CRW

Home Wiki

DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro

View on consumerrights.wiki ↗

Contents10
  1. Background
  2. Incidents
  3. Mandatory app activation
  4. Data collection
  5. Binding arbitration & class action waiver
  6. Server dependency
  7. Competitor practices
  8. Consumer response
  9. See also
  10. References


DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro
Basic Information
Release Year 2024
Product Type Cameras
In Production Yes
Official Website https://www.dji.com/osmo-action-5-pro

The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro locks its own hardware after five power cycles unless the owner downloads DJI's proprietary smartphone app, creates an account, & agrees to terms of use that include binding arbitration & a class action waiver.[1][2] The DJI Mimo app required for activation collects the user's email address, phone number, location data, & device identifiers, which DJI shares with third-party analytics & advertising partners.[3] DJI's support documentation doesn't provide a reason why a non-flying action camera requires this activation process.[1]

Background

The Osmo Action 5 Pro is a $349 action camera released in September 2024.[4] It features a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor capable of approximately 40-megapixel photos & 4K video at 120 fps, is waterproof to 20 meters without a case (60 meters with the optional waterproof case), & carries an IP68 rating.[5] The camera weighs 146 grams, includes 47 GB of built-in storage expandable to 1 TB via microSD, & connects to smartphones over Wi-Fi 6 & Bluetooth 5.1.[5]

DJI manufactures consumer drones, gimbals, & action cameras. The Osmo Action 5 Pro is part of DJI's Osmo Action line, which has required mandatory app activation across its models.[1]

Incidents

Mandatory app activation

When the Osmo Action 5 Pro is powered on for the first time, the screen displays a prompt to scan a QR code & download the DJI Mimo app. The user can skip this prompt, but DJI's documentation states the skip counter decrements with each power cycle: "The number of times that you can use the Osmo Action series product without activation is reduced by one each time you power on and then power off the camera. After five trials, you need to connect to the DJI Mimo app for activation before use."[1]

After the fifth power cycle without activation, the camera locks at the activation screen & can't be used for any purpose until the owner completes activation through the DJI Mimo app.[1]

The activation requirement creates a barrier for users whose smartphones aren't compatible with DJI Mimo. On the DPReview forums, a user reported the app crashed immediately on a Samsung A10e (2019 Exynos chipset) & that running it through an Android emulator (BlueStacks 5) also failed.[6] Another user in the same thread reported they don't own a smartphone at all & had to return an Insta360 Ace Pro for the same activation issue, calling forced activation "a strange method for a company to reduce their sales."[6]

The forced activation isn't limited to the Action 5 Pro. DJI's support documentation confirms the same requirement applies across the Osmo Action series, the Osmo Pocket 3, the Osmo Mobile series (where lack of activation causes "gimbal spinning and jitter"), & the Osmo Nano and Osmo 360.[1]

Data collection

Activating the camera through DJI Mimo requires creating a DJI account with an email address or phone number.[3] DJI's privacy policy (effective March 1, 2025) states the company collects "user ID, email address (or phone number), password or other information for account verification," plus optional fields including gender, birthday, & professional information.[3] Location data is collected through "GPS location, IP address, cell tower location, or detection by physical on-location Wi-Fi or Bluetooth sensors."[3]

Apple's App Store privacy labels for DJI Mimo disclose that the app collects Contact Info & Identifiers as data that "may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies." The app also collects Coarse Location, Photos or Videos, Audio Data, & Performance Data, which Apple categorizes as not linked to the user's identity.[7]

DJI's privacy policy states collected data may be shared with third parties for "analytics and advertising purposes."[3]

A 2020 security audit by River Loop Security found that an earlier version of DJI Mimo collected "carrier and network information, to hardware, usage, and geolocation data" & transmitted much of it unencrypted through the MobTech SDK, which the researchers described as "a Chinese analytics company which openly cooperates with the Chinese Government."[8] DJI may have removed the MobTech SDK since 2020. A November 2025 assessment by sUAS News documented ongoing concerns about "MIMO/GO4 dynamic code loading mechanisms" & noted a pattern of partial remediation and selective dispute of independently reported vulnerabilities; the assessment cited CVE-2023-6949 & CVE-2023-6950, which DJI disputes as legitimate security flaws and declines to fix.[9]

Binding arbitration & class action waiver

The DJI terms of use (updated December 22, 2025) that users must accept during activation state: "all disputes between you and DJI will be resolved by BINDING ARBITRATION. YOU AGREE TO GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO GO TO COURT."[2] The terms also prohibit class action lawsuits: "YOU AND DJI AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING."[2]

Arbitration is administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA), with fees determined by AAA Rules. Users can reject future changes to the arbitration provision by mailing written notice to DJI's Cerritos, California address within 30 days of the change, but doing so results in immediate account termination.[2]

DJI has used forced-activation terms to defend against lawsuits. In Bishop v. SZ DJI Technology Co. (E.D. Tex., No. 4:2024cv00268), a personal injury case involving a malfunctioning drone, DJI filed a motion to compel arbitration. The court denied DJI's motion on September 30, 2025, because the person who agreed to the terms was a minor who later disaffirmed the agreement.[10]

EU users are exempt from the binding arbitration clause. DJI's product terms note that "Section 11 is not applicable to you" for EU users.[2]

Server dependency

The Osmo Action 5 Pro's activation process requires the DJI Mimo app to connect to DJI's servers over the internet.[1] If DJI discontinued the Mimo app or shut down its activation servers, any unactivated camera would have no way to complete the required activation.

DJI has a history of discontinuing support for older products. An official "Notice of Suspension of Service and Support for Old Product Series" lists over 120 discontinued products, including the original Osmo Pocket & multiple Osmo Mobile models.[11] As of January 30, 2026, DJI ended support for six additional products.[12] The EOL notice states DJI "will no longer provide you with services for these products involving product inquiries, technical support, and product maintenance."[11]


Competitor practices

DJI's forced activation isn't unique among Chinese action camera manufacturers, but American competitor GoPro doesn't impose the same restriction.

Manufacturer Flagship camera App activation required Offline bypass available
DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Yes (locks after 5 uses) No
Insta360 X4 Yes (required before first use) No
GoPro Hero 13 Black Prompted but optional Claimed (SD card firmware update; inconsistent user results)

Insta360's official documentation for the X4 states: "You need to activate X4 in the Insta360 app before using it for the first time."[13] Unlike DJI, Insta360 doesn't offer any trial uses before forcing activation.

GoPro's Hero 13 Black displays a QR code on first boot prompting connection to the GoPro Quik app. GoPro's official support confirmed users can bypass this by performing a manual firmware update onto the microSD card, though multiple users in the same forum thread reported the method did not work on their units.[14]

Consumer response

PCMag's review of the Osmo Action 5 Pro criticized the activation requirement: "Grabbing the app is a strict requirement; you'll need it to activate the camera, which is a necessary, not optional, step... we wish DJI didn't make it a requirement."[4]

The DPReview forum thread on the activation requirement drew responses from a user who had spent weeks searching for a workaround & couldn't find one, calculating they'd need to pay $20 per month more for a compatible phone plan just to activate a camera they'd already purchased.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Activating Your Handheld Products". DJI Support. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "DJI Products Terms of Use". DJI. 2025-12-22. Archived from the original on 2025-04-03. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "DJI Privacy Policy". DJI. 2025-03-01. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jim Fisher (2024-09-19). "DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Review". PCMag. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Osmo Action 5 Pro Specs". DJI. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "DJI Mimo app req'd to activate Action 5. Any other way?". DPReview. 2024-11-26. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  7. ↑ "DJI Mimo". Apple App Store. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  8. ↑ "Analyzing Data Use by the DJI Mimo App". River Loop Security. 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  9. ↑ "DJI Security Assessment: An Analysis of Vulnerabilities, Data Practices, and Operational Security". sUAS News. 2025-11-01. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  10. ↑ "Bishop et al v. SZ DJI Technology Co., LTD., et al, No. 4:2024cv00268 - Document 83". Justia. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Notice of Suspension of Service and Support for Old Product Series". DJI Support. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  12. ↑ "DJI is ending support for 6 products, including Matrice classics". DroneDJ. 2025-12-02. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  13. ↑ "Insta360 X4 Camera Tutorial - Activation". Insta360. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  14. ↑ "Can I start my Hero 13 without the Quik app?". GoPro Support Hub. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
Filed under