How to install Litchi on DJI Smart Controller
The DJI Smart Controller is a great thing. Finally the miserable fiddling around with smartphone and remote controller is a waste of time if you want a quick fly. However, the smart controller is yet missing the fine Litchi app. Here is a guide how to change that.
Well, right. The combination Smartphone and DJI remote control is the opposite of fast. Taking your mobile phone out of its protective case and plug it into the remote control. Then making sure that the cable seats properly. And so on, and so forth. That’s how 5-10 minutes may easily pass away while the actual moment you wanted to film or photograph has gone. Such moments like a sunset at the Rüdersdorf shaft furnace battery, like I could capture back in the days.
The DJI Smart Controller fills that gap as the drone is ready for use in just a few simple steps. But what if you want to use apps on the DJI Smart Controller that you also use on your mobile phone? The problem is the reduced Android version on the Smart Controller and the missing Play Store. An APK downloader can help, but only works if it is a free app like Instagram. But Litchi is a paid app and doesn’t allow that trick.
The following workflow let me download Litchi without having to go through the Amazon app store-based workflow suggested by Litchi:
- Litchi must be installed on your smartphone
- Download and install the APK Extractor app on your smartphone
- Create an APK for Litchi with APK Extractor App
- Transfer of this APK from Smartphone to DJI Smart Controller (e.g. via Bluetooth)
- Installation of Litchi on the DJI Smart Controller and (very important) granting of the right “Unrestricted data access”.
I think Litchi’s waypoint mission is waaaayyyy more useful than DJI’s, hence I don’t want to live without this app.
Have fun flying!
