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DJI releases Mavic 3 firmware upgrade to fix much-reviled GPS lag

Leading drone company DJI announced today a much-awaited firmware update for its flagship Mavic 3 drone, which is designed to resolve slow GPS connectivity problems many users have complained about since the craft began shipping earlier this year.

Following the effervescent buildup to and staging of DJI’s global launch of the Mavic 3 in November, the drone has fallen a bit flat with UAV users. That began with an extended wait by buyers to actually receive their product. When they finally did earlier this year, some pilots reported significant GPS problems with the craft. Complaints ranged of long waits for the GPS to lock on to satellites – in some cases over 10 minutes – with others saying GNSS connections dropped after ascending to higher altitudes. 

DJI’s new firmware upgrade for the Mavic 3 aims to resolve those problems.

The updated v01.00.0600 firmware for the aircraft, and v04.13.0600 version for the controller, has “increased the speed of searching GNSS,” a DJI announcement said, and fixed “Quick Transfer (that) was not available for some scenarios in certain regions.” Although “other minor bugs” are also targeted in the upgrade, affected Mavic 3 buyers will be most eager to see if the sluggish GPS problem will be resolved.

Those pilots will be forgiven if they decide to wait to see if the new firmware has indeed ironed out the glitch before they believe it. The new iteration is the second major operating software rework to address the snag, with earlier downloads also adding touted features that weren’t enabled in the first wave of drones shipped. 

Monitoring of user forums in the coming days should provide an indication of whether the awaited remedial firmware has suitable solved the lag defect.

In a separate announcement today, DJI said it had also released a new v03.01.0600 firmware upgrade for the RC Pro remote controller that fixes several bugs. The two upgrades follow several others in the last month for Air 2Mini 2M300 RTK drones, and DJI Terra all-in-one mapping software. 

DJI’s firmware update for the Mavic 3 can be installed via computer or Mac using the DJI Assistant 2. An easier option is upgrading it directly through the DJI Fly app once the drone has been powered on and linked. When the alert for available updates appears, users should tap into the firmware page and hit “upgrade all.”

The process is then carried out automatically, though operators should be careful the craft isn’t turned off before it has completed. They should also check the battery is sufficiently charged to enable the entire download and installation procedure to run its course. 

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Avatar for Bruce Crumley Bruce Crumley

Bruce Crumley is journalist and writer who has worked for Fortune, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, The Guardian, AFP, and was Paris correspondent and bureau chief for Time magazine specializing in political and terrorism reporting. He splits his time between Paris and Biarritz, and is the author of novel Maika‘i Stink Eye.

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