New DJI Mavic Air 2 features improve cinematic capabilities and obstacle avoidance

New DJI Mavic Air 2 features improve the cinematic capabilities and offer new obstacle avoidance options on DJI’s latest drone. These features are not available to all users unfortunately and it is somewhat unclear as to why that is. I have them on my DJI Mavic Air 2, so let’s take a closer look.

New DJI Mavic Air 2 features improve cinematic capabilities and obstacle avoidance

There are a number of improvements for DJI latest drone the Mavic Air 2. Unfortunately, the new features are not available to all users and it is somewhat unclear as to why that is, but it seemingly has to do with the platform you’re using (iOS or Android), the firmware version you have installed on the drone, and the DJI Fly app version you’re running.

In my case, I have a (preproduction?) European version of the DJI Mavic Air 2 without the AirSense technology (ADS-B In). I run firmware version 01.00.0330 and the DJI Fly app version 1.1.6 on an iPhone Xs Max.

After having watched these two videos on YouTube just now (see below), I updated the firmware on my Mavic Air 2 and initially, I did not see any improvements. I subsequently deleted my DJI Fly app and reinstalled it. After having done so, I now have access to the same features as described in Air Photography’s video.

• There is a new feature to prevent the drone from flying sideways (the MA2 does not have sideways obstacle avoidance). It is on the left side of the screen and it is called ‘Safety Assistance Mode sideways flight off’
• There is a new battery indicator showing remaining flight time until the return home feature kicks in, time left until forced landing, and time left until battery depleted.
• There is a new way to adjust the obstacle avoidance options of the drone. Go to the Safety tab and there you’ll see Flight Assistance with three options to chose from Bypass, Brake, and Off
• You can now adjust the parameters in the Normal, Tripod, and Sport modes for Pitch (gimbal) speed and sensitivity as well as Yaw speed and smoothness.

Different firmware versions for the Mavic Air 2

Interestingly enough 51Drones is on the Mavic Air 2 firmware update V01.00.0250. Air Photography is on V01.00.0309 and I am on V01.00.0330. I have no idea why and how this is possible, but I’ll reach out to DJI for some clarification on this. Maybe you have to download the latest firmware directly from DJI’s servers in China and go around the Apple or Google app stores to get the latest and greatest features (just kidding!).

Go ahead and watch these videos below if you want to learn more about these new features.

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