I can't get self unlocking to work with my Mavic 2 Pro and Smart Controller. Here's the process I followed –
- Applied for and received approval from the DJI Self Unlocking site.
- Downloaded the authorization to the Smart Controller.
- Could not take off with the Smart Controller displaying a message saying that I am in an authorization zone.
Puzzled and frustrated. What am I doing wrong?

Hi. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused. With regards to this concern. May I know what type of restriction are you trying to self unlock your DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Please keep us posted for further assistance . Thank you.

DJI Paladin Posted at 1-7 08:34
Hi. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused. With regards to this concern. May I know what type of restriction are you trying to self unlock your DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Please keep us posted for further assistance . Thank you.

Hi, thanks for taking a look at this. I’ve got two challenges here.

1. Unlocking not working – I applied for and received authorization to fly in a restricted zone. The approval downloaded successfully to the Smart Controller and there it stalled. It’s not downloading to the Mavic 2 Pro so I can’t fly even though I’ve got approval. One thing that puzzles me is the line that says “Aircraft SN” is actually the serial number of the Smart Controller. If that means anything.


2. Restricted zone error – I don’t believe that this area should be a restricted zone in the first place.
I’m flying in a place called Community First Village which is right at the edge of this new Authorization Zone.
The center of the Authorization Zone is listed as the Dryden airport. The FAA says it’s an R site which shouldn’t generate a restricted area.
I’ve successfully flown the drone several times at Community First Village before and never had a problem. This Authorization Zone has just appeared in the past couple of weeks.



Thanks for your help sorting this out.

I got the unlocking to work! Here's what I had to do –
1. Take my laptop, cell phone, Mavic 2 Pro and Smart Controller to the area that needed to be unlocked.
2. Launch the mobile hotspot on the phone and connect up the laptop.
3. Go to DJI's website and apply for a new unlock authorization. Make sure you've got the serial number of your Smart Controller handy.
4. Turn on and connect the Smart Controller to the mobile hotspot. Give it four or five minutes to complete the connection.
5. Turn on the Mavic 2 Pro.
6. Launch the DJI Go 4 app and wait until I got a message that says "Can't take off…"
7. Click on the "..." menu in the upper right corner and scroll it down to Unlocking License List.
8. Click "Refresh" at the bottom of the screen to download the authorization. You may need to do this three or four times before it works.
9. Although all the instructions say that there should be a button on the authorization to download it to the aircraft, there isn't actually one. Nope. No button.
10. Close the Unlocking License List down and return to the main screen the still says you can't take off.
11. Try to take off anyway. Ignore the warning.
12. A message pops up saying that you need authorization to fly in this restricted zone. Click "Yes" and "OK" or "Agree" or whatever through a bunch of different message boxes and voilà, you're unlocked.
This is definitely the process from hell. Who knows what committee designed it if anyone did but it's clearly designed to frustrate and deter customers. The published instructions are wrong, it's error-prone, the messages are misleading, ambiguous and it takes forever. Yeech!

fans55d8c6a0 Posted at 1-7 14:24
I got the unlocking to work! Here's what I had to do –
1. Take my laptop, cell phone, Mavic 2 Pro and Smart Controller to the area that needed to be unlocked.
2. Launch the mobile hotspot on the phone and connect up the laptop.

Thanks for posting. I have added your process to my flight procedures manual. So far I have not had to do this but it's only a matter of time!

Can you let us know your location? Things may be different in other airspaces.

Billboyheritagesurvey Posted at 1-8 02:51
Thanks for posting. I have added your process to my flight procedures manual. So far I have not had to do this but it's only a matter of time!

Can you let us know your location? Things may be different in other airspaces.

I'm in Austin TX. The area in question is to the east of town.

jphelps2630 Posted at 1-7 11:30
Hi, thanks for taking a look at this. I’ve got two challenges here.

1. Unlocking not working – I applied for and received authorization to fly in a restricted zone. The approval downloaded successfully to the Smart Controller and there it stalled. It’s not downloading to the Mavic 2 Pro so I can’t fly even though I’ve got approval. One thing that puzzles me is the line that says “Aircraft SN” is actually the serial number of the Smart Controller. If that means anything.

Hi. Thank you for the additional information. I would recommend to please visit our DJI Fly Safe Geo Zone Map for more details about the restricted zone. For reference I will be posting an Official DJI Tutorial Video for unlocking a zone. Thank you.

DJI Paladin Posted at 1-8 15:36
Hi. Thank you for the additional information. I would recommend to please visit our DJI Fly Safe Geo Zone Map for more details about the restricted zone. For reference I will be posting an Official DJI Tutorial Video for unlocking a zone. Thank you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBG0TD5M3w4

Two things...

You talk about "...the app". What app? The DJI Go4 app? If it is, then say it, because at any given time I doubt many people know what app is actually doing things on the screen.

I applied for and got an authorization online on my desktop. Went to the site. No unlocking list. Lost a client who had come up there to watch the shots being made. The online process asked for the controller serial number. I thought that strange, but didn't question it. I watch this video, and it says to input the drone serial number.

Here is a tip if you want to stay in business. Find out who designs the UI on the controller and the manual instructions. Give that person another job and tell him or her that while they might be great techies, the task requires a great teacher. Preferably someone who knows nothing about the drone. That places him or her in the same position as the customer looking at the drone just out of the box.

Dedicate one of your staff to spend a week with the teacher. Begin at the beginning, end at the end. Consider every question that needs to be answered.  Let the teacher prepare the lessons.  You will probably be able to lay off or reassign whoever is currently continuously having to answer questions that never should have had to be asked.

Techies are great at tech. But there's a reason nobody invites them to parties. They don't communicate well with people who are normal.  And they are poster children for Dunning Kruger effect when it comes to teaching. Tech and teaching do start with the same two letters, but it ends there.

We need a firmware to fix this problem. The other lengthy procedures are not practical and they don’t work. Or else, you need two controllers which is another $200 that you need to spend.

djiuser_A97TrzKt25vH Posted at 5-20 11:11
Two things...

You talk about "...the app". What app? The DJI Go4 app? If it is, then say it, because at any given time I doubt many people know what app is actually doing things on the screen.

100% agree, even talking with the FAA DJI goes two steps above what is required and makes it extremely difficult for the end user. DJI has made this so difficult the FAA is now confused on what waivers or authorizations they need to grant to get DJI allow to fly. I am using DroneDeploy for my flight missions and because of this dumb feature I have to logout every single time, shut everything down during a battery swap, open DJI again, go to the unlocking license to turn it back on, then open DroneDeploy to resume my mission because this option will not stay on. If I have an approved laanc  from the FAA or control tower I should not have to refile for another authorization from DJI. It chews into my allowed time to fly giving me less time to finish my project. If DJI gives me access to this for three days and I do all the required steps I shouldn't have to constantly go turn it on and off better yet not have to do this at all. I will add I am not a recreational user, I am a licensed 107 user using this for a business. Ive gone through all the trainings and know all the rules and regulations.  

fans55d8c6a0 Posted at 1-7 14:24
I got the unlocking to work! Here's what I had to do –
1. Take my laptop, cell phone, Mavic 2 Pro and Smart Controller to the area that needed to be unlocked.
2. Launch the mobile hotspot on the phone and connect up the laptop.

I agree with you, DJI self unlocking process is nothing but a piece of junk.  I am trying to unlock the Mavic Pro 2 using a smart controller.  This is my second attempt to fly a brand new drone and my new product experience is nothing but disappointing.  The unlocking system does not work.  I spent the entire battery and the almost $3,000 U.S DLLS drone is nothing more than a paper weight.  

djiuser_yK9JXOQ3msYJ Posted at 9-16 18:20
I agree with you, DJI self unlocking process is nothing but a piece of junk.  I am trying to unlock the Mavic Pro 2 using a smart controller.  This is my second attempt to fly a brand new drone and my new product experience is nothing but disappointing.  The unlocking system does not work.  I spent the entire battery and the almost $3,000 U.S DLLS drone is nothing more than a paper weight.

me too and im so mad!

Yes, DJJI needs to fix this! I’ve been trying for an hour in a place where I’ve already been able to fly before and I still can’t unlock the stupid drone. DJI makes good drones but they’re terrible at communication, at design, and anything that has to do with people or user friendliness. I’m switching to Autel.

This procedure is unreliable. I am on a paid shoot for a client trying to get shots of a commercial building at sunrise and I’ve already spent an hour, missing sunrise. Trying to get this stupid crap to work. It does not work. This is most frustrating