DJI

DJI

Basic information
Founded	2006
Legal Structure	Private
Industry	Drones,Cameras,Electronics
Also known as	SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd.,Da-Jiang Innovations
Official website	https://www.dji.com/

DJI is a Chinese drone and camera manufacturer that requires mandatory app activation on its consumer products, locks cameras and gimbals into non-functional states after 5 activation skips, and restricts drone flight to 30 meters altitude and 50 meters distance when a user is not logged into a DJI account.^[1] The US Department of the Treasury added DJI to its Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies list in December 2021, citing DJI's provision of drones to the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, which are used to surveil Uyghurs in Xinjiang.^[2] In December 2025, DJI was added to the FCC's Covered List, banning the import and sale of new DJI drone models in the United States.^[3]

• DJI drones require persistent login to a DJI account. When signed out, flight is restricted to 30 m altitude and 50 m range.^[1]
• DJI cameras (Osmo Action 5 Pro, Osmo Pocket 3) require activation through a proprietary app; after 5 skips the device locks its core functions until activation is completed (see Forced app download, Forced account).^[4]
• The DJI Fly app became unavailable on the Google Play Store in 2021, forcing Android users to sideload APK files from DJI's website.^[5]
• DJI drone telemetry (serial number, pilot GPS coordinates, return-to-home location) is broadcast unencrypted via the DroneID protocol. DJI admitted the signal was unencrypted by design.^[6]
• DJI uses anti-rollback hardware fuses to prevent firmware downgrades, blocking users from restoring removed features.^[7]
• DJI dropped Mobile SDK support for consumer drones starting with MSDK V5 in 2022, blocking third-party app development for models like the Mavic 3 and Mini 3 Pro.^[8]
• DJI's official end-of-life page lists over 111 discontinued products for which the company no longer provides repairs, parts, or firmware updates.^[9]

DJI (Da-Jiang Innovations) was founded in 2006 by Frank Wang (Wang Tao) in Shenzhen, China.^[10] Market analyses estimate the company controls between 70% and 90% of the global consumer drone market.^[10] DJI is privately held; its products include consumer and enterprise drones, handheld cameras (Osmo Action, Osmo Pocket), gimbal stabilizers (Ronin series), and robot vacuums (Romo).

The US Department of Commerce added DJI to its Entity List in December 2020, restricting the company's access to US-made technologies.^[11] The Treasury Department followed in December 2021 by adding DJI to the NS-CMIC list, citing DJI's provision of drones to the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.^[2]

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the DJI category.

DJI drones enforce strict authentication requirements. The official DJI Mavic 3 user manual states that "flight is restricted to a height of 98.4 ft (30 m) and range of 164 ft (50 m) when not connected or logged into the app during flight."^[1] DJI cameras extend this pattern: the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and DJI Osmo Pocket 3 require activation through a DJI app, with the device locking core functions after 5 skips of the activation prompt.^[4]

In early 2021, the DJI Fly app became unavailable on the Google Play Store.^[5] DJI cited a vague "compatibility strategy" change; the app hasn't returned to Google Play since. Android users must sideload the APK directly from DJI's website to operate their drones. The absence of DJI's apps from Google Play created an opening for fraudulent apps; in August 2023, DJI warned that all DJI-branded apps on the Play Store were scams stealing users' money.^[12]

DJI marketed its AeroScope counter-drone tracking system to law enforcement & aviation authorities starting in 2017, insisting the DroneID telemetry was encrypted. In April 2022, security researchers demonstrated that DroneID packets containing the drone's serial number, GPS coordinates, altitude, heading, & pilot location were broadcast in plaintext, readable by anyone with a software-defined radio.^[6]

DJI acknowledged the finding. In an August 2022 blog post on DJI Viewpoints, the company stated the signal was unencrypted by design, describing it as a proprietary protocol rather than a cryptographically secured transmission.^[13] DJI discontinued the AeroScope hardware line in March 2023 as the FAA's standardized Remote ID requirement took effect.^[14]

Main article: DJI Robot Vacuum Hack

In February 2026, security researcher Sammy Azdoufal discovered a critical API vulnerability in DJI's Romo robot vacuum that granted him access to the data streams of approximately 7,000 Romo vacuums operating in 24 countries. The flaw exposed live camera feeds, microphone audio, floor plans, & IP addresses from inside users' homes.^[15] DJI deployed automatic over-the-air patches & awarded Azdoufal a $30,000 bug bounty.^[16]

The DJI Mini 2 SE uses the same 1/2.3-inch CMOS camera sensor as the standard DJI Mini 2, but DJI limits the Mini 2 SE to 2.7K resolution through firmware while the identical hardware in the Mini 2 records 4K.^[17] Users initially bypassed this by cross-flashing Mini 2 firmware onto the SE model. DJI responded by deploying anti-rollback mechanisms. Hardware analysis shows DJI uses eFuses (one-time programmable hardware fuses) to record a firmware version index; once the fuse is blown by a firmware update, the standard downgrade path is blocked.^[7]

DJI's Mobile Software Development Kit (MSDK) allowed third-party apps like Litchi and DroneDeploy to build custom flight-planning and photogrammetry tools for DJI hardware. Starting with MSDK V5 in 2022, DJI dropped SDK support for all new consumer-grade drones.^[8] DJI Developer Support confirmed that the company no longer plans to provide SDK access for new consumer models, restricting third-party development to enterprise drones only.^[18]

DJI operated a proprietary geofencing system called "Fly Safe" that imposed hard flight restrictions based on DJI's own airspace database.^[19] Drones inside DJI-designated restricted zones could not take off until the user submitted an unlock request through DJI's portal.

In 2025, DJI removed geofencing hard-stops, transitioning to an advisory-only model that allows takeoff after acknowledging an in-app warning. The change rolled out globally by November 2025.^[20]

DJI's "Account Binding" feature ties a drone's serial number to the owner's cloud account & remote controller. If a drone is sold, returned, or gifted without the original owner unbinding it through the DJI app, the new owner cannot pair the drone with a controller or fly it.^[21]

DJI's official end-of-life support page lists over 111 discontinued products, including the Mavic Air, Spark, Phantom 4 Pro, & original Osmo Pocket.^[9] Once a product reaches end-of-life status, DJI ceases repairs, spare part manufacturing, & firmware updates.^[22] When DJI discontinues app support for legacy hardware while mobile operating systems continue to update, devices that still function mechanically lose their software interface.^{[citation needed]}

DJI faces a layered set of US government restrictions spanning 4 federal agencies:

• Commerce Department Entity List: In December 2020, the Bureau of Industry and Security added DJI to the Entity List, restricting the company's access to US-origin technologies.^[11]
• Treasury NS-CMIC List: In December 2021, the Treasury Department added DJI to the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies list, citing DJI's provision of drones to the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, which are used to surveil Uyghurs in Xinjiang. This designation prohibits US persons from purchasing or selling publicly traded securities connected with DJI.^[2]
• DoD Section 1260H: The Department of Defense classified DJI as a "Chinese Military Company" under Section 1260H of the National Defense Authorization Act. A federal judge upheld DJI's placement on this list in September 2025 after DJI challenged it in court.^[23]
• FCC Covered List: The Countering CCP Drones Act (H.R. 2864) passed the US House of Representatives in September 2024.^[24] Its provisions were absorbed into the 2025 NDAA, which required a federal security review of DJI's equipment within one year. No agency completed the review by the December 23, 2025 deadline, & DJI was added to the FCC's Covered List.^[3] This bars the import & sale of new DJI drone models; existing models with prior FCC authorization remain exempt.^[25][26]

In Bishop v. SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (E.D. Tex., No. 4:24-CV-268-SDJ), the Bishop family sued DJI after a Mavic Air 2 drone malfunctioned & flew into their son's face. The son has had 7 surgeries on his right eye since the incident & is now legally blind in that eye.^[27]

DJI moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, arguing it designed & manufactured drones solely in China with no physical presence in Texas. On March 6, 2025, Judge Sean D. Jordan denied the motion. The court applied the stream-of-commerce test, finding that DJI's website advertised availability at approximately 580 retail locations in Texas & that DJI had hosted drone industry events in the state.^[27]

DJI then moved to compel arbitration based on an arbitration clause in the DJI Fly app's Terms of Use. On September 30, 2025, Judge Jordan denied this motion as well. The court found that the only person who agreed to the Terms of Use was the plaintiffs' son, who was a minor at the time; under Texas law, a minor's contract is voidable, and the son had disaffirmed the agreement both during his minority and after turning 18.^[28]

• DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro
• DJI Osmo Pocket 3
• DJI Ronin RS4 Pro

• GoPro
• Insta360
• Forced app download
• Forced account