Let us setup. Let us navigate. Let Us Drone. When you buy a DJI drone, one of the first things you need to do to fly the drone is to download the DJI GO 4 app. I was a bit intimidated the first time I opened the app, even after reading the instruction manual.  

This three-part series is a complete walkthrough of the DJI GO 4 app, and we will look at each and every setting in great detail. I'll explain why I have things set up a certain way and I'll provide tips that you aren't likely to find in the instruction manual.

I originally had everything compiled into one blog post, but the final word count came to about 12,000 words. To put that into context, 12,000 words is the equivalent to about a 48-page paper. That's just insane. It became quickly apparent that breaking this up into a three-part series was a must. 

Parts 1, 2, and 3

Part 1: You are currently reading part one of three. In this post, we will start with getting the app initially setup, along with a description of Skypixel, the equipment tab, “Me” tab, and the editor. 

Part 2: Part two takes a look at all of the drone settings and every icon on the camera view screen. You can read part 2 here. 

Part 3: Part three dives into the camera settings and how to get that perfect picture or video. You can read part 3 here. 

Note: I will be using a Phantom 4 Advanced for this walkthrough. Some DJI drones have settings and options that others do not. Keep that in mind when following along as your GO 4 app may look slightly different here and there. 

Introduction

DJI GO 4 is th app used to fly DJI's newer drones. I say “newer” because the DJI GO was used to fly DJI's first few quadcopters. Here is a table that shows which app controls which drone. I'd hate for you to make it to the end of this post and realize that the Phantom 3 you just got from a friend isn't controlled by GO 4, but actually the original GO app.

If you have a drone that is controlled by the GO 4 app and would like to follow along, the first thing to do is download the app. IOS users can download the app on the App Store here. Android users can download the app on Google Play here.

This post will be broken up into four main sections, which are the tabs you see at the bottom when you log into the app. Feel free to jump around to any section that you may have questions about. The four sections are:

• Equipment 
• Editor
• Skypixel 
• Me

Logging into DJI GO 4

After downloading GO 4, open the app and you will be greeted by a page that asks you to either sign up or sign in if you are an existing user. I logged in with my credentials which took me to the page you see below. This is the “Me” tab that you can see on the bottom of the screen with the red dot by it.

“Me” tab of DJI GO 4

As promised, we are going to go through each section of the DJI GO 4 app, and the “Me” tab is first up. As previously mentioned, this is the first screen you will be taken to after logging into the app.

In the top lefthand corner of the screen, you'll see a little message box. This is where DJI can send you notifications on latest firmware updates or tips and tricks for flying. In the righthand corner, we have the settings gear icon. Under the settings section, you are able to toggle preferences, such as: use cellular to upload, privacy, clear cache, and more. Since we're on the subject, I will say that if you find the app to be slow or laggy, I would recommend clearing the cache. If you have the app set to record video and audio cache, every video or picture that you take will be stored on the app at a lower resolution for a quick-view. This problem with this is that the app will eventually become bogged down. Clearing the cache under settings icon is one way to speed it up. 

At the top, you can see Trevor (hey, that's me), and a small profile picture. You can tap on that round pic to set yours along with basic info about yourself. To the right you see the words “uploads”, “fans”, “following” and “favorites”. This is referring to your Skypixel profile. We will dive into Skypixel a bit more in a section below, but it's basically a place where DJI users can share the work they create. I don't use Skypixel much, which is why I only have three uploads on there, but maybe it's just what you've been looking for. 

As you can see in the picture, the first line is the “DJI Store”. Just like you access the DJI store from your computer or browser on your phone, DJI lets you access the store right from the GO 4 app. It keeps you logged in which is nice but other than that I haven't found any perks of accessing the store on the app over a browser. One thing I will recommend is to use the same login info for everything DJI related. Why is that? Because we want everything to be synced. Having multiple emails will cause confusion and discrepancies down the line. 

Just below that is “My DJI Affiliate Account”. You may be wondering what that is. DJI has a program that allows people to earn a commission when they share links for DJI products that people click on and buy from. Rates change, but you will typically get 5% of the total selling price of items bought through the affiliate links you have shared. This is one way that I keep this blog going, and I truly appreciate your support when you choose to buy from any links I have listed on this website! If you'd like to learn more about DJI's affiliate program, click here.

The next line down is “Flight Records”. You'll see that I have clicked on this one to show you the following screens that open up. I did this because there may come a time when either you wish to see a flight record or DJI requests them because of an issue that you are having with the drone. To share a flight record, simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen and select which flight you would like to view or share. From there you can share the flight in the bottom righthand corner of the screen.

Under flight records, you can find information like the top speed you have achieved with your drone, max takeoff altitude, and top distance. You can also see how many flights you've had with your drone, how far the drone has gone, and how much flight time that drone has had. One suggestion that I have is to hit that sync button in the upper righthand corner of the screen periodically. This will ensure that everything is up to date and the information displayed is the most relevant.

Next up is the “DJI Forum”. As the name implies, you can access the DJI forum from the DJI GO 4 app. If you don't currently find yourself on the forum too often, I'd recommend at least occasionally perusing it as we all have similar issues with our drones. In addition to problems that people help each other solve, there are a lot of helpful flying tips and tricks that you simply won't find in the instructional manual. DJI assigns moderators to the forum, and you will see them frequently answering questions or providing guidance for people.

We're now onto “DJI Support”. This is where to go if you have questions about a return you are wanting to initiate or about a specific problem you are experiencing with your drone. There is also a section in the DJI support tab that is dedicated to allowing users to give feedback. If you have a suggestion about a specific DJI product or want to let them know that the DJI GO 4 app is crashing on a regular basis, this is the section for you. 

Lastly, we have the “more” tab. Under “more”, I have “My Unlock NFZ Application” and “Gift Card” listed. So, what is a no-fly zone (NFZ) application? DJI uses a geofencing system that restricts their drones from being able to operate in areas such as over a power plant or a busy airport. If there is a special circumstance where you need to fly in one of those NFZ's, you can submit an application to DJI here. The status of that application can be found under the “more” tab. Lastly, if you have any virtual gift cards, they can be found under this tab as well. 

Skypixel 

Skypixel was created for people to share their aerial photos and videos with other content creators. It's similar to a social media site like Instagram, but different in that it's solely aerial content that is posted. 

It's also a place where you can meet other drone pilots and content creators. Most of us have learned tips and tricks along the way as we've learned the ins and outs of our drones, and it's nice to be able to share that knowledge with others. 

If you don't already have an account, it's free to sign-up at skypixel.com.

Editor 

DJI has made it possible for you to edit your photos and videos from inside the GO 4 app. This editing software is similar to other free apps that are out there. 

Not only is the editor section a place to edit and create content, but it's also where can you view the media that has been taken by the drone. As you can see in the picture, the “album” is selected at the top of the screen. This is where all of the videos and photos are displayed. 

I should note that the media displayed here is of a lower resolution than the original content on the SD card. To download the original resolution content onto your phone or tablet, you will need to have the drone on with your device connected to the remote controller.

You can download pictures and videos up to 1080p this way, but with any videos above 1080p you will be required to insert the SD card into your computer and transfer the content that way.

Now that “create” is selected at the top, you will see a new screen where you'll be able to create videos, slideshows, etc. with the media on the GO 4 app. As displayed in the image, you can either select “make movie free form” or “make movie auto edit”. 

You will be required to manually select each video and picture that you want to be included in your project if you choose to make a free-form movie. You will have to do everything from cutting, trimming, splicing, adding music and transitions if you make a free-form movie. This option gives you the most customization but is also the more time-consuming option of the two. 

If you choose to make a movie by auto edit, the app will do all of the work to compose your movie. You simply select the media that you want to be included in the movie and the app does the rest. I'm not going to lie, I've actually been quite impressed with some of the movies the app has made for me in the past. 

Equipment 

Ah, now for the part you likely clicked on this post for! The ol' equipment tab. This is where you will be taken every time you open up the GO 4 app to fly your drone. 

The first thing you need to do is select your drone from the drop-down menu at the top of the screen. You will only need to make this selection the first time as the app will remember which drone you have and automatically select it when the app is opened. If you have multiple drones then you will, of course, have to select the appropriate one on the menu each time you fly.

By clicking on the three lines in the top right-hand corner of the screen, you will see a menu with four tabs displayed. We'll quickly browse through those. 

Academy- This is where you can learn all about your drone and how to fly it. You will find user manuals, training videos, flight tutorials, and the flight simulator. I strongly recommend practicing with the flight simulator when learning how to fly your drone. 

Flight Records- If you recall, the flight records where also available under the “Me” tab of the app. The flight records displayed here are identical to those. 

GEO Zones- What are those? GEO zones are customized areas that DJI has created where you will not be able to fly your drone. This is to protect yourself and the public from having a drone in a potentially hazardous area.

An example of a GEO fenced area would be a military installation or a power plant. If you are flying along and the drone unexpectedly stops like it hit an imaginary wall, chances are that you are around a GEO zone. To check where those zones are around you, select the GEO zone tab and a map will pop up with pins where those areas are. 

Find My Drone- If you have an iPhone, then this sounds mighty familiar, and the concept is the same. I really hope you never have to use the Find My Drone feature, but I'm glad DJI created it. So, how does it work? If you happen to be out flying and the drone either crashes or autolands lands where it's at because you forgot to set the signal lost instructions to RTH, then the app will display a map with the drones last known location along with your current location.

If the drone is still on, you can choose to “enable indicator flashing and sound alert” to assist in your retrieval of the drone. Coordinates of where the drone went missing will be displayed as well. This is a pretty awesome feature, and you don't have to look long on Google to find quite a few successful drone retrieval stories from those who used Find My Drone.

Trevor's Take 

Alright, you've made it through part one of this three part series! You should now have the app set-up and have a good understanding of the equipment, me, editor and Skypixel tabs. In part two, we'll look at the camera view screen and each of the drone settings. This will be a hefty post, packed with a lot of info. Thanks for reading and see you on the other side!

Click here for Part 2 of the DJI GO 4 guide.

Click here for Part 3 of the DJI GO 4 guide.