The DJI Mini SE is a fantastic beginner drone that weighs under 250 g. Even though this drone is incredibly user-friendly it also has some connectivity issues that can stump drone pilots. Linking and connecting the drone to your remote controller and smart device can be difficult if you do not do it in the right order or there is an issue with one of the components.
If your DJI Mini SE is not connecting you should make sure you are using all of your officially supplied cables, a formatted SD card, and a phone that is compatible with the app and ensure that everything is fully charged and within half a metre of each other.
This article will go through everything you need to know about linking and connecting your DJI Mini SE to your remote control and the common pitfalls that new and experienced drone pilots fall into.
How to link the remote controller
Firstly, you should make sure that you are linking the remote controller according to the directions issued by DJI.
Linking your DJI mini SE for the first time means following these steps. Also, if you are connecting to a new remote controller or using a new smart device for your remote control you’re also have to go through these steps.
- Power on the remote controller and the aircraft
- launch the DJI fly app.
- In the camera view tap the three dots (…) And select control and connect to aircraft
- Alternatively, you can press and hold the power button of the remote controller for more than four seconds. You will hear a beep when it is ready to link.
- Press and hold the power button of the aircraft for more than four seconds.
- The aircraft will be once indicating that it is ready to link.
- A successful linking will cause the aircraft to be twice.
Ensuring that you follow the steps every time will help your drone connect seamlessly to any new remote control or smart device.
Warnings for linking
There are a few things that you need to be aware of when linking your DJI mini SE and it could be the cause of it not connecting to your remote control.
- Make sure that the remote control is no further than 0.5 m away during linking.
- The remote controller will automatically unlink from a drone if a new remote controller is linked to the same aircraft.
- Make sure you fully charge the remote controller before each flight
- Ensure that the antennas of the remote controller are unfolded and adjusted to the appropriate position to achieve optimal transmission between the drone and the remote control.
- If the remote control is powered on and not connected an alert will sound. After six minutes the drone will power off which could inhibit the connection and link.
If, after following all of these steps your DJI mini SE is still not connecting to your remote control try all of the steps below.
Use all of the supplied cables
Ensure that you are using all of the supplied cables and not using any third-party accessories or ribbon cables.
Sometimes, the cheaper cables lying around our houses are unsuitable for connecting your drone to the remote control.
Always fall back to official DJI hardware if you are encountering any problem – including collectivity issues.
Format your SD card
Some drone pilots have found that the SD card in the DJI mini SE can cause collectivity issues as it wrestles with strange formats or unformatted cards.
DJI drones DO NOT like photos and videos on the card whose names DO NOT EXACTLY MATCH DJI’s chosen name layout.
The fix for this is to ensure that the SD card “DCIM -> 100MEDIA” folder had NO foreign directories or files in it, only what was there originally or put there by the drone.
Related Article: How to format SD card in DJI drone [Quick steps]
Clearing out this directory and restarting your remote control and drone may help you connect the drone.
Try a different phone
To ensure that you can always fly and have a seamless piloting experience with your drone, you should consider purchasing or upgrading to a compatible phone officially supported by DJI developers.
Here is the official list of all Apple and Android devices that DJI officially recommends.
| iOS (Requires iOS 11.0 or above) | Android (Requires Android 6.0 or above) |
| Compatible with iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 8 For older versions: Click to download | Compatible with Samsung Galaxy S21, Samsung Galaxy S20, Samsung Galaxy S10+, Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung Galaxy Note20, Samsung Galaxy Note10+, Samsung Galaxy Note9, HUAWEI Mate40 Pro, HUAWEI Mate30 Pro, HUAWEI P40 Pro, HUAWEI P30 Pro, HUAWEI P30, Honor 50 Pro, Mi 11, Mi 10, Mi MIX 4, Redmi Note 10, OPPO Find X3, OPPO Reno 4, vivo NEX 3, OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus 9, Pixel 6, Pixel 4, Pixel 3 XL |
Contact DJI support
If you have not been able to connect your DJI SE to the remote control you should contact DJI support with all of the information available such as the serial number of the drone and the remote controller and itemise everything that you have done to connect to the drone.
Some drone pilots are able to get a full drone and remote control replacement because there is a genuine hardware issue with connecting the two together.
If it is a recent purchase you will also be able to claim the exchange on warranty.
General Checks
No matter what drone you have, here are the general checks you can make to try and connect your DJI drones to the remote controller. If the above options have not worked for you – try these general fixes.
Battery level
If you’re having trouble connecting your DJI Mini SE to your phone or controller, one of the first things you should check is the battery level.
If the battery is low, it may not have enough power to establish and maintain a connection. Try charging the battery and then attempt to connect again.
Turn everything on and off
If you’re having trouble connecting your DJI Mini SE to your phone or tablet, try turning everything off and on again.
This includes your drone, your remote control, your phone or tablet, and any other devices that might be involved in the connection process.
Once everything is turned off, power on your drone first, followed by your remote control and then your phone or tablet. If everything is working properly, you should be able to connect without any issues.
If you’re still having trouble connecting, there are a few other things you can try:
1. Make sure that all of the cables are properly connected. This includes the micro USB cable that connects your remote control to your phone or tablet, as well as the cable that connects your drone to the remote control.
2. Restart your phone or tablet.
3. Update the firmware on your drone and remote control. You can find instructions for how to do this in the DJI Fly app.
4. If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, make sure that Wi-Fi Assist is turned off. To do this, go to Settings > Cellular and scroll down to the bottom of the page where
Reinstall the app
Also, you can try to force a connection between your drone and the remote control by deleting and reinstalling the app.
Ensure that you are using the official DJI app downloaded from the official DJI website.
Wrapping up
This article has covered everything you can try if your DJI mini SE is not connecting to your remote control.
There is a complicated interplay between all of the devices that are involved in the connection. An issue with the drone, remote control, or smart device can stop you from making a reliable connection.
Attempt everything in this article and, if there is still a problem, contact DJI support directly as you may be able to get a replacement drone and remote control under warranty.
