Apple's App Store review delays temporarily ground DJI's new Phantom 3 drone [u]

Posted:
in iPhone edited May 2015
An apparently lengthy and stringent Apple App Store review process has held up the release of an app required to connect iOS devices to DJI's Phantom 3 drone camera, leading to frustration among owners of the new device.




Those among the first to get the newly released Phantom 3 have found that they can't connect their iPhone or iPad to the drone with the existing DJI application. A support representative for the company took to the RCGroups.com forums on Tuesday to inform users that the hold-up is on Apple's end.

"Unfortunately we are again at the mercy of Apple," the support rep said. "The app was submitted in a timely fashion but they continue to make their requirements more stringent with every submission. I was told that it should be on the Apple store shortly."

He added: "We are sorry, we thought we had plenty of time, but Apple changed that on us."

In the interim, owners of the new Phantom 3 have been advised to use an Android device, if they can, to interact with the Phantom 3. The latest version of DJI's app is already available on the Google Play Store.




Apple's App Store review process has always been somewhat controversial among some developers, who have criticized the company for inconsistent application of rules and lengthy review times. Such delays can cause headaches for companies and users, who may need new software to address serious bugs or add new features.

In the case of the Phantom 3, the drone's live camera feed and controls are unusable without the updated application, which will apparently be made available whenever it receives Apple's approval. Until then, the device, which starts at $999, won't offer iOS connectivity.

DJI unveiled the new Phantom 3 earlier this month, featuring improved specifications, longer flight time, tighter integration with Apple's iOS, and a lower entry price. It's available to purchase direct from DJI.

Update: DJI later changed its stance and blamed the delay on internal miscommunication, saying an engineer had "made a misstatement" to Apple. The companies are working together to solve the problem.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13

    Perhaps DJI should have made sure the App was available before selling people devices. Why is this Apple's fault?

  • Reply 2 of 13
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post

     

    Perhaps DJI should have made sure the App was available before selling people devices. Why is this Apple's fault?




    Because Apple is always at fault.

  • Reply 3 of 13
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    Perhaps Apple has a drone competitor and did this deliberately/s
  • Reply 4 of 13
    ciacia Posts: 247member
    This drone has been in pre-order for over a month. If they submitted the App 3 weeks ago and it's still in limbo then it's Apple. If they submitted only a few days ago then it's on them. The article doesn't make a distinction either way so no way to place blame based on the information we have.
  • Reply 5 of 13
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    Three weeks is not long in the Apple approval process. You also have no idea why it's taking however long it's taking. Maybe it had problems that had to be fixed. Maybe it had several. It's easier just to blame Apple. At my company, we plan on six weeks minimum for Apple approval assuming no or minor issues.
  • Reply 6 of 13
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    cia wrote: »
    This drone has been in pre-order for over a month. If they submitted the App 3 weeks ago and it's still in limbo then it's Apple. If they submitted only a few days ago then it's on them. The article doesn't make a distinction either way so no way to place blame based on the information we have.

    Three weeks is not long in the Apple approval process. You also have no idea why it's taking however long it's taking. Maybe it had problems that had to be fixed. Maybe it had several. It's easier just to blame Apple. At my company, we plan on six weeks minimum for Apple approval assuming no or minor issues.
  • Reply 7 of 13
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member

    Luckily all the apps I have worked on have been 2-10 days for approval.

  • Reply 8 of 13
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:

    DJI unveiled the new Phantom 3 earlier this month


     

    What delay?! App Store shows last update on April 2nd. They are not singling out DJI. Apple Developers website is showing 51% of iOS updates are being approved in five business days (new apps is at 36% by the way). This is clearly widespread issue. Beside, Apple offer each developer limited number of expedited reviews in case a developer needs to release critical update. I have tried it before and it took less than 48 hours. Maybe the should have done that.

     

    Without giving details about how long and why it is "delayed" this whole thing is stupid.

  • Reply 9 of 13
    Its not just the app that is not ready but all the user manual from DJI is NOT available.

    Great product but DJI can't seem to get it right with software of other things that mater.

    So P3 users have no manual & no software.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    And just to pile on the misery for DJI P3 owners it also transpired today that the android app is also not available...

    DUH.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    undefined
  • Reply 12 of 13

    Hi, 

     


    About three weeks ago I preordered DJI Phantom 3 Advanced from DJI.com 


    They promised to ship it by the end of April, and this morning I received my drone. 


    After assembling and trying to launch it, I noticed that the app can’t connect to the drone. 


     


    I contacted the customer support online. Customer support representative in a very sarcastic and disrespectful manner told me that the drone cannot be operated without a firmware update that is not available yet. Please find below the transcript of the online chat with DJI’s customer support representative. 


     


    I believe that companies that treat their customers like that do not deserve to operate. If you also think that it’s outrageous, please help me to spread the word about the negative experience, warning existing and possible new customers about the attitude towards a customer that they might experience after buying DJI’s products. 


     


    I am an international graduate student (recently graduated) from Russia, live and work now in San Francisco, California. 


    I am available to provide clarifications and additional info at my email [email protected] and at (415) 260-3682. 


    My linkedin profile will give you more details on my professional background. 


     


    Best regards, 


    Gevorg


     


    ==================================


    TRANSCRIPT of the chat with Tech Support


    ==================================


     


    Thank you for contacting DJI Technical Support.

    ???DJI????????????

    1. ??400-700-0303??????????

     

    2. ?????????????,???(SN),[email protected]?DJI???????????????

     

    3. ??http://www.dji.com/cn/product/phantom-3 ??LIVE800?????????????????????????(SN),????,DJI????????????

    ?????????DJI??????????????????

    DJI

     

    Hello, thanks for contacting DJI. You can reach us by:

    E-mail to: [email protected]

    Send an e-mail containing your name, phone number, location, product Serial Number, and brief description of your issue, and our service team will contact you as soon as possible.    DJI regional offices during local working hours: 

    North America:

    Call +1 (818) 235-0789, Mon-Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm PST, or e-mail [email protected]

    EU Member Countries:

    Call +49 (0) 9747-9304200, Mon-Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm Central Europe time, or e-mail [email protected]

    Japan:

    E-mail [email protected]     

    If you have any pre-sales questions about DJI products before you buy, please write to us at [email protected], and we will respond shortly.

     

    Thank you!

     

    DJI

    10:51:30

    ??????????????????? 

    Hello, what can I do for you.


     


    Gevorg


    hi there

    so where do I get the new firmware to make the app work? 


     


    DJI

    it hasn't been released and updated yet

    please wait


     


    Gevorg

    10:52:43

    so i can't use the device now?
     

     


    DJI


    yes


     


    Gevorg

    yes - i can't? 


     


    DJI

    No APP and firmware package

    you can't use your drone


     


    Gevorg


    10:54:00

    whaaaat???

    are you kidding??? 


    this is ridiculous 


     


    DJI

    The Phantom 3 compatible version the DJI Pilot app for iOS will be available on the App Store within one week. After downloading the new DJI Pilot app, you must update the firmware of your Phantom 3 before it can be used.


     


    Gevorg

    yeah, that's totally ridiculous 


     


    DJI

    sorry for bringing inconvenience

    because the APP is under examination


     


    Gevorg


    10:55:08

    can i use it with an older app? 

    or it's just a piece of junk for $1000? 


     


    DJI

    sorry for bringing inconvenience


     


    Gevorg


    10:56:18

    ok guys, i gonna sue the crap out of your company. 

    thanks for the horrible experience. 


     


    DJI


    10:57:48

    pleasure


     


    Gevorg


    Pleasure??? Wow! It's outrageous! 


     


    DJI


    just kidding


     


    <END>
  • Reply 13 of 13
    shweppsshwepps Posts: 4member
    Hey, guys what about a ground station? Does everyone should make it on its own?
    I've read this review http://djiphantom2vision-plus.com/dji-phantom-3-quadcopter-review/ where stated that DJI has a SDK that allows to create new apps. Also I've heard rumour that DJI are going to release ground station update in the future, within 2 or 3 month. Hence, where is the truth?
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