DJI batteries are very intelligent. With each drone release, the battery can monitor and adjust its settings to improve its lifetime and ease of use. However, sometimes this goes wrong. Commonly, the DJI battery will illuminate the middle two lights to signal that there is an error.
If your DJI battery displays two middle lights, it is most likely caused by an incomplete firmware update. Download the latest DJI Assistant and attempt another firmware update to solve the issue.
Given the large array of different DJI drones currently on the market, the DJI battery with two flashing lights can signal several different issues. It can also mean that the battery needs to be fully discharged and recharged, or a ribbon cable is disconnected from the battery.
In this article, I will go over the common causes of a DJI battery flashing only two of its lights and what you can do about it.
What two battery lights normally means
The most common reason a DJI battery will flash two lights is to signal to the pilot that a battery firmware update has failed.
There are several reasons why a battery update will fail, including:
- drone switched off before update is complete
- the battery dies before the update is complete
- the Internet connection cannot download the appropriate firmware update due to firewall blocking
- wrong version of the DJI software being used for update
luckily, you can reattempt the update at any time with a full battery on your remote, smart device, and drone battery.
If you are unsure about the steps required to stop your drone from flashing two lights, follow the steps below.
Fixes for a DJI battery that only has two lights
Not all batteries that are flashing two lights can be fixed. However, a good number of pilots have been able to revive a battery stuck with only two lights flashing by using the methods below.

Fully discharge battery
Some pilots have been able to resolve a DJI battery flashing two lights by fully discharging the battery before recharging.
It is important that you do not over discharge the battery as it can cause permanent chemical damage to the lithium polymer composite. However, using a connector to connect your drone battery to your smart phone for charging is one way to be able to discharge the battery in a safe way.
Alternatively, allow the battery to sit for approximately three months (no longer) to ensure that the battery has depleted to its full safe level.
Charge battery for at least 1 hour
Once the battery has been fully discharged, you should charge the drone battery for at least one hour to see if you can break it out of hibernation mode and past the error of only two lights flashing.
If you still encounter your DJI battery flashing two lights, continue looking for more advanced solutions such as updating the firmware and using other DJI software such as DJI Assistant.
Firmware updates
Sometimes the battery misses out on firmware updates. This can be for a variety of reasons but one of the most annoying and hard to diagnose issues with a firmware update is when your firewall does not allow certain DJI updates.
Make sure that your internet connection doesn’t block certain updates and firmware.
Your Internet connection may be firewalled in a way that stops DJI from being able to push firmware to your device. This is a problem in corporate offices or large institutions with a robust firewall policy.
However, at home, you should also ensure the firewall is disabled when updating your firmware.
Updating the firmware is very simple and involves ensuring that the drone battery is as full as you can charge it and starting your DJI drone, connecting to the app, and looking for any firmware update messages.
Summer drone pilots have found that they are not able to update their firmware reproducibly by using the DJI GO4 or FLY flight apps and need to use the DJI Assistant.
Update using the Assistant software
To update the firmware using the DJI Assistant software, you need to ensure that you have the latest version downloaded to your computer.
Head to the DJI download centre and ensure you have downloaded the correct DJI Asst 2 for your device.
Here are some of the most common versions:
DJI Asst 2 for Mavic | Link |
DJI Asst 2 for Phantom | Link |
DJI Asst 2 for Enterprise | Link |
DJI Asst 2 for FPV | Link |
Once you have the most up-to-date version of the DJI Assistant 2 follow a process such as this one for the DJI Mavic air.
- Download DJI Assistant 2 V1.2.2.845, and install on your computer.
- Charge your malfunctioning battery(ies) for at least an hour. Ignore what the LEDs do during this hour.
- While your malfunctioning battery(ies) is charging (or if it has just been charged for at least 1 hour), install a fully-charged FUNCTIONAL battery into your Mavic Air.
- Start DJI Assistant 2.
- Connect your Mavic Air to your computer.
- Turn on your Mavic Air.
- Select your Mavic Air in DJI Assistant 2
- Update your firmware to the latest version
- Update the rest of your fully-charged functioning Mavic Air batteries.
- After your malfunctioning battery has charged for at least 1 hour and updated your Mavic Air aircraft to the latest firmware, install your MALFUNCTIONING battery into your Mavic Air.
- Turn on your Mavic Air.
- Update to latest firmware. Your first attempt will likely result in a failure notice citing the reason your battery is not fully charged. Leave that screen up for at least 1 minute. If the update doesn’t resume installing on its own, click Retry. Then your malfunctioning battery will resume and complete the firmware update.
If you follow the 12 steps above, your malfunctioning battery should now be fixed!
If your drone battery is still not charged, here are a few extra steps that you could try that have been successful for other drone pilots with this same issue.
Make sure you are charging with the right charger
Sometimes the issue is as simple as ensuring you are using the right charger to charge the battery. We have plenty of sockets/outlet to USB connectors in our homes, but they are not all powerful enough to charge the batteries sufficiently.
Ensure you use the right power output to charge your drone battery.
For example, one user was charging with a 10W charger and was able to resolve the problem by switching to an 18W DJI USB charger.
Always use the official charger that comes with your drone battery to minimise the risk of wattage incompatibility.
Put the battery in the drone and charge there
Some drone users could get around the DJI battery flashing two lights by putting the battery in the Joan, and charging through the drone.
Pilots with the DJI Mavic mini may find this particularly useful.
Not all drone batteries are able to be charged through the drone but if you have a model that can, give this quick solution a go to see if it can solve your battery issues.
Ribbon cable disconnected in battery
Warning, this section is for confident and capable drone pilots only.
Some drone pilots have been able to revive a dead battery by opening up the drone battery casing and looking for disconnected ribbon cables.
Drone batteries are particularly tough and are built to stand up to a range of knocks and bumps. However, sometimes a loose cable can be the cause of your issues.
Open up the battery’s casing to see if you can identify any obviously loose ribbon cables.
If you notice any cables that have become loose all no longer connect to the drone battery you should connect them. Carefully press the male and female ribbon cables together until they fit together snugly.
Make sure you do not puncture or damage the battery’s internal components – otherwise, you risk an explosion.
Never trust a newly revived battery and test it thoroughly before placing back in circulation.
There are also more advanced instructions on reviving DJI batteries at Drownownersnetwork.com.
Both these options require more advanced and dangerous techniques, so reach out to a professional or proceed with extreme caution.
Wrapping up
This article has covered everything you need to know about a DJI battery with two lights flashing. It is most likely a failed firmware update that is causing your drone battery to flash the two middle lights.
However, a battery with a disconnected ribbon cable will also show this light behaviour.
Try to update the firmware using the in-drone method but most users have found that they need to connect their drone to the DJI Assistant 2 software to update the firmware.