Having trouble connecting your DJI Spark to Android? Here’s how to fix it

DJI’s latest drone, the Spark, got some serious attention when it was announced last month and today I finally got my hands on one. The adorably tiny drone is advertised as something for beginners that doesn’t require much in terms of setup. Currently, though, there are some issues with the Spark’s WiFi connection. If you’re experiencing issues, here’s how to fix it.

Update: DJI reached out to us to confirm that the behavior listed below is the drone working as intended. The “Fly More Combo” is designed to pair the Spark to the remote control out of the box and the drone’s wireless network will not appear on your smartphone for this reason.

Resetting the drone’s WiFi network (with the instructions below) does allow it to be paired directly to a phone. The article that follows has been updated to reflect this.

Some users have reported problems with the Spark’s WiFi network not appearing on their smartphone during setup. During the standard setup process, the drone is expected to appear in the DJI Go 4 app and your phone’s WiFi network, but with the “Fly More Combo” of the drone, that doesn’t behave in quite the same way.

How to set up the DJI Spark with Android

The first thing you’ll need to do is connect to and activate your new drone. To do that, simply follow the steps below.

1. Charge your DJI Spark battery fully and insert into drone.
2. Download the DJI Go 4 app from the Google Play Store.
3. Open DJI Go 4 and ensure the app is set to connect to a DJI Spark.
4. Turn on your DJI Spark (one tap and one long press until fans kick in).
5. In the DJI Go 4 app on your device, tap Enter Device and connect to the Spark’s WiFi network.*
6. Enter the password found under the battery on your Spark and on the carrying case.
7. Turn off mobile data.
8. After you’ve connected to the Spark, you will be asked to activate the product and check for firmware updates.
9. Once these steps have been completed, you should now be able to fly your DJI Spark.

If your experience ends up anything like mine, you’ll be presented with one major issue first — you can’t find the Spark’s WiFi network. The Spark that ships in the “Fly More Combo” is actually designed to pair to the remote controller first rather than directly to your phone. Thankfully, it’s not very difficult to change that and control things with your Android device.

How to reset DJI Spark WiFi

1. Turn on your DJI Spark (one tap and one long press until the fans kick in).
2. Open the DJI Go 4 app on your Android device and tap Enter Device. From there you should be presented with your device’s WiFi menu.
3. Press and hold the Spark’s power button until the drone beeps once, two times (about 6 seconds). This resets the Spark’s WiFi network.
4. On your smartphone, the Spark’s WiFi network should appear as a secured network
5. From here, locate your Spark’s carrying case. The WiFi password will be listed next to the QR code. Input that password and tap Connect.

Once you’ve followed these steps, your device should have no issues connecting to the DJI Spark from your smartphone. When in use I’ve had no major issues with the app just yet, but the range is definitely minimal with my Pixel XL.