Ongoing DJI Mavic 3 GPS problems fixed “within the next two months,” drone maker promises

If you are the owner of DJI's latest flagship drone, you are likely to have experienced the DJI Mavic 3 GPS problems during your recent flights.

The DJI Mavic 3 can at times take a very long time (5-10 minutes) to acquire enough GPS signals for a safe drone flight at a higher altitude and a working Return-to-Home function.

The DJI Mavic 3 GPS problems seem to have started after the first firmware update back in December.

In March this year, DJI recognized the problem and promised to fix it with a firmware update.

However, that update seemed to have worked only for some folks. For many other drone pilots, the DJI Mavic 3 GPS problems continued.

It is worthwhile to point out that the GPS issue seems to be more prevalent with pilots using the standard remote controller. For folks flying the M3 with the DJI RC Pro, GPS connectivity seems to be much improved with the latest update.

DJI acknowledges DJI Mavic 3 GPS problems

The world's largest drone maker recognized the ongoing DJI Mavic 3 GPS issues in a recent email correspondence that was shared on the DJI forum.

DJI support sent the following message to Emmanuel on April 6th.

Support3.NL (DJI Support)

6 Apr 2022, 19:34 UTC+8

Hello Emmanuel,

Thank you for contacting DJI EU support.

We have just received an internal note regarding your GNSS/GPS reception time issue on the Mavic 3.

Following the last update, we are finding that some users are still experiencing reception/timeout issues, especially in high latitude areas.

You can therefore ignore our previous email requesting flight history information from the drone and the application.

We have also detected that the presence or absence of an internet connection on the mobile device/remote control can also affect the reception time.

If this is connected to the internet, the reception will be faster.

The source of the problem has been located and a new update is planned, which will be issued in the next two months.

We apologize again for the problem encountered and we are doing everything necessary to restore the proper functioning as soon as possible.

Do not hesitate to contact us for any question. Thank you for your confidence.

Thank you for choosing DJI.

Marc

Support3.NL

DJI NL Technical Support

In an additional message, also coming from DJI, the drone maker says:

The latest firmware 0600 optimizes most satellite search and signal interference problems to improve the user experience. However, we are aware of user concerns regarding DJI Mavic 3's slow satellite search upon powering on and have already located the problem.

We have noticed that it takes additional time for some users' Mavic 3 to connect to satellites in some high-latitude areas. We have located the cause of this issue and will address it directly in a Firmware Update within the next two months.

It is worth noting that satellite acquisition time, also known as time to first fix (TTFF) is also affected by internet connection. If the aircraft is not connected to the internet, a cold start of its GPS receiver will result in a TTFF of approximately one to two minutes under ideal satellite signal conditions. A cold start can be avoided if the previous flight was within 40 minutes. In general, TTFF is significantly reduced when the aircraft is connected to the internet.

User satisfaction is always at the heart of our work. We will continue to improve your experience.

Once again, sorry for all the inconvenience caused.

Thanks for choosing DIl products. Have a nice day!

DJI Mavic 3 GPS problems to be fixed within 2 months

Two months sounds like a long time, and it remains to be seen if the next firmware update does indeed solve the DJI Mavic 3 GPS problems.

On the forums (1, 2), some folks are concerned that the GPS problems that the Mavic 3 has are in fact hardware-based issues that are not easily fixed, if at all, with firmware updates.

Fingers crossed that DJI will be able to resolve the problem soon. If not, one may always upgrade to the DJI Mavic 3s, which is expected to debut this fall.

Is your DJI Mavic 3 having trouble acquiring enough GPS signals? Let us know about your experience with the company's flagship drone in the comments section below.

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