminum foil you gonna block GPS. But will that not interfere with fly functions of Mavic?

DJI Paladin Posted at 11-18 15:33
Hi. Thank you for sharing this informative video and your insights with the DJI Mavic Mini. You are correct DJI will be launching a new version of the aircraft firmware and DJI Fly Application in late December to support unlock the no-fly zone. Please pay attention to the official announcement or kindly please visit our official website at www.dji.com. Please submit the unlocking request at that time. Thank you for your understanding and support.

DJI should not be putting any restriction on flights other than a warning when in a no fly zone... period.  In fact even in a TFR zone, there should be a "dismiss... i am flying INSIDE" type of option.... or a height limit.  Under no circumstances should a flight in progress be forced into a landing "right where the quad is". RTH should be the only type of forced *option* if it absolutely must be done.  A pilot needs to always have control of their aircraft when in flight.. there should be no discussion on this matter from the point of view from the manufacturer... it is a pilots responsibility to handle the situation.

Tony Faz Posted at 11-24 07:17
DJI should not be putting any restriction on flights other than a warning when in a no fly zone... period.  In fact even in a TFR zone, there should be a "dismiss... i am flying INSIDE" type of option.... or a height limit.  Under no circumstances should a flight in progress be forced into a landing "right where the quad is". RTH should be the only type of forced *option* if it absolutely must be done.  A pilot needs to always have control of their aircraft when in flight.. there should be no discussion on this matter from the point of view from the manufacturer... it is a pilots responsibility to handle the situation.

Good example of this is that I am at 4951 ft. and in a Class C Zone yet the airport is at 5354.9 ft. which is over 400' above my "ground level".  Now i am sure that LAANC will approve my flights where i am, as it says it is an automatic approval where i am at.  The point is that No Drone Manufacturer should be restricting flights.  As a matter of fact it is a conflict of interest and can be held responsible if they enter into that type of behavior.

Seriously? I'm in Bermuda right now and cannot fly my Mini because it's too close to the Airport... That is disappointing

DJI Paladin Posted at 11-18 15:33
Hi. Thank you for sharing this informative video and your insights with the DJI Mavic Mini. You are correct DJI will be launching a new version of the aircraft firmware and DJI Fly Application in late December to support unlock the no-fly zone. Please pay attention to the official announcement or kindly please visit our official website at www.dji.com. Please submit the unlocking request at that time. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Late December is far too Late. Get on to it earlier. You should not release half finished apps

I have a POTUS restriction on entire Miami. That means i have a $500 dollar brick!!! Such a bad decision to go live with a product that is not conplete

fans470395e6 Posted at 11-24 11:05
I have a POTUS restriction on entire Miami. That means i have a $500 dollar brick!!! Such a bad decision to go live with a product that is not conplete

Yup that was not is the flashy sales video was it.

Buy a Mavic Mini and get a crap App that works on hardly any devices and stops you from taking off...…. Thanks for your £459 we might sort it in a month or so if we can be bothered. Oh and our Forum Admin will give standard puerile answers that will just wind you up further

Regardless of this late software update, it's really the shame that this is advertised as "THE EVERYDAY FLYCAM" and you probably wont be able to fly it on most places you travel and you would love to e.g. take a picture of yourself drinking morning coffee on that beautiful lodge as the sun sets up...only because your accommodation is on the landing corridor of local airport.

I know capabilities of this drone, and I'm not imposing that there should be no flight restrictions on it, but is there an option to limit flight altitude in "RED zones" to about 10m-20m, are there legal obstructions in any country?

The sad thing is the response from DJI. The emails are copy paste regardless of the question you have. Every single email i sent got a reply that is exact replica of  the previous reply. Another issue is i am not sure how many people do check the mavic mini before buying.  A little bit of research gives users many reasons to hold on the purchase. The app itself so far is a disaster for me. There are bunch of places that are still in Chinese. There are bunch of people with RTH and Auto Land issues. In the end DJI is not a new kid on the block. They should know that they have reputation in this business. Specially if a competitor comes up and advertises its product as "  A drone that can actually fly" it will make a big difference in marketing. At this point i cant really return it because by the time i return and reorder i will need to wait another 2-3 weeks for the new unit to arrive. Overall DJI did loose credibility for me i am not sure how the fellow pilots will think
cheers

There is also an important point about Liberty and Freedom here. Laws of course exist and People should not break them. It has always been a principal that a person has the choice to use their own common sense if they broke them and if they got caught they should properly suffer the consequences. Technology should not be used to stop you using your common sense..... If you think about this for a while it is a very scary path to go down.

Also presumably the 250g limit was set because it was felt that a drone below this weight was of little danger to things...… So why is it restricted in the App

Bigplumbs Posted at 11-24 22:49
There is also an important point about Liberty and Freedom here. Laws of course exist and People should not break them. It has always been a principal that a person has the choice to use their own common sense if they broke them and if they got caught they should properly suffer the consequences. Technology should not be used to stop you using your common sense..... If you think about this for a while it is a very scary path to go down.

Also presumably the 250g limit was set because it was felt that a drone below this weight was of little danger to things...… So why is it restricted in the App

Yeah, the freedom, right, but you can not ignore the fact that every idiot out there can posses one of these aircrafts nowdays. So, restrictions is a good approach, it just needs to be readjusted...IMO.


It has been many threads where we discussed their "we don't give a damn" attitude here on forum, you get used to it after a while. It is simply as it is and we can't do anything that will make change it aside from making their quasi-support agents reply you here in a "thank you for your blah blah, we will make sure it reaches the right people" manner, most of the time, with few honorable exceptions from time to time.