Being so light and compact I was a bit surprised that the Mini does not offer a wifi only mode to control it using a phone only. Of cource the RC gives much more control, but IMO it would make sense to have wifi mode for an occasional quick shot nearby when traveling ulta-light. I really hope this will be added in a future FW update.

This is exactly why I changed my mind about buying it, but I am not sure if the issue can be addressed with just a firmware update. Anyways, count me in

It's very likely they use a generic wifi radio chip (e.g Atheros, Realtek) so I am pretty sure it could be added.
Not sure if they will though...

I have NEVER flown my Spark just with the phone.
And I can really don't think about, doing that with any drone, alone because of the limits in distance and height.

My concern is more, that this ultra portable travel drone may have no concession to fly outside its FCC or CE area, so can just fly in other FCC or in other CE countries, legally.
We'll have to wait if the CE-Minis come with a FCC sign, too.
That the FCC birds can't be flown outside FCC areas, however,  is a sure thing!

I am sure it would be useful to many others, including myself. Although I agree wifi is not the most ideal/stable experience but there certainly are situations where packing only the drone would make sense for a quick shot, for example when hiking or just traveling light. After all the RC is practically the same size and weight as the drone itself by now!

Hi, thanks for sharing your idea with us. We will forward your suggestion to our designated department for attention to see if this would be possible in the future. Thank you for your support.

As i said in other thread i used Spark on vacations only for quick shots. Without controller. The best thing for me are gestures, great like in Air, 2, 5, 7 meters 3-shots selfie for example. Is this possible in Mini without controller and sensors?

As a Tello owner, I can say from that experience, I wouldn't want to use my phone only. It was limited to a ceiling of 33' and about 300' distance total. Not that I didn't like my tello, I actually loved it, when I used it with a wifi extender and such. This is the very reason I am purchasing the Mavic Mini with the RC so I can get a little more distance, that and a better camera system.

+1 Great idea.

JodyB Posted at 11-3 14:44
As a Tello owner, I can say from that experience, I wouldn't want to use my phone only. It was limited to a ceiling of 33' and about 300' distance total. Not that I didn't like my tello, I actually loved it, when I used it with a wifi extender and such. This is the very reason I am purchasing the Mavic Mini with the RC so I can get a little more distance, that and a better camera system.

We all agree that wifi control can't be compared with real RC control, but in some cases it would just be great to have the option to leave the RC (exactly as heavy/bulky as the drone itself) at home for a basic quick shot!