DJI released new aircraft firmware for the Mavic Air 2 and the Air 2S on October 20, 2026. The Mavic Air 2, which DJI announced in April 2020, moves to v01.01.18.00, its first update since September 2023. The Air 2S moves to v02.04.28.00, its first since April 2024. Each release note lists a single change: bug fixes.
Neither drone was updated on its own. DJI posted firmware the same day for the Air 3S and the Neo 2, and the same batch brought the Mini 3 Pro its first update since July 2024 and the original Mini 2 its first since 2023.
Mavic Air 2 Firmware v01.01.18.00 Also Updates Both Of Its Controllers
DJI’s Mavic Air 2 forum announcement pairs aircraft firmware v01.01.18.00 with RC-N1 firmware v04.11.05.00 and DJI Smart Controller firmware v01.01.00.76. The September 2023 release it replaces shipped v04.11.02.00 and v01.01.00.72. DJI describes the whole package in one line: “Fixed some bugs.”
That 2023 release added support for American Remote ID requirements, which let Air 2 owners broadcast without a bolt-on module.
Air 2S Firmware v02.04.28.00 Updates The DJI RC And RC Pro, Not The RC-N1
The Air 2S package pairs aircraft firmware v02.04.28.00 with DJI RC v01.03.2600 and DJI RC Pro v03.02.0900. Two controllers did not move: the RC-N1 stays at v04.12.02.00 and the DJI Smart Controller at v01.01.00.76, the same builds DJI listed with the April 11, 2024 release.
That April 2024 update, posted in the same DJI forum thread, was the Air 2S’s last one with features. It added EU C1 certification, the retrofit DroneXL reported in January 2024, plus Remote ID support for more countries and an option to reset all settings and clear all data.
DJI Fly 1.21.16 Ties The Mini 3 Pro, Air 3S And Neo 2 To The Same Release
October 20 also heads DJI’s forum notes for the Mini 3 Pro at v01.00.1000, the Air 3S at V01.00.1800 and the Neo 2 at V01.00.0800. All three list DJI Fly 1.21.16, as do the Mavic Air 2, Air 2S and Mini 2. None of the six says what it fixed.
The controller firmware overlaps as well. The DJI RC build in the Air 2S package, v01.03.2600, is the same one the Mini 3 Pro lists and the one DJI posted for the standalone DJI RC that day. The DJI RC Pro build matches across both drones at v03.02.0900, and the Mini 2 notes list the same RC-N1 build as the Mavic Air 2, v04.11.05.00.
Neo 2 owners get one practical warning in their notes: the update may reset RTH Altitude and Maximum Flight Distance, so write those settings down before you start.
In the US, all six updates arrive under the FCC waiver that lets previously authorized Covered List drones receive firmware until at least January 1, 2029, which DroneXL covered when the FCC extended it in May. Neither the Mavic Air 2 nor the Air 2S appears on DJI’s end-of-service list, where the Phantom 4 Pro V2 loses support on October 31.
DroneXL’s Take
My read is that this batch is DJI keeping old aircraft working with the current DJI Fly app, and that’s worth more to American pilots than to anyone else. Since the FCC put foreign drones on the Covered List on December 22, 2025, no new DJI model can get authorized here. A US owner can still buy an Air 3S authorized before that date, but no newer DJI model will follow it here. That turns a 2020 Mavic Air 2 into a drone you keep flying, and it stays useful as long as DJI ships firmware that matches the app on your phone. Install the aircraft and controller files DJI released together, on the same day.
Sources: DJI Forum, New Mavic Air 2 Firmware Released (10/20/2026); DJI Forum, New DJI Air 2S Firmware Released (2026.10.20); DJI Forum, New Mini 3 Pro Firmware Released; DJI Forum, New DJI Air 3S Firmware Released; DJI Forum, New DJI Neo 2 Release Notes; DJI Forum, New DJI RC Firmware Released; DJI Mini 2 Release Notes (October 20, 2026); FCC Public Notice DA 26-454.
DroneXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting and editorial perspectives are by Haye Kesteloo. Read our editorial standards.
