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Waypoint Flights

Many DJI drones do support waypoint navigation. Waypoint navigation allows one to program a drone to fly to specific GPS locations or waypoints, enabling automated and precise flight paths. This feature is particularly useful for mapping, surveying, and inspection applications.

To use waypoint navigation on a DJI drone, one needs to use either the DJI GO or Fly app or a third-party app such as Litchi, Dronelink, or Maven that supports waypoint navigation. It should be noted that DJI's implementation of waypoints should be considered a proof-of-concept only. Yes, it works, but it is difficult to do any serious work with it. Third-party apps such as Litchi, Dronelink, and Maven provide many more advanced mission planning features than what is available in the DJI apps.

Native Waypoints vs Virtual Stick Waypoints

It's important to know that not all DJI drones support waypoint navigation. Additionally, there are two primary implementations of waypoint navigation: "native" (firmware-supported) or "virtual-stick commands" (VSC). On-board, or native waypoints are loaded to the drone prior to flying the mission and are executed autonomously by the drone without the need for a constant connection between the controller and the drone. Virtual-stick waypoint commands are sent from the controller to the drone in real-time necessitating a constant connection between the controller and the drone. On-board waypoint missions tend to result in much smoother execution than virtual-stick waypoint missions.

If waypoint navigation is a required feature, it is important to understand the different implementations and which drones support them. Researching each drone model's specifications and abilities is strongly recommended prior to purchasing a drone to ensure that it has the desired features.

DJI Mini 4K Waypoints

A common question in drone forums is whether the DJI Mini 4K supports waypoint flights. Much of the confusion stems from the drone's name and its similarity to other models in DJI's Mini lineup.

DJI currently offers several Mini-series drones, including the Mini 2, Mini 2 SE, Mini 4K, and Mini 4 Pro. The Mini 2 supports waypoint missions when used with third-party apps such as Litchi. The Mini 4 Pro supports native waypoint flights through either the DJI Fly app or the Litchi Pilot app. The Mini 2 SE or Mini 4K, however, do not support waypoints.

Despite its name, the DJI Mini 4K is essentially a Mini 2 SE with an upgraded camera. As a result, it shares the same limitations as the Mini 2 SE and does not support waypoint functionality.

This limitation is largely due to timing. When the Mini 2 was released in 2020, DJI was actively supporting Mobile SDK (MSDK) version 4, which allowed third-party apps to enable waypoint flights. In 2021, DJI shifted development to MSDK version 5 and discontinued support for MSDK v4. The Mini 3 Pro was the first consumer drone to be supported under MSDK v5.

Because the Mini 2 SE and Mini 4K were introduced during this transition, they were left in an awkward position. While their hardware is similar to the Mini 2 and could have been supported under MSDK v4, DJI had already ended development on that platform. At the same time, these models were not included in the newer MSDK v5 roadmap. As a result, the DJI Mini 4K does not support waypoint flights.

Current Status of DJI Drone Waypoint Support

Drone Release Date Drone Model Waypoint Support SDK Litchi Support
Apr, 2015Phantom 3 (all)On-boardMSDKv4Yes
May, 2016Phantom 4 (all)On-boardMSDKv4Yes
Sep, 2016Mavic ProOn-boardMSDKv4Yes
Nov, 2016Inspire 1/2On-boardMSDKv4Yes
May, 2017SparkOn-boardMSDKv4Yes
Aug, 2017Mavic Pro PlatinumOn-boardMSDKv4Yes
Jan, 2018AirOn-boardMSDKv4Yes
Aug, 2018Mavic 2 Pro/ZoomOn-boardMSDKv4Yes
Oct, 2019MiniVSCMSDKv4Yes
Apr, 2020Air 2VSCMSDKv4Yes
Nov, 2020Mini 2VSCMSDKv4Yes
Apr, 2021Air 2SVSCMSDKv4Yes
Jun, 2021Mini SEVSCMSDKv4Yes
Nov, 2021Mavic 3On-boardNoKMZ
May, 2022Mini 3 ProVSCMSDKv5 (Android only)Beta
Sep, 2022Mavic 3 E/T/MOn-boardMSDKv5 (Android only)Beta, KMZ
Nov, 2022Mavic 3 ClassicOn-boardNoKMZ
Jan, 2023Mini 3VSCMSDKv5 (Android only)Beta
Mar, 2023Mini 2 SENoNoNo
Apr, 2023Mavic 3 ProOn-boardNoKMZ
Jul, 2023Air 3On-boardNoKMZ
Sep, 2023Mini 4 ProOn-board & VSCMSDKv5 (Android only)Beta, KMZ
Apr, 2024Mini 4KNoNoNo
Oct, 2024Air 3SOn-boardNoKMZ
Jan, 2025FlipNoNoNo
May, 2025Mavic 4 ProOn-boardNoKMZ
Sep, 2025Mini 5 ProOn-boardNoKMZ

Key to information displayed in the table above

  • On-board: Waypoint mission is supported by firmware. Entire mission is loaded to drone prior to execution.
  • VSC: Litchi waypoints supported by "Virtual Stick Commands". Litchi missions require constant connection between drone and controller. No DJI waypoint support.
  • MSDK: Mobile Software Development Kit. A library of functions created by DJI to enable 3rd party control over selected drone functions.
  • MSDKv4: Version 4 of the MSDK. Last release: 4.16.4 2022-11-11 (Android). Supports both IOS and Android.
  • MSDKv5: Version 5 of the MSDK. Last release: 5.3.0 2023-04-07 (Android). Supports Android only.
  • Beta: Litchi support is provided via the Litchi Pilot app.
  • KMZ: Missions can be designed using Litchi's Mission Hub then convert to a KMZ file and imported into the device running DJI Fly or DJI Pilot 2.

References

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by Wes Barris