Category Archives: Drones

DJI Mic Mini and iPhone

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Last month, DJI released the DJI Mic Mini. This tiny bluetooth microphone is about the size of a quarter, and as thick as maybe five quarters. It joins two big brothers – the DJI Mic ($249 for 2 TX + 1 RX + charging case, or $159 for 1 TX + 1 RX) and DJI Mic 2 ($349 for 2 TX + 1 RX + charging case, $219 for 1 TX + 1 RX, or $99 for just the microphone). The Mini is priced at only $169 for 2 microphones, a receiver and charging case making it $80 less than the Mic 2. You can also buy just a microphone and received for $89 or just the micrphone for $59. There are a few other options that include phone adapters for USB-C or Apple Lightning ports.

The Mic Mini claims up to 48 hours of battery life, giving is substantially longer use than the two older and larger models. But, it also has far less features. There is no built in memory so you cannot record and download audio files later — it is merely a bluetooth transmitting microphone.

With the DJI Mic 2 I have, I only have the microphone. After I received it, I quickly learned you couldn’t change any settings without owning the receiver as well! Whatever mode the DJI Mic 2 is shipped in is how you will forever use it. At least you can firmware update by plugging the Mic 2 up to a computer via USB and copying a downloaded firmware update file over to it like a flash drive.

Mic Mini and Firmware Updates

Without internal storage and no USB port, I wondered how firmware updates would be done on the Mini — if at all. It turns out, there is an app for that: DJI Mimo. It is available for both Android and iOS phones.

The app, currently at version V2.1.8, appears to have been mostly for connecting to DJI pocket cameras like the Osmo. Although the app lists DJI Mic and DJI Mic 2 as supported, it does not appear to actually connect with either of them. Instead, those microphones would connect with the Osmo (or other) DJI camera and then that connects to the phone and app.

But the Mic Mini is different. It is natively supported by DJI Mimo even without a DJI camera. Connecting the microphone via bluetooth to the phone will allow the mic to show up inside the DJI Mimo “Device Management” section. For here, you can download firmware updates for the Mini.

When I first connected my Mini to the app I was greeted with a firmware update. This update was download by the app then installed on the Mic Mini via the bluetooth connection. Very nice.

There are also a few configuration options:

  • Auto Off – “When enabled, transmitter will be automatically powered off in 15 min if not being connected to save power”
  • Power Button for Noise Cancellation – When enabled, press power button on transmitter to reduce noise”
  • Mic LED – on and off.

You can also access “About Devices” to see the Device Name (“DJI Mic Mini TX”, apparently not changeable) as well as its Device Serial Number and Firmware Version (currently 01.01.00.39).

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be much more you can do with the app. There is a microphone button on the screen, but that just brings up the Device Settings. I had expected to find some kind of recording capability, like a camera app and audio recorder. Perhaps in the future? It does seem this may be the first time they have had microphone support directly in the app.

Moving the ball forward…

Since there would have been no other way to do firmware updates on the Mic Mini, having this capability added to an app makes sense. Being able to customize a few settings is a nice bonus.

Hopefully, DJI is able to do something similar in the app for Mic and Mic 2 users that do not have the receiver and are unable to change any settings. (And uploading firmware via the app would be a much easier process than requiring access to a computer to download the update and transfer it to the Mic/Mic 2 over a USB cable.)

When I have time to work with the Mic Mini I will do a proper “review.” Until this, this is what I know…

DJI RC-N3 remote won’t work with Otterbox Defender Case

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Updates:

  • 2024-10-15 – Added link to replacement cable that will fit.

Finding accessories that do not work with a phone in a protective case is not new. Ever since I bought the first iPhone in 2007 I have encountered this issue. It seems accessory makers expect everyone to use their phones unprotected.

It gets worse when you want actual protection (not just a scratch guard case) and use something like a rugged Otterbox Defender case. Almost no accessories seem to work with it, though today’s Defender case is a bit better.

But not with the DJI RC-N3 remote controller.

The unit comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable preinstalled, but includes a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box. Unfortunately, they run the cable out of the side of the plug just a tiny bit too low for it to plug in to the Otterbox Defender opening.

As you will see in this photo, it “almost” works. Had the cable coming out of the side (going down in this photo) been a tiny bit closer to the right end (in this photo), it looks like it would work without issue.

In chatting with DJI Support, I learned that this cable connection is required (at least when pairing to a DJI Neo drone). I thought it might just be used for charging the phone while it is being used with the screen on.

“The Neo can be connected to the Fly APP wireless, but if you want to use the RC-N3 to control it, it’s necessary to connect it with a cable.”

They recommended me take the phone out of the case when using the drone./

“Actually, we suggest you remove the protective cover when connect RC-N3 with your phone.

Because the phone case may cause the disconnection or not recognized.”

Imagine if you had a fancy $1500 phone and needed to remove it from its protective case to use a $199 drone. This is not an optimal solution. And, not any type of solution for a Defender case, which requires disassembly. It would be fine for those rubber slip over covers, but those are more scratch protectors (though I expect they do help from minor dumps and drops).

They did suggest I could try a charging cable, and somewhere I should have the USB-C charging cable that came with my iPhone. I’ll give it a go and see if it works.

Until then, if you plan to use this remote with a phone in a Defender case, you may need to look for an alternative cable to hook it up with.

Good luck! Let me know in the comments if you run in to this problem, and what your solution is (if you have one).

Update

I found an $8 cable on Amazon that will fit in the Otterbox Defender case just fine:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MB2YW88

It has the cable moved out. This is all DJI needs to do.

However, this cable will not “store” inside the remote. The USB-C end is also taller, and the phone holder part that slides out will not slide fully back when this cable is plugged in.

I will keep looking and see if I can find a “more better” cable that will fit the Otterbox Defender and also fit inside the remote when stored.

To be continue…

DJI Neo drone app bugs and problems

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Last Updated: 10/1/2024

NOTE: This article may be edited as new problems are found.

I just received my DJI Neo drone. This page will try to document various problems I have had with the DJI Fly iPhone app.

  • iOS App Version: 1.14.2 (on an iPhone 15 Pro)
  • Neo Firmware Version: 01.00.0300

Problems

Repeated Firmware Updates – So far, my DJI Neo has wanted to download a firmware update three times (maybe four). Each time, it completes, and tells me to restart the Neo. After that, the firmware remains 01.00.0300. Perhaps it is updating something else and this is a poorly worded message.

Connection Issues – Multiple attempts are needed almost every time I have tried to connect the phone to the Neo. I get the “Join network” iOS message, tap “Join”, and then it says it is unable to connect. When I check the WiFi settings of the phone, it shows it is connected to the DJI Neo’s WiFi hotspot.

Unable to Download Photos/Videos – There are two bugs here. One is that it just won’t download, and the workaround is shutting of cellular. That seems to help “most” of the time. The second issue is when you select photos/videos, but the “download” icon remains greyed out. Even killing the app and re-running it does not always make this work. Trail and error eventually makes it work for me.

Chinese (?) Pop-Up Message – I have no idea what this means, but I have seen it multiple times when “FlySafe requires update.” (And how often should this be updated? I’ve seen this message several times and I have only played with the drone yesterday and today, so far.)

    Various Lockups on Gallery Screen – Multiple times, I have seen the gallery screen become unresponsive. I cannot tap on anything. This usually happens when it is trying to download, and changes.

    Comments?

    If you have encountered any of these bugs, or different ones, please leave a comment with details. Thanks!

    More to be added…

    DJI Neo error downloading videos to phone

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    And how to download them, in the first place…

    If you have a DJI Neo selfie drone, and you find yourself unable to download videos to your phone (in my case, an iPhone), try turning off Cellular Data. Once I did that, mine worked as expected.

    This is my first experience with a DJI product. I was surprised that the app was a bit clunky. I had difficulty trying to figure out how to batch download photos and videos. In case anyone else runs in to this, here are the steps:

    1. Connect the DJI Neo connected to the DJI Fly app. (Does yours work? Mine takes multiple attempts, even with the current latest firmware.)
    2. Select “Album” from the bottom left of the control screen. (Or, if you worry about accidentally flying the drone, you can exit out of the control screen and back to the connection screen and select it from there.)
    3. Select the Checkmark box near the top right. That will enable checkboxes on each thumbnail. You can tap just the ones you want, or…
    4. You may have to swipe down on the thumbnails to find it, but you can tap on the text “Batch Select“. That will check all the files.
    5. The bottom right will be a “download” icon. Tap that and your videos/photos will be downloaded in to your Photos app. (Does yours work? Mine has, once, but most of the time that icon remains greyed out.)
    6. To get out of this mode (so you can exit back to the control screen), you have to tape the checkbox at the top right again to turn off the image selection. It seems awkward that the “exit” goes away when you are in select mode.

    This app is clearly not ready for prime time, but the drone itself seems very neat. Actually, what it can do at this size and price point borders on “magic” in my eyes.

    More to come…