Category Archives: Drones

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

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

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

    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…