Can You Fly a DJI Mavic Mini Without a Phone?

You may have run into a couple of scenarios with the DJI Mavic Mini when you have wanted to have a fly, but find out that you can’t. Whether it be that you left your house in search of the perfect spot to fly your drone only to find that you have left your phone at home, or you may have found out that your cell phone isn’t compatible with the Mavic Mini at all.

The DJI Mavic Mini drone is an incredible drone to use and is compatible with most cell phones, but unfortunately, not all phones are compatible with the Mini. If you have run into this issue and want to fly your Mavic Mini it can be very frustrating for you.

So, can you fly a DJI Mavic Mini without a phone? Yes, you can fly your DJI Mavic Mini without a phone, but you will need to take extra caution when doing so. Also, you will not have all of the functions that you usually would when using a phone connected to the remote controller.

Keep in mind that if you are a beginner this can be a lot harder to do than flying with a phone. It is recommended to try this first in a big open field without obstructions if you are reasonably new to flying drones or if this is your first time attempting to fly your Mavic Mini without a phone.

Here is a list of compatible phones for the DJI Mavic Mini

How to Fly DJI Mavic Mini Without a Phone

First of all, make sure your Mavic Mini and the controller are charged. There is nothing worse than getting to your perfect flying spot and find out that your drone or controller isn’t fully charged…..trust me, it has happened to me before!

I would strongly recommend you try this in a safe area such as a large open field away from trees, people, and property. That way if anything was to go wrong, you aren’t putting any people or property in any danger, plus don’t have the worry of working out how to get your drone down from a tree.

Flying at a low altitude and with a clear line of sight will be the safest option for you, otherwise, you are flying blind as the Mavic Mini is very hard to see at a distance and can blend in with clouds very easily.

You should learn what the flashing colored led codes are on the back of the Mavic Mini. These codes are very important to know as you won’t know what the warnings mean without using your phone.

Turn on the drone and remote and wait for them to sync with each other. (This is where knowing the codes will come in handy). The led will flash green when the drone and remote have synced to each other.

It can often take several minutes before the aircraft is fully locked with a GPS signal and ready to take off, so please be patient, you don’t want to lose or crash it by taking off too early.

If you do take off before you get enough GPS signals you may run into a couple of issues i.e. your home position may not be at your point of take-off. Another issue is when you don’t have enough GPS signals, your drone won’t be steady and can drift, so make sure the LED is flashing green before take-off.

To manually start the Mavic Minis motors, pull both sticks on the controller down, then to the bottom inner or outer corners. When the motors start spinning release both sticks at the same time, then you are good to take-off and start flying. Now you can push up on your stick to get some altitude.

Can You Fly Your DJI Mavic Mini Without a Phone and Take Photos and Video?

Can you take photos and video without a phone using the Mavic Mini? Yes, you can take photos and videos on the Mavic Mini without using a phone. Simply use the buttons on the front of your remote and you’re good to go.

Shooting photos and video can be tricky without your phone as you can’t see what you are shooting. You basically have to guess where your gimbal is facing and hope that you get a good shot in somewhere which is very possible. This drone has a brilliant camera, so don’t miss out on giving it a try without the phone connected.

The photos and video are automatically saved to the SD card that is already in your drone. Once you have finished flying you can then download the photos and video to your pc and sort through them. Hopefully, you have a few good ones in there to keep!

To take a video using the remote control, use the button in the top left-hand corner as seen below in the photo.

To take photos use the camera button in the top right-hand corner of the Mavic Mini remote control, as per below.

Using The ‘Return to Home’ Feature Without a Phone

Your home point is one of the most important things to check before taking off with your drone. You need to make sure that there are no obstructions around when it is going to come back if you are to use the ‘Return to Home’ feature on the Mavic Mini.

If you are unsure if your home point has been set properly, fly out at least 25 meters and push the ‘Return to Home’ button on the remote and see if it flies back to where you took off from. If it doesn’t, push the RTH button again to cancel the return to home function and fly back home manually. Once back home, land your Mavic Mini and take off again, then check it again to ensure your RTH is functioning normally.

Another way to check if the home point has been set is to check the led’s on the back of the aircraft. There will be a series of quick green flashes to let you know that your home point has been saved.

If you are unsure where the ‘Return to Home’ button is, it is just above your left stick to the left. It is a round little button as per below.

Conclusion

So the answer to ‘Can you fly a DJI Mavic Mini without a phone’ is a big YES! It can be done, but you will have some limitations such as not having all the functions that the DJI app can give you on your phone. You will also be limited to taking great photos and video, but it can be done!

Make sure to keep your drone in VLOS (visual line of sight) at all times as it can be hard to see it if you fly too high or far away.

Obviously flying with your phone is a better experience, but if you have to fly your Mavic Mini without a phone it is totally possible!

So, that is how to fly Mavic Mini without a phone connected. I hope this article has helped you with any questions you may have had about flying your drone without a phone.

Happy droning!!