Got a Phantom 3 Standard for Christmas...the ONLY thing I got.  Got one because my friend has one and loves his.  Mine doesn't work.  Apparently, the firmware upgrade failed at some point.  And under no circumstances would the app let me redownload the update and try again.  Why would you create a drone that relies exclusively on an app for firmware updating that has no way to redownload a failed update?  

Taking it back to Walmart when it opens tomorrow.  Done with DJI.  Please fix this for the rest of your customers.

Sounds like an operator error to me. Updating through the app works fine

I have brought my P3S that I got on Black Friday back to Walmart only to regret that decision. At that price they are good products if you can't afford to go a higher DJI product and can't even deal with P3S problems you'll probably slam your "other brand" drones to wall in no time.

You should be able to update your firmware using the desktop software as well. You shouldn't be stuck to the app only. Have you reinstalled the app tried again?

Be patient, if it's not a defective product you'll be happy when it's hovering steadily in the air with all updates done.

Knobbynomates Posted at 2016-12-26 01:46
Sounds like an operator error to me. Updating through the app works fine

Well, if following the app's directions perfectly is "operator error" then I guess I am guilty.

berkay Posted at 2016-12-26 02:03
I have brought my P3S that I got on Black Friday back to Walmart only to regret that decision. At that price they are good products if you can't afford to go a higher DJI product and can't even deal with P3S problems you'll probably slam your "other brand" drones to wall in no time.

You should be able to update your firmware using the desktop software as well. You shouldn't be stuck to the app only. Have you reinstalled the app tried again?

According to the instructions I downloaded from DJI, it can ONLY be upgraded through the app. Yes, I uninstalled and reinstalled the app 5 times before giving up.

Knobbynomates Posted at 2016-12-25 11:46
Sounds like an operator error to me. Updating through the app works fine

Could have been. Or it could be a hardware failure. It is also doable for a developer to have a boot loader (in protected memory) that no firmware update could touch. Thus no update could ever brick a device.

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-25 13:07
According to the instructions I downloaded from DJI, it can ONLY be upgraded through the app. Yes, I uninstalled and reinstalled the app 5 times before giving up.

You are right, I just checked it, the software is not available for P3S.

Walmart should be able to exchange the product if you keep having problems. That's the plus side of buying things from big retailers.

Sorry for the bad luck, I hope you be on the air in no time!

That must've been your fault. Did you turn off your wifi at all? Did you turn off the drone or controller?If those are no, just get it exchanged saying there is a software issue...

berkay Posted at 2016-12-26 02:31
You are right, I just checked it, the software is not available for P3S.

Walmart should be able to exchange the product if you keep having problems. That's the plus side of buying things from big retailers.

Thanks, but I'm too bummed out by this experience. I am just going to get my money back and wait for the tech to improve. I learned a long time ago to never trust anything that fails right out of the box.

LoganRisen Posted at 2016-12-26 02:33
That must've been your fault. Did you turn off your wifi at all? Did you turn off the drone or controller?If those are no, just get it exchanged saying there is a software issue...

Nope. Did everything exactly as directed.   Then followed a whole bunch of troubleshooting instructions. Nothing works.

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-25 13:07
According to the instructions I downloaded from DJI, it can ONLY be upgraded through the app. Yes, I uninstalled and reinstalled the app 5 times before giving up.

I'm sure it had something to do with the way you installed the FW. I've had my P3S for over a year now and have done at least four FW updates via the GO app and all but one had not a one issue. And the one that did, just reinstall the FW and the second time it worked. It's funny how there's thousands of happy P3S owners and as soon as a newbie has an issue it such a bad product and terrible company. lol

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-25 13:07
According to the instructions I downloaded from DJI, it can ONLY be upgraded through the app. Yes, I uninstalled and reinstalled the app 5 times before giving up.

And you never say why it's not working? Just "mine doesn't work" What does that mean, no details. Error message? Doesn't power up? How are you trying to make it work, walk us through your pre-flight check list?

WilliamM Posted at 2016-12-26 02:41
I'm sure it had something to do with the way you installed the FW. I've had my P3S for over a year now and have done at least four FW updates via the GO app and all but one had not a one issue. And the one that did, just reinstall the FW and the second time it worked. It's funny how there's thousands of happy P3S owners and as soon as a newbie has an issue it such a bad product and terrible company. lol

You should read the Amazon one star reviews ... I should have before buying. My buddy's was so cool I just relied on that impression. My fault, but if you think I'm alone in my opinion you are very much mistaken.

I do have to ask, how did you reinstall the failed update?  Despite multiple reinstalls of the app, I could never get it to give me that option again. I even found the "trick" of holding down on the box icon and looking at the previous versions. This screen tells me the update failed and will not let me do anything else.

BillW50 Posted at 2016-12-26 02:08
Could have been. Or it could be a hardware failure. It is also doable for a developer to have a boot loader (in protected memory) that no firmware update could touch. Thus no update could ever brick a device.

Yes, the noobies are so eager to update right off the bat when they have not even flown their new drone enough to recognize issues. Now they are here wining on day one when they just could have taken baby steps and get to know the drone. The P3 is guaranteed ready to fly right out of the box. I've never heard of a DOA because of broken hardware or firmware.
Just my 2 cents.

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-25 13:50
You should read the Amazon one star reviews ... I should have before buying. My buddy's was so cool I just relied on that impression. My fault, but if you think I'm alone in my opinion you are very much mistaken.

I do have to ask, how did you reinstall the failed update?  Despite multiple reinstalls of the app, I could never get it to give me that option again. I even found the "trick" of holding down on the box icon and looking at the previous versions. This screen tells me the update failed and will not let me do anything else.

First with any product you are going to get 1-2-3-4-5 star reviews. Most one star review are from people that have a issue with a high tech product and just give up and blame the product. It least you are trying to figure it out. Again why do you think the install didn't work?? What are you doing to get it power up?? What issues or error messages are you getting?? It's a great product, and I paid full price a year ago $500. To date have had no real issues, have flown about 80 flights up to 4000 meters (13,000'). But with some mods, yes.

P3 standart é o pior produto da DJI.

Ricardo Ghion Posted at 2016-12-25 14:00
P3 standart é o pior produto da DJI.

English please. "P3 Standard is the worst product of DJI" For the rest of us.

Betamace Posted at 2016-12-25 12:57
Yes, the noobies are so eager to update right off the bat when they have not even flown their new drone enough to recognize issues. Now they are here wining on day one when they just could have taken baby steps and get to know the drone. The P3 is guaranteed ready to fly right out of the box. I've never heard of a DOA because of broken hardware or firmware.
Just my 2 cents.

I agree, you do not have to do an update and you might be better off flying several times before updating.
From what I've read and done, the original FW is good.  It would have been nice if DJI would have said this in their product booklet.

WD9EON Posted at 2016-12-26 03:20
I agree, you do not have to do an update and you might be better off flying several times before updating.
From what I've read and done, the original FW is good.  It would have been nice if DJI would have said this in their product booklet.

You are FORCED by the app to update the FW.

Betamace Posted at 2016-12-26 02:57
Yes, the noobies are so eager to update right off the bat when they have not even flown their new drone enough to recognize issues. Now they are here wining on day one when they just could have taken baby steps and get to know the drone. The P3 is guaranteed ready to fly right out of the box. I've never heard of a DOA because of broken hardware or firmware.
Just my 2 cents.

As a non-newb, I am SURE you are aware that the app will not let you progress to the camera unttil you update the FW, right?  People like you make me wonder why companies have these fora with the bad will you generate.

WD9EON Posted at 2016-12-25 14:20
I agree, you do not have to do an update and you might be better off flying several times before updating.
From what I've read and done, the original FW is good.  It would have been nice if DJI would have said this in their product booklet.

No way to know that though.

When I purchase a computer hardware I never use the drivers CD comes in the box to install software, go ahead and download the newest version of the driver and install that. I took the same approach for the Phantom as well, thinking that newer FW will be healtier.

WD9EON Posted at 2016-12-26 03:20
I agree, you do not have to do an update and you might be better off flying several times before updating.
From what I've read and done, the original FW is good.  It would have been nice if DJI would have said this in their product booklet.

Yeah, there was never bad firmware, what's bad is there's so many youtubers telling ya how to cheat on the upgrade protocol. I would first fly the drone without the go app just to get the feel of how it responds. All essential calibrations can be made with just the remote... if you only take the time to RTFM!
Rant over, I digress.

WilliamM Posted at 2016-12-26 02:57
First with any product you are going to get 1-2-3-4-5 star reviews. Most one star review are from people that have a issue with a high tech product and just give up and blame the product. It least you are trying to figure it out. Again why do you think the install didn't work?? What are you doing to get it power up?? What issues or error messages are you getting?? It's a great product, and I paid full price a year ago $500. To date have had no real issues, have flown about 80 flights up to 4000 meters (13,000'). But with some mods, yes.

It said the update was 100% done. And it just sits there. It say the RC is not connected even with the RC right next to it and video streaming to the phone.  I tried  for four hours googling, installing the app, reinstalling the app, downloading the more detailed manuals, etc.  All I have is a stationary remote canera.

I am no longer interrsted in fixing it. If I have to work this hard just to get to the first flight, it isn't worth the frustration. I get that downloads can fail. Heck, EVERYONE should get that. I just wanted to express my concern to the company that not allowing the app to redownload or otgerwise fix a failed FW update is bad design.

Same thing happened to me. I followed all intructions to the detail; firmware update failed at 73%. Now the smart battery has LEDs 2 & 3 lit, nothing else, and it will not respond. The drone just slowly flashes red. No Wi-Fi signal from the drone or anything.

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-26 03:45
It said the update was 100% done. And it just sits there. It say the RC is not connected even with the RC right next to it and video streaming to the phone.  I tried  for four hours googling, installing the app, reinstalling the app, downloading the more detailed manuals, etc.  All I have is a stationary remote canera.

I am no longer interrsted in fixing it. If I have to work this hard just to get to the first flight, it isn't worth the frustration. I get that downloads can fail. Heck, EVERYONE should get that. I just wanted to express my concern to the company that not allowing the app to redownload or otgerwise fix a failed FW update is bad design.

Looks like you need to contact support. This is only a forum. It's ok to express your  frustration here but... you did buy a sofisticated drone and thus should be aware of the consequence.

Betamace Posted at 2016-12-26 03:51
Looks like you need to contact support. This is only a forum. It's ok to express your  frustration here but... you did buy a second hand drone and thus should be aware of the consequence.

I expect it to work. I own a lot of sophisticated tech. They all work, even with FW updates and failures.  If this is what is to be expected from drones, then I do need to wait awhile before trying again. If I'm going to be an Alpha tester, I would like to be paid.

Can't upload firmware either, keep getting "No SD Card Inserted. Unable to update." SD Card is inserted. I'm pretty freakin' ticked off. Little or no troubleshooting online to figure this out. If anyone knows what to do, I'm all ears!

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-26 03:53
Second hand?  I bought it new from Walmart.

My bad, take it back then.

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-25 14:29
You are FORCED by the app to update the FW.

It does not, many DJI phantom owners just ignore the update message. Now you might have to register/activate the drone on their site before use, but that's different than doing a FW update.

WilliamM Posted at 2016-12-26 04:02
It does not, many DJI phantom owners just ignore the update message. Now you might have to register/activate the drone on their site before use, but that's different than doing a FW update.

The camera button is grayed out and will not work until after you do the FW update.  Moreover, the in-app instructions TELL you to do the update before trying to fly.  Now, if you know some way to work around that, good for you. However, you cannot blame a new user for FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS FROM THE MANUFACTURER.

Mattyyeager Posted at 2016-12-25 14:56
Can't upload firmware either, keep getting "No SD Card Inserted. Unable to update." SD Card is inserted. I'm pretty freakin' ticked off. Little or no troubleshooting online to figure this out. If anyone knows what to do, I'm all ears!

Try formatting the card, FAT.

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-25 14:45
It said the update was 100% done. And it just sits there. It say the RC is not connected even with the RC right next to it and video streaming to the phone.  I tried  for four hours googling, installing the app, reinstalling the app, downloading the more detailed manuals, etc.  All I have is a stationary remote canera.

I am no longer interrsted in fixing it. If I have to work this hard just to get to the first flight, it isn't worth the frustration. I get that downloads can fail. Heck, EVERYONE should get that. I just wanted to express my concern to the company that not allowing the app to redownload or otgerwise fix a failed FW update is bad design.

You line "And it just sits there. It say the RC is not connected" Sometimes you need to re-link the RC to the AC after a FW update. The more you post, the more I think your not doing things that need done. Besides the re-linking, you are connected to the Phantoms wifi, correct? Is the large LED on the RC green or red?

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-25 15:04
The camera button is grayed out and will not work until after you do the FW update.  Moreover, the in-app instructions TELL you to do the update before trying to fly.  Now, if you know some way to work around that, good for you. However, you cannot blame a new user for FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS FROM THE MANUFACTURER.

Was the drone powered up this whole time? And the RC LED green?

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-25 14:53
I expect it to work. I own a lot of sophisticated tech. They all work, even with FW updates and failures.  If this is what is to be expected from drones, then I do need to wait awhile before trying again. If I'm going to be an Alpha tester, I would like to be paid.

Again, don't take this the wrong way but I really think your just missing something here. Also if it wasn't the weekend and a holiday one of the DJI reps would have jumped into this thread by now.

WilliamM Posted at 2016-12-26 04:13
You line "And it just sits there. It say the RC is not connected" Sometimes you need to re-link the RC to the AC after a FW update. The more you post, the more I think your not doing things that need done. Besides the re-linking, you are connected to the Phantoms wifi, correct? Is the large LED on the RC green or red?

Yes I relinked it. How else would it stream video to my phone?   Yes, I uninstalled/reinstalled the app (5 times). Yes, I downloaded the more detailed manual. Yes, I read it. Yes, I downloaded and read the little manual specifically for P3S FW updates  I watched youtube videos. I followed step by step instructions on drone websites.  I spent 4 hours trying to make this thing work. It is broken.

I may have never flown a drone before but I am neither an idiot nor new to computers, phones, and tech in general.  The FW upgrade pretty much bricked my drone (at least as far as its ability to fly is concerned).  

WilliamM Posted at 2016-12-26 04:08
Try formatting the card, FAT.

How? I can't do it through the app.

Theadversary Posted at 2016-12-26 04:04
The camera button is grayed out and will not work until after you do the FW update.  Moreover, the in-app instructions TELL you to do the update before trying to fly.  Now, if you know some way to work around that, good for you. However, you cannot blame a new user for FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS FROM THE MANUFACTURER.

The camera button is always gray when the drone is not linked. RTM

WilliamM Posted at 2016-12-26 04:18
Was the drone powered up this whole time? And the RC LED green?

Yes.  And I waited until the app said it was 100% installed.

Betamace Posted at 2016-12-26 04:22
The camera button is always gray when the drone is not linked. RTFM

It is also gray when you start it for the first time. Linking comes before the update in the Fing Manual. It was linked before. It was linked after. It won't fly and as hard as it may be for you to believe, it ain't operator error.

Mattyyeager Posted at 2016-12-25 15:22
How? I can't do it through the app.

When everything is powered up if the large LED on the RC is green you can do it through the Go app, via the camera settings. If not, you'll need a card reader and do the format via your computer. Remember it's FAT.