Now that the SDK has been released and there are beta versions of the various apps, which one is best? I don't want to buy all of them for $25 each just to use 1.

• Litchi
• Dronlink
• Rainbow
• Might be more but those are the 3 I've seen today.
  
  

I've used Litchi and had good luck with it.  Seems to be well supported by the developers.  

Does DGI still honor their protection plan if you fly with 3rd party apps and a crash or loss occurs?

Hello there red_canyon16. Good day and thank you for the inquiry. Just a friendly reminder to please use the recommended DJI application ( DJI Fly application ) when flying your DJI Mini 2 to ensure stability and comparability during flight and 3rd party applications can void the warranty of your DJI Mini 2. Thank you and safe flying always.

Litchi appears to be the best of the bunch,  the rainbow demo I saw recently was very poor in comparison.

DJI Stephen Posted at 1-3 19:46
Hello there red_canyon16. Good day and thank you for the inquiry. Just a friendly reminder to please use the recommended DJI application ( DJI Fly application ) when flying your DJI Mini 2 to ensure stability and comparability during flight and 3rd party applications can void the warranty of your DJI Mini 2. Thank you and safe flying always.

Your advice would carry more weight if DJI could author and support their Apps and software more effectively. With each release of the DJI Fly App fewer Android devices are supported. The Go4 App hasn't received fixes for the issues that were created with its last release.

When we buy a DJI product we are buying the hardware, unless a physical copy of the software is contained in the box, and we are free to run any compatible App we choose without risking any warranty cover. The App is a separate entity to the hardware. To suggest anything different would intimate that the customer is leasing the product from DJI until such a time DJI deems it fit to forcibly stop the customer from using the product. Your argument may carry water if the software being used had been stolen from DJI and re-engineered, but in this instance we are talking about Apps developed from SDK's that DJI freely gave to the 3rd party developers.

I would suggest to use the DJI Fly app whenever possible. The version 1.5.4 (latest when I'm writing this) seems pretty stable! But you could try Litchi. The issue with 3rd party apps is it voids your warranty while using them!

I bought my mini2 when it first came out, and have flown it maybe 10 times.  I keep waiting for an app that works, and now it seems DJI got around to it, and now it's too cold out to fly.
My DJICARE (cuz if you don't pay, they don't care) ran out and I didn't even renew it, what a waste of money.
Warranty, ha.  They will make up something to not have to cover it, then point at chinglish to show you they are right.  Nope.
I plan on using Litchi once it's up and running out of beta, and will be thankful to have an app that is not only working, but SUPPORTED.
If I crash in the water and sink or an eagle takes my drone away .... well, that's the way things go, and am willing to risk it, because giving DJI one more penny is not in me.

First of all, I very much want the DJI Fly app to support waypoints and the other new features. I have no idea why they do not do this.
As far as the warranty, I have to give DJI props. I lost my drone because I thought I did something stupid and so I inquired about how to get a replacement drone from DJI. They asked me to send my flight logs, and I did. To my surprise, they covered it under warranty and sent me a new drone for free.

Yaros1 Posted at 1-4 12:39
I would suggest to use the DJI Fly app whenever possible. The version 1.5.4 (latest when I'm writing this) seems pretty stable! But you could try Litchi. The issue with 3rd party apps is it voids your warranty while using them!

The issue with 3rd party apps is it voids your warranty while using them!
That's not true.
3rd party apps would only void warranty if the failure is a result of the 3rd party app (and that would be a very rare situation).