Autel Drones: The 4 Most Common Issues (With Easy Solutions)

Drones can be incredibly fun and rewarding to use, especially if you use them professionally, but there are some common issues with Autel drones you might face.

The good news is that there are some easy fixes to most of these problems. But I won’t lie. Some issues (especially hardware ones which are pretty regular with Autel), can only be fixed by Autel. Defective radios and LED lights are very common.

My Autel drone battery is not charging. What do I do?

If you stored your drone for an extended period of time and forgot or didn’t consider removing the battery first, this can have resulted in the battery not charging.

You can try resetting/power-cycling the battery but it is not guaranteed this will fix it as it may have died out completely. Here’s how.

1. Turn on the battery by holding the button for 5 to 10 seconds.
2. Connect the charger.

If nothing happens:

1. Plug in the charger first.
2. Hold down the button for 20 seconds.
3. If it still won’t charge, hold down the button for 20 seconds without plugging in the charger.

If the issue persists even after power cycling the battery, then it is time to recycle it and get a new one.

My Autel remote won’t connect to my drone.

This issue is very common and in most cases, it appears after an incomplete firmware update.

If your Autel drone is within the warranty period, you should send it back and Autel will either replace it or fix it. But in case it isn’t, you should first identify what caused it. If you did not update the firmware recently, then try some fixes from the list below.

Fix 1#: Manual Update

Some users on https://autelpilots.com/ mentioned that after manually updating the firmware a few more times, the problem was solved. You should try this as a first option as it may save you from any extra hassle.

Fix 2#: Binding

Redo the binding routine all over.

1. Hold down the power and home buttons simultaneously while the Remote Controller is turned off. After booting, it will display that it is binding.
2. Then press the drone’s bind button. The bind button should blink quickly as soon as you press it.

If you have already tried all possible solutions and you are 100% certain you did the binding procedure properly but nothing worked, then it is very likely a hardware issue and you should contact Autel.

My Autel Evo camera is not working. Can it be fixed?

For starters, you should first try some regular troubleshooting like uninstalling and reinstalling the Autel Sky app before you dive deeper into this. Also, make sure you did all the necessary updates as outdated firmware could result in this issue as well.

If you tried the above, here are a few more things you can attempt.

Fix 1#: Cable

This is a starter’s fix but give it a try. If you don’t get a live video display on your controller or phone, try unplugging the cable for a few seconds and then plug it in again.

Fix 2#: Image Transmission Mode Settings

If the issue appeared after a firmware update, which is more common than you think, some settings may have changed.

1. Disconnect and reconnect your mobile device.
2. Powercycle the drone and the RC.
3. Select “Image Transmission” from the menu.
4. If all of the menu options are set to “N/A,” pick 2.4G by tapping “Channel Mode.”
5. Broadband Settings should be changed from “N/A” to “10 MHz.”
6. Switch “Image Transmission Mode” to “Smooth” from “N/A.”

Is your Autel Smart Controller not booting? Here’s the way to fix it.

If you make a brief push on the power button on some Smart Controllers, the lights will turn on for a few seconds, and you will hear a beeping sound before it turns back off. Hold down the power button for a few seconds and check if it boots properly.

However, if your SC boots normally when you plug it into the power socket, it may be a battery issue. If you have another battery at hand, replace it and try again. If you don’t, you will have to purchase a new one.

But just in case, you should always have at least one or two spare batteries stashed specifically for such cases.

Final Thoughts

Even though Autel has been a worthy competitor of DJI in terms of features and recording quality, its customers face several hardware and firmware issues more often than not; even for newly purchased drones.

As irritating as it may be, luckily for you, Autel is aware of how problematic some of the devices can be and always replaces (or fixes) them when you send them in during the warranty period.

However, keep in mind that in some cases, the customer pays the shipping costs when they send it to Autel for replacement or fixing.