DJI Mini 3 Issues: 10 Things You Should Know (Must-Read)

The DJI Mini 3 is a compact drone packed with numerous intriguing features designed to make it a perfect entry-level drone.

With features such as detail-rich 4k HDR video, true vertical shooting, and extended life battery, it’s a standout.

However, like most technological gadgets, issues are bound to arise. Familiarizing yourself with the common problems associated with the DJI Mini 3 will make it easy for you to know when yours needs some attention.

In this article, I’ll look at some of the most common issues other pilots have experienced with the Mini 3 and provide fixes.

If you own a Mini 3 or soon will, you can’t miss this!

1. The Mini 3 won’t turn on #

If you’re getting into the world of drones, this is one of the common issues you’re likely to experience.

After getting your DJI Mini 3 out of the box, you may press the power button and realize that you’re not getting the expected results.

One of the common reasons for such a tear-jerking problem is inexperience. The Mini 3 requires you to press the button, let go, and then do it again and hold it for a few seconds before the drone rolls back to life.

Besides inexperience, another potential issue that may make your Mini 3 not turn on is dead or uncharged batteries.

Whenever you want to use your drone, one of the first things you should check is whether the batteries are charged.

If batteries are fully charged, and the drone isn’t responding to your inputs, try cleaning the connections since the accumulation of dirt and dust on the brass connectors can interfere with the current flow.

Further, the outside temperature can inhibit your drone from starting.

DJI uses intelligent batteries, meaning if they detect a temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the drone may not start.

If the temperature is below the DJI’s recommendation of 32 degrees, you may need to let the batteries warm up to make them effective again.

2. Gimbal panning issues #

While the gimbal is one of the essential features of a drone, it’s very delicate and requires careful handling.

The gimbal is typically responsible for providing stable movement, making it easy for the drone to capture captivating content.

The DJI Mini 3 has a small gimbal cover to protect it from damage. While you might be tempted to fly your drone with the gimbal cover present, that might cause more damage to the gimbal.

Furthermore, it might interfere with the smooth movement of the camera. You won’t be able to capture the stunning content you may need.

If your Mini 3’s gimbal is acting up, check the physical connection between the gimbal and the drone. If the gimbal is not properly connected to the drone, you will encounter a gimbal disconnected error.

To solve that, ensure the gimbal is properly connected and secured to the drone.

Another reason you may experience a gimbal disconnected error with your Mini 3 is if there’s a problem with your SD card.

Replacing the SD card may solve the problem.

3. The drone won’t take off #

Your DJI Mini 3 may not take off in certain circumstances, and one of the reasons for this is the poor fitting of the propellers.

When you buy a Mini 3, it comes with spare propellers so you can easily replace the damaged prop in case of a crash.

If you have to replace the propellers at some point and realize your drone isn’t working, you should examine the propellers to ensure they’re perfectly fitted.

**Other than damaged or poorly fitted propellers, another issue that may prevent your drone from taking off is the cold weather. **

During extremely cold weather conditions, the intelligent batteries of the Mini 3 may not function normally.

In such a scenario, you must be patient and let the drone warm up before starting it. Too hot conditions may also result in the overheating of the drone and therefore prevent it from taking off.

Further, your drone may not take off if you’re trying to fly in restricted areas. DJI drones, including the DJI Mini 3, have geofencing designed to prevent drones from entering restricted zones.

To fly your drone, you must get it out of the restricted area before you can re-launch it.

Additional reasons that may prevent your DJI Mini 3 drone from taking off include:

• Failing to switch your drone on correctly
• Not activating your batteries if you’re using the drone for the first time
• Dusty or dirty batteries
• Charging your battery too soon after a flight
• Faulty charger battery or charger
• Water damage
• Faulty mainboard

4. The DJI Fly App is not working #

If you’re using your Mini 3 for the first time and discover it’s not working, it could be due to incompatibility issues.

Not all phones are compatible with the DJI Fly App, which makes examining compatibility issues very important.

However, if you’re certain your phone is compatible with the DJI app, you must ensure your phone’s operating system is up to date.

Updating your phone’s system may solve the problem.

5. The Mini 3 won’t connect to the controller #

While it’s not common to see a state-of-the-art drone like the Mini 3 having issues connecting to the controller, it does happen. 

The common cause for such a problem is low battery power on the drone, the controller, or both.

So, checking the battery charge on both devices may bring the problem to an end. If you find out that the battery charge is low, charge them before trying again.

If there are no issues with your battery charge, it is time to check whether your controller is syncing with the drone.

Please switch off the drone and controller before switching them again. The connection should be complete if syncing was the issue.

Recharging the batteries and checking the syncing of the drones should solve connection problems.

However, if they fail, that would indicate a technical glitch that makes the drone not pair with the controller.

Suppose everything was fine before installing the latest updates. In that case, consider re-installing the update to see if that eliminates the bugs that are stopping your devices from functioning properly.

6. Low-quality images #

While the DJI Mini 3 is one of the high-end consumer drones, you may sometimes get low-quality images. One of the reasons for poor quality footage with your Mini 3 is inexperience.

Before you use your DJI Mini for content creation, ensure that you know how to create transformative and captivating footage effectively.

Besides the inexperience factor, another potential factor is the controller. The controller can hold low-quality footage for the sake of saving storage space.

If you want quality footage, download it from the SD card to your phone or your computer.

7. White screen on the controller #

Another issue many pilots have experienced when using the Mini 3 is the screen going white when the drone is turned on.

The white screen is a phenomenon that happens when the drone is exposed to too much light. Also, the shutter speed being too low or the ISO being too high can cause the problem.

Whenever you experience this challenge, you can always correct it by adjusting the settings. Ensure that the settings are best for the environment you’re shooting.

The rule of thumb is to keep the shutter speed double your frame rate and ISO close to 100.

Further, you can opt for ND filters that reduce the amount of light that settles on your screen to enhance visibility.

8. The Mini 3 won’t update #

The Mini 3 receives regular updates from the manufacturer through the DJI Fly App.

The updates are designed to resolve any issues with the drone while at the same time enhancing its efficiency. In some situations, the updates add new functions to the drone.

While update failures are not a common phenomenon, when they do happen, they can result in the malfunctioning of the drone.

One of the common mistakes that many pilots make whenever they encounter this problem is to turn off the drone. Such a move will see your drone not turning on, and you will have to update it manually.

The first step to solving this issue is to check the battery levels of your devices and ensure they’re in working condition. If the intelligent batteries of your Mini 3 are not within the recommended charge levels, that could be the reason for the issue.

However, if the batteries are at a perfect level and the drone won’t update, the USB cable could be the problem. Try swapping the cable and see whether you get different results.

Also, check to see if the app needs to be updated.

While most phones automatically update the app, there are some situations where this may not be the case. Once you update the DJI app, that should solve the problem.

The last resort is downloading the DJI Assistant to help rectify the situation.

9. Signal not found #

The signal not found is often caused by location rather than the drone. If you’re flying your Mini 3 and are getting signal, you may want to change your position to see whether that solves the problem.

In addition to switching positions, there are several other tricks that you can try out:

• Ensure that there are no metal objects, mobile towers, and electric wires, as they create a magnetic field around the drone that can result in a no signal error. Taking off with such hurdles can cause other connectivity issues.
• Try connecting through the GPS.
• When flying your drone with WI-FI, disable the Bluetooth in your device.

10. Drone camera not working issue #

In some cases, your Mini 3’s camera might not work. Experiencing this problem does not always mean the camera on your drone is faulty. In most cases, it’s a software issue.

Normally, there are several checks you can conduct to solve the issue.

For starters, ensure that the controller and drone are connected. You can always use your drone app to establish whether or not you have a good drone-controller connection.

If there’s nothing wrong with the connection, you can move to check your camera’s lens.

Sometimes pilots forget the ND filters on the lens, which can block most of the light, minimizing the camera’s efficiency.

A defective RC cable can also be the cause of this issue. Replacing the cable can solve the camera issue with your DJI Mini drone.

Lastly, ensuring that the drone, controller, DJI batteries, and even your smartphone are up to date is paramount to eliminating such issues. 

Any of these devices being out of date can interfere with the normal functioning of your drone camera.

If the DJI Smart Controller goes blank even though everything is correct, you can try turning everything off and starting again. 

Other additional tricks that may help solve the issue include:

• Reformatting the SD card
• Clearing the cache
• Checking whether you have a hardware fault on your camera