I have flown my new Mavic Air a handful of times and it consistently experiences loss of connection and a choppy video feed when only 200-300 meters away. The other issue I am encountering is a distortion to the video when using quick shots (see image below). Any advice on how to remedy these issues would be greatly appreciated.

The video breakup is something that progressively became worse and worse for me with my Mavic Pro. I have spent some time trying to analyse the source of the problem and it is most likely that the elecronics in the "viewing device" (eg smartphone) gets overheated because of the amount of processing it has to increasing do as mor and more updates are made to the DJI GO 4 app. If you check the recoeded video in the SD card in your drone you will find that it is fine - the problem of course being that you can't seewhat the drone camera is pointing at.

(Woops - I hit the ENTER key before I was finished. My drone is in for repairs due to the issue and the DJI technician report is that the drone is fine. Late last year I would start to get video corruption when the ambient temperature went over 32ºC and the smartphone temperature was over 45ºC. I got a second hand smartphone (Sony) that had a manufacturer specification of 45ºC and the corruption vanished. However, there was an update of the DJI GO 4 software and the problem started to appear in my second phone when the ambient temperature exceeded 35ºC. Early this year there was both a firmware update and another DJI GO 4 software update and both my smartphones now had severe corruption within 30 seconds of starting. I even resorted to sticking one of the smartphone into the deep freezer till it was at 10º - and that made virtually no difference. I know that DJI recommend a short list of "viewing devices" to use with the drones, but I had no problems with my first smartphone (HTC Desire) between April2017 and late November. I have not got my Mavic back yet from the Melbourne repair centre so will be very curious to see what the final outcome will be. The current DJI GO4 app I have is v4.2.6 and I have seen one posting elsewhere mentioning that the current versions of the app are causing problems for Android units. They recommended stepping back to v4.1.15 to stop the video issue - I still have not worked out how to do that, but then am still waiting for my drone to come back.

Hi there, for the range issue, please make sure that you had fully unfolded the antennas of the drone, check and try to select the channel with less noise on the WiFi settings,  please make sure the remote controller’s antennas are positioned parallel to and are pointed towards the aircraft, ensure the firmware has updated to the latest version, also according to the picture above, there are trees around, please try to fly in another open area.
And regarding the distortion, just to verify, have you checked if the original video on the drone also displays the same? Please help to confirm. If the video on the drone is fine, the issue might relate to the mobile device or interference. Please tell me the mobile device you are using, try to reinstall the latest DJI GO 4 app, remember to do a backup like syncing the flight record and saving the pics and videos before your reinstallation, change another place. If it doesn't help, please also try another mobile device that is on the support list to ensure the compatibility. Thanks.

SA Mavic Posted at 2018-3-5 19:01
(Woops - I hit the ENTER key before I was finished. My drone is in for repairs due to the issue and the DJI technician report is that the drone is fine. Late last year I would start to get video corruption when the ambient temperature went over 32ºC and the smartphone temperature was over 45ºC. I got a second hand smartphone (Sony) that had a manufacturer specification of 45ºC and the corruption vanished. However, there was an update of the DJI GO 4 software and the problem started to appear in my second phone when the ambient temperature exceeded 35ºC. Early this year there was both a firmware update and another DJI GO 4 software update and both my smartphones now had severe corruption within 30 seconds of starting. I even resorted to sticking one of the smartphone into the deep freezer till it was at 10º - and that made virtually no difference. I know that DJI recommend a short list of "viewing devices" to use with the drones, but I had no problems with my first smartphone (HTC Desire) between April2017 and late November. I have not got my Mavic back yet from the Melbourne repair centre so will be very curious to see what the final outcome will be. The current DJI GO4 app I have is v4.2.6 and I have seen one posting elsewhere mentioning that the current versions of the app are causing problems for Android units. They recommended stepping back to v4.1.15 to stop the video issue - I still have not worked out how to do that, but then am still waiting for my drone to come back.

Sorry for the difficulties, could you please provide me with your case number so I can help to check? According to your description, I suspected that it was the transmission video corrupted. So had you checked the videos on your SD card? And since the mobile device you mentioned above might not be the recommended device, there might be a compatibility issue for running the DJI GO 4 app. So when you got the drone back, except downgrade the DJI GO 4 app, if it is possible, please also test a device which is on the support list for troubleshooting.

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-3-5 19:30
Sorry for the difficulties, could you please provide me with your case number so I can help to check? According to your description, I suspected that it was the transmission video corrupted. So had you checked the videos on your SD card? And since the mobile device you mentioned above might not be the recommended device, there might be a compatibility issue for running the DJI GO 4 app. So when you got the drone back, except downgrade the DJI GO 4 app, if it is possible, please also test a device which is on the support list for troubleshooting.

I had a couple of busy days - finally got back here. My case number is CAS-1495728-Y1K3B2. I have 2 smartphones I use with my drone - a HTC Desire 626 which I have used since I bought the Mavic back in April (?) 2017 and, apart from a poor contrast screen, I had no operational issues between it and the drone till around November. I got a second hand Sony Xperia Z1 (better contrast screen) to use 4-5 months ago and it worked well till around late November. I kept both smartphones updated with the latest DJI software and I recall at one point commenting to my wife that I was doing more software and firmware updates for the drone than I was doing with Windows 10 on my computer. It would have been late November- early December when I started having video breakup issues with the HTC smartphone but not with the Sony, until the summer temperatures rose higher (I have a FLIR thermal camera and measure the drone and smartphone temperatures with that). I found that the HTC would get distorted video if ambient temperature exceeded 32ºC and the Sony when above 36ºC.  (It is only the video stored on the smartphones that is distorted - the drone's SD card is fine). The latest firmware/software updates in early January were the real killer (DJI GO 4 v4.2.6 and drone v01.04.0300). From this point there was no link to ambient temperature - the corruption was almost instantaneous. I even put one smartphone into the freezer till it was at 10ºC and the video was still corrupted within seconds of turning the drone components on. I don't need to have the motors on, just the power on to the drone. As long as the drone is sitting still then the smartphone image is ok, but as soon as I move the drone manually and change the view that the camera sees then the image starts to break up. This happens with both smartphones, and the probability of the same internal malfunction happening to both smartphones immediately after the latest DJI app updates is almost zero.

SA Mavic Posted at 2018-3-8 15:47
I had a couple of busy days - finally got back here. My case number is CAS-1495728-Y1K3B2. I have 2 smartphones I use with my drone - a HTC Desire 626 which I have used since I bought the Mavic back in April (?) 2017 and, apart from a poor contrast screen, I had no operational issues between it and the drone till around November. I got a second hand Sony Xperia Z1 (better contrast screen) to use 4-5 months ago and it worked well till around late November. I kept both smartphones updated with the latest DJI software and I recall at one point commenting to my wife that I was doing more software and firmware updates for the drone than I was doing with Windows 10 on my computer. It would have been late November- early December when I started having video breakup issues with the HTC smartphone but not with the Sony, until the summer temperatures rose higher (I have a FLIR thermal camera and measure the drone and smartphone temperatures with that). I found that the HTC would get distorted video if ambient temperature exceeded 32ºC and the Sony when above 36ºC.  (It is only the video stored on the smartphones that is distorted - the drone's SD card is fine). The latest firmware/software updates in early January were the real killer (DJI GO 4 v4.2.6 and drone v01.04.0300). From this point there was no link to ambient temperature - the corruption was almost instantaneous. I even put one smartphone into the freezer till it was at 10ºC and the video was still corrupted within seconds of turning the drone components on. I don't need to have the motors on, just the power on to the drone. As long as the drone is sitting still then the smartphone image is ok, but as soon as I move the drone manually and change the view that the camera sees then the image starts to break up. This happens with both smartphones, and the probability of the same internal malfunction happening to both smartphones immediately after the latest DJI app updates is almost zero.

Hi there, thank you for your update. After checking the case, since our engineers had tested both Android and iOS devices and confirmed there was no problem, it means the drone should work properly. The mobile device you mentioned above are not the suggested devices, which means it might be not compatible with the DJI GO 4, especially there are functions added in the latest firmware and DJI GO 4 app. Devices might have compatibility issues if the configurations are not strong enough. I advise that when you get the drone back, you can test the device which is on the support list. Thank you for your understanding.

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-3-8 21:28
Hi there, thank you for your update. After checking the case, since our engineers had tested both Android and iOS devices and confirmed there was no problem, it means the drone should work properly. The mobile device you mentioned above are not the suggested devices, which means it might be not compatible with the DJI GO 4, especially there are functions added in the latest firmware and DJI GO 4 app. Devices might have compatibility issues if the configurations are not strong enough. I advise that when you get the drone back, you can test the device which is on the support list. Thank you for your understanding.

I can't say that I am very impressed if drone owners will need to but new "viewing devices" because DJI are making increasingly complex software for existing equipment. If DJI are trying to make one software package to suit all the various model drones then surely this will increase issues for many users. Would it not be more practical to have software versions for different model, as surely they have different features - like with the Mavic Air, with rear view cameras. Am I correct in assuming that DJI are trying to produce a "one size fits all" software app, and firmware package?

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-3-8 21:28
Hi there, thank you for your update. After checking the case, since our engineers had tested both Android and iOS devices and confirmed there was no problem, it means the drone should work properly. The mobile device you mentioned above are not the suggested devices, which means it might be not compatible with the DJI GO 4, especially there are functions added in the latest firmware and DJI GO 4 app. Devices might have compatibility issues if the configurations are not strong enough. I advise that when you get the drone back, you can test the device which is on the support list. Thank you for your understanding.

Hi DJI Thor. I had been patiently waiting for the return of my Mavic Pro so I sent an email to the repair centre in Melbourne asking why it had taken over 12 working days since they had looked at my drone, and I still had not got it back. Their answer was more than astounding - they claimed they had been waiting for me to send them an email asking to have the drone back!!!  The few emails I received reporting that they could not find a fault all said at the end "do not respond to this email".  At the start of this "repair" process I was very impressed with the service, but the delay really is inexcusable.  My drone has been sitting in Melbourne for a fortnight with nothing being done to it and they were not going to send it back till I asked for it!  I have made it very clear that I want it returned asap - and they have agreed to send it back. I hope this is not standard practice for DJI.

SA Mavic Posted at 2018-3-15 04:43
Hi DJI Thor. I had been patiently waiting for the return of my Mavic Pro so I sent an email to the repair centre in Melbourne asking why it had taken over 12 working days since they had looked at my drone, and I still had not got it back. Their answer was more than astounding - they claimed they had been waiting for me to send them an email asking to have the drone back!!!  The few emails I received reporting that they could not find a fault all said at the end "do not respond to this email".  At the start of this "repair" process I was very impressed with the service, but the delay really is inexcusable.  My drone has been sitting in Melbourne for a fortnight with nothing being done to it and they were not going to send it back till I asked for it!  I have made it very clear that I want it returned asap - and they have agreed to send it back. I hope this is not standard practice for DJI.

Sorry for keeping you waiting, your reply to that email might not be received, however, any question, we look forward to your contacting us on the support page. http://www.dji.com/support
Since the drone has been shipped, we hope you can receive it soon.

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-3-8 21:28
Hi there, thank you for your update. After checking the case, since our engineers had tested both Android and iOS devices and confirmed there was no problem, it means the drone should work properly. The mobile device you mentioned above are not the suggested devices, which means it might be not compatible with the DJI GO 4, especially there are functions added in the latest firmware and DJI GO 4 app. Devices might have compatibility issues if the configurations are not strong enough. I advise that when you get the drone back, you can test the device which is on the support list. Thank you for your understanding.

> If DJI are trying to make one software package to suit all the various model drones then surely
> this will increase issues for many users. Would it not be more practical to have software
> versions for different model, as surely they have different features - like with the Mavic Air,
> with rear view cameras. Am I correct in assuming that DJI are trying to produce a "one size
> fits all" software app, and firmware package?

They actually have two different versions of the app now - DJI Go for models prior to the Phantom 4, and DJI Go 4 for those newer. But of course, when the latter version shall support Phantom 4's, Mavics and Inspire 2, it is probably becoming rather bloated...

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-3-5 19:19
Hi there, for the range issue, please make sure that you had fully unfolded the antennas of the drone, check and try to select the channel with less noise on the WiFi settings,  please make sure the remote controller’s antennas are positioned parallel to and are pointed towards the aircraft, ensure the firmware has updated to the latest version, also according to the picture above, there are trees around, please try to fly in another open area.
And regarding the distortion, just to verify, have you checked if the original video on the drone also displays the same? Please help to confirm. If the video on the drone is fine, the issue might relate to the mobile device or interference. Please tell me the mobile device you are using, try to reinstall the latest DJI GO 4 app, remember to do a backup like syncing the flight record and saving the pics and videos before your reinstallation, change another place. If it doesn't help, please also try another mobile device that is on the support list to ensure the compatibility. Thanks.[view_image]

The footage as retrieved from the drone itself is fine, and I am yet to try a phone other than a Moto G5.
As for the signal issues, I am still unable to fly more than a few hundred metres (still less than a kilometre in rural areas) away without the connection cutting out. Making sure the legs are folded out, and the channel is clear.

djiuser_Dq33MvhJcbU2 Posted at 2018-4-2 20:18
The footage as retrieved from the drone itself is fine, and I am yet to try a phone other than a Moto G5.
As for the signal issues, I am still unable to fly more than a few hundred metres (still less than a kilometre in rural areas) away without the connection cutting out. Making sure the legs are folded out, and the channel is clear.

I'm using Moto G5 plus as well with my DJI Spark. I also have distortion on my quickshots on the phone's cached footage, but on the SD card it's perfect. The only time you should be using the cached footage stored on your phone is to retrieve the audio recorded during the flight. The video stored on the phone will ALWAYS be inferior, so just don't try. Use your SD card video instead.

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-3-16 02:48
Sorry for keeping you waiting, your reply to that email might not be received, however, any question, we look forward to your contacting us on the support page. http://www.dji.com/support
Since the drone has been shipped, we hope you can receive it soon.

Hi DJI Thor, Well I finally received the drone package on the 28th March - 12 days after I received the parcel tracking code (16th March). I don't know how much of the delay was due to DJI administration and how much to Australia Post, but on the 22nd March the tracking code indicated indicated the parcel was still in Melbourne (suburb of Mt Waverley) and on the 23rd it had suddenly travelled 1600km north to another post office where it stayed until it reappeared back in Melbourne again on the 26th (another 1600km trip). Two days later it arrived in Adelaide, where I live (only 700km away). Amazingly the drone was still in one piece when I received it and the original problem of immediate video tearing was unchanged. A major re-write of the DJI GO 4 app had become available (v4.2.8) and I down loaded that into both my Android phones. There has been some noticeable improvement in the video quality, in that it now takes around a minute before video tearing appears, and if I leave the drone hovering the screen image eventually clears and I can take a photo. As an experiment I removed the rear panel of the Sony Xperia Z1, exposing all the interior circuits and then clipped a small ribbed heatsink onto the internal heatsink blocks. I can then fly the drone for 3 minutes before the screen image starts to tear. At least my original theory of overheated smartphones due to software changes has been confirmed, as the HTC had worked properly from April till December and the Sony from August till December - but I am now stuck with the reality that I need to get something new. I will probably get a modest size tablet, but reading through various chat groups I find that other people do have problems with some of the approved models - even with DJI's own Crystal... viewer.  Would it not be more practical to to have software tuned for each drone model than trying for a "one size fits all" version - at least the smartphones would not need to do much extra processing.

Hyggen Aviator Posted at 2018-3-16 12:48
> If DJI are trying to make one software package to suit all the various model drones then surely
> this will increase issues for many users. Would it not be more practical to have software
> versions for different model, as surely they have different features - like with the Mavic Air,

DJI Go is used for the drones which do not include obstacle avoidance system.
Different users might have different opinions regarding this. Will forward your opinion to our engineers to know. Thank you for bringing us the attention.

djiuser_Dq33MvhJcbU2 Posted at 2018-4-2 20:18
The footage as retrieved from the drone itself is fine, and I am yet to try a phone other than a Moto G5.
As for the signal issues, I am still unable to fly more than a few hundred metres (still less than a kilometre in rural areas) away without the connection cutting out. Making sure the legs are folded out, and the channel is clear.

Please kindly try another mobile device for troubleshooting. If the issue persists, I suggest that you export the flight data from the drone, upload to Dropbox and paste the link here. I will forward to our engineers to confirm.

No such glitch on both my phone (Z5 & XZ Premium).
When the 2 year old Z5 heats up, the video transmission will start to lag and slow down slightly.
It runs well with newer devices however.

SA Mavic Posted at 2018-4-3 21:26
Hi DJI Thor, Well I finally received the drone package on the 28th March - 12 days after I received the parcel tracking code (16th March). I don't know how much of the delay was due to DJI administration and how much to Australia Post, but on the 22nd March the tracking code indicated indicated the parcel was still in Melbourne (suburb of Mt Waverley) and on the 23rd it had suddenly travelled 1600km north to another post office where it stayed until it reappeared back in Melbourne again on the 26th (another 1600km trip). Two days later it arrived in Adelaide, where I live (only 700km away). Amazingly the drone was still in one piece when I received it and the original problem of immediate video tearing was unchanged. A major re-write of the DJI GO 4 app had become available (v4.2.8) and I down loaded that into both my Android phones. There has been some noticeable improvement in the video quality, in that it now takes around a minute before video tearing appears, and if I leave the drone hovering the screen image eventually clears and I can take a photo. As an experiment I removed the rear panel of the Sony Xperia Z1, exposing all the interior circuits and then clipped a small ribbed heatsink onto the internal heatsink blocks. I can then fly the drone for 3 minutes before the screen image starts to tear. At least my original theory of overheated smartphones due to software changes has been confirmed, as the HTC had worked properly from April till December and the Sony from August till December - but I am now stuck with the reality that I need to get something new. I will probably get a modest size tablet, but reading through various chat groups I find that other people do have problems with some of the approved models - even with DJI's own Crystal... viewer.  Would it not be more practical to to have software tuned for each drone model than trying for a "one size fits all" version - at least the smartphones would not need to do much extra processing.

Sorry for the difficulties. For the request of the software for each drone, I had forwarded to the engineers. Thank you for your kindly support.