Android vs iOS for drones: DJI works better with Android or iPhones?

There are a lot of debates on a lot of drone-related forums about this topic. Choosing the best operating system between Android vs iOS for your drone is not an obvious decision. Many people are making this choice too personally, and they start to protect their brands too biased.

After research, I created this article to share the general opinion of the crowd and my opinion about whether to use an Android phone or iPhone/Ipad for your drone.

Can you fly a drone with an Android phone?

The competition between iPhones and Android phones is still significant. But for drone users, this war between them should not be important. Our only goal is to fly our quadcopters without experiencing issues on the side of the phones.

When using an Android device, a key element you should take into consideration is that the controller is always charging the Android regardless of whether it requires it or not. On Apple gadgets, it could be controlled by the user in my experience.

The controller’s battery life can be diminished if it’s constantly required to recharge the phone. So, this is an argument to consider for Apple. No matter how far your drone can fly, even if you use a range extender or signal booster for your drone if the radio controller will discharge faster.

This is probably not as important on your Mavic Mini 2 as with my Mavic Mini. Since the Mini controller has a lower battery capacity, to start with.

Check my following article if you want to learn more about drones in cold weather and flying your drone in winter.

The Fly app is a 64-bit program that is different from other DJI apps. It’s not suitable for 32-bit Android phones, so it will not run on them.

When choosing to use the right phone, the main problem will always be having the phone with the right specs.

It does not really matter if you use an iPhone or an Android if you have an outdated device.

Do DJI drones work properly with Android phones?

I’ve used many types of Android devices to fly DJI drones for the past five years. I have used go4 and the fly app and haven’t experienced any issues. 

I’ve also noticed, like many drone pilots, that the remote is automatically charging the Android devices. This can easily lead to consuming the battery of the radio controller more quickly.

However, if you switch off rapid charging on your Android device, you’ll see a difference of six drone batteries worth of flight time. This will be enough to support the whole flight without the need of charging your radio controller battery.

DJI drones work properly with Android-phone that have the right power to run the apps and the right battery capacity to run them for a longer period.

I believe that with the right Android phone, you shouldn’t face any problems. DJI is a great app, and their application requires power in addition to memory, and it sure has no issues operating with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. 

Hardware is one of the things the iPhone is able to do. You can buy an affordable Android phone that runs the DJI app, but is not as bad, and I’m sure this is where the issues arise.

Presently I am currently using my Samsung S10e along with my mini 2. It works fine, but generally speaking, I would prefer a bigger screen when flying my drone.

Does DJI work better with Apple? 

This is where platform religion comes into play. However, there are many apps that work better on iOS as opposed to Android because of the way that the platforms operate.

I’m inclined toward Android because my work has always been as a Java developer, and I love Java quite many times more than Objective-C. However, Swift is much less irritating despite having a lot of bizarre Apple items within it.

You must be completely enthralled by the Apple faith to fully buy into the developer ecosystem of Apple, and, as a result, they perform everything in a way that is annoying because of their Apple mentality.

In the end, I’ve written software that works on both devices (more than Android); however, iOS is a lot simpler in a variety of ways.

The devices running iOS are more consistent and have fewer unexpected issues. The tools are more efficient. The tools work, and the documentation is more thorough. Support is more efficient.

Would you buy an Apple device for DJI drones?

Each device is made by one company, so there’s less chance of unexpected issues on various devices. It’s much easier to trust the majority of devices running current OS versions.

This doesn’t apply to any other aspect DJI connected that much. However, modern applications are highly dependent upon Javascript, which is why Apple has just smashed all of them.

This is a huge deal for other kinds of apps. iOS devices boast astonishing JS performance most of the time. The result of drone app problems could be the loss of drones.

It’s worth it to invest in an iOS device to fly your drone, even if you dislike Apple/iOS and prefer to stick with Android for more routine things.

Apple seems better If you’ve got the cash and are not worried about anything. This is from a dedicated Android/Windows user for all other things apart from DJI products.

Relevant article: Can you fly DJI mini 2 without an sd card?

This is particularly applicable if you use Litchi as Androids do not play effectively with Litchi along with DJI Go installed as androids aren’t sure which app to launch.

Android vs iOS: Were DJI drones made only for iPhones?

After purchasing a Mavic Mini or other DJI product, you might notice on the package that it says it is for an iPhone. You might have an Android phone and get confused. Are there different versions of the drones? You might ask.

“Made for iPhone” is just a label that indicates that it is compatible with Apple products. But if you have an Android phone that is capable of running heavier apps, you will be good to go.

It’s just MFI labeling, which indicates that Apple has verified that the product is compatible with Apple devices. This does not mean that DJI drones function better or were designed specifically for Apple products.

DJI has to pay Apple for every device that is sold with the MFI label (Apple Tax).

I have used a variety of smartphones for controlling my Mavic Mini, my conclusion is that it depends on how robust and up-to-date your device is.

Comparing the iPhone 11 against an android 3-4 years old can lead to faulty conclusions.

Experience using Android devices for drones

I’ve used the Android Galaxy S9 phone too, the most powerful CPU and RAM phone available at that moment. I’m using mostly an OTG cable, not WiFi. 

I typically get at least one stoppage on each flight. I also own a Samsung 580 Tablet A, which is having issues with magnetism in the Mavic controller (different issue) and periodic stops. 

Following all these preventive routines before flying helped me:

• Turn off WiFi Force kill all applications Airplane mode
• Turn off all notifications to be disabled and double-check to ensure whether Litchi and Go4 (whichever I’m not using) are shut down and de-selected as a default application
• I have turned off caching videos in Go4. 

All is possible to ensure that the system runs as smoothly as possible to fail. So, I recently purchased the latest Ipad Mini 4 128 gig WiFi, which I’ve taken off everything not related to flying. 

This way, I can make sure my drone will work properly, and the device won’t eat the controller’s battery.

How do I connect my iPhone to my drone?

To connect your iPhone to a drone, you will need to follow the specific instructions for your particular drone model. Here are some general steps that may apply to most drones:

1. Turn on the drone and the iPhone.
2. On the iPhone, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and make sure that Wi-Fi is enabled.
3. Connect your iPhone to the drone’s Wi-Fi network. The name of the network and the password will be listed in the drone’s user manual.
4. Once the iPhone is connected to the drone’s Wi-Fi network, you will need to launch the drone’s companion app (such as the DJI Fly app). The app will usually automatically connect to the drone once it is launched.
5. Follow the instructions in the app to complete the connection process. This may involve calibrating the drone’s sensors or entering a code to pair the iPhone with the drone.
6. Once the connection is complete, you should be able to control the drone and access its camera and other features through the app on your iPhone.

Keep in mind that the specific steps for connecting an iPhone to a drone may vary depending on the model of the drone and the app you are using. Consult the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for more information on how to connect your iPhone to your particular drone.

Is Apple making a drone?

There are no current plans for Apple to release a drone. Apple is primarily a technology company that designs and sells consumer electronics, software, and online services. While the company has released a number of innovative products in the past, it has not announced any plans to enter the drone market.

That being said, it is always possible that Apple could decide to enter the drone market in the future, as the technology for drones continues to advance. However, at this time, there is no official word from Apple about the development or release of a drone.

Is DJI owned by Apple?

No, DJI is not owned by Apple. DJI (Dà-Jiāng Innovations) is a Chinese technology company that specializes in developing and manufacturing drones, cameras, and other related products. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Shenzhen, China. It is a privately held company and is not affiliated with Apple.

Is there an app that can control any drone?

There is no single app that can control every drone on the market. Most drones have their own dedicated companion app that is used to control the drone and access its features. These apps are usually available for download from the App Store or Google Play, and they are specific to the particular model of drone.

For example, the DJI Fly app is used to control DJI drones, the Parrot FreeFlight app is used to control Parrot drones, and the Hubsan app is used to control Hubsan drones.

To control a drone using a companion app, you will need to connect your mobile device to the drone using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Once the connection is established, you will be able to use the app to control the drone and access its camera and other features.

Keep in mind that the specific steps for connecting a mobile device to a drone and using the companion app will vary depending on the model of the drone. Consult the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for more information on how to connect your mobile device to your particular drone.

Have you ever thought about flying your drone at the beach? You might want to read my article: do birds attack drones?

FAQ