Despite its size and increasing popularity, the drone market is far from being on the same level as the smartphone market. Nevertheless, many people now own a drone and enjoy spending countless hours flying the drones in their back yards or at a local park - perhaps unbeknownst to many is that this is sometimes against national regulations. Anyway, let's assume you've found a big field somewhere that you can legally play with your drone. Which apps should you use? We’ve put together a short list of apps that anyone interested in drones should try out.
Google Earth
"Google has nothing to do with this, good grief!”. If you’re an avid AndroidPIT reader, you’ll know that Google is trying out many projects linked to this technology. It’s been a few years since it acquired the work done by Keyhole and turned it into Google Earth Viewer as we know it today, an app that allows you to view landscapes, buildings, vehicles and even people, all in 3D.
Thanks to its precise data, Google Earth is able to tell you whether an area is suited for flying your drone or not and, if needs be, you can quickly find another more suitable location nearby. it's worth keeping in mind that there are strict laws in place in each country, which you should cast an eye over before your shiny toy takes to the air.
Now that you’ve found a place to fly your drone, you have to decide when the best time to fly is. Obviously, you can’t fly your drone if it’s windy and/or raining. Simply launch this app and you’ll receive a notification when the weather is suitable for flying. The app will also tell you some extra information such as current wind speed, etc.
If you already use weather apps, this app won’t offer you anything new. If you’re not familiar with such apps, you’ll appreciate the “OK, go fly” and “Not good to fly” features.
So, you know where to fly and you know what the weather will be, so you’re all set to fly your drone, right? Well, no, not yet. Now you have to make sure you’re not going to get in the way of any aircraft routes (planes, helicopters) - you can check this using the Flight radar app. You may think it unlikely that your drone would collide with one of these aircraft (especially if you’re not planning to fly too high) but it could happen if, for instance, one or several helicopters take off to attend to a medical emergency or for drills in a city.
App version: 7.2.2
App size: 40.3 MB
App compatibility: Android 4.1 or higher
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Official apps
Now that the flight path is clear, there’s nothing standing in your way, have fun! Your drone will run on the manufacturer’s own app by default. Whether it’s DJI, Archos, GoPro, Parrot or something else, there will be an official app for the brand which will allow you to get the best out of flying your device. There are some third-party apps that are also worth trying out, particularly Litchi which allows you to play around with Mavic, Phantom, Inspire and DJI Spark drones.
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