DJI Assistant 2: A Complete Step-By-Step Guide in 2023

The DJI assistant 2 is a god-send for some types of DJI drone pilots and a nice tool to have for most DJI users. Whether you’re a professional who needs every bit of information that they can get on their flight, or just a power user who wants to pull up the hood on their drone and see what’s happening behind the scenes, the DJI assistant 2 is a great addition to your repertoire of drone tools.

Why? Because with the DJI Assistant 2, you simulate flights before actually flying your drone, calibrate your drone’s vision sensors and update the firmware. It also acts as a sort of black box, telling you exactly what happened during a crash and why. It’s available on both Mac and Windows.

This article will act as a complete step by step guide for the DJI Assistant 2 app. We’ll go over what it does in detail, how you can install, download and begin using it to make your drone flights easier. We’ll also cover its uses for flight simulation and as a black box. This is going to be a long article so buckle up.

What is DJI Assistant 2?

Before we go further into this guide let’s first look at the app, what it is and who it's for. The DJI Assistant 2, unlike apps like DJI Go 4, is designed primarily for advanced users who have use for the features of the app.

The DJI Assistant 2 app is part of the DJI ecosystem, designed for power users and professionals. Although it’s known for being able to update your drone’s firmware, that’s not its main use since the DJI Go 4 app can do that. DJI Assistant 2’s focus is other more advanced uses. Uses like:

• Updating your drone’s firmware
• Uploading data to your drone
• Access to the blackbox
• Calibrating your drone’s visual sensors
• Flight simulator
• Easily restoring your drone’s factory settings

Do I need DJI Assistant 2?

So now that we defined what the DJI Assistant 2 is, you may be wondering if you really do need the app or if it's simply something you’d like to try out.

As I said, if it’s only for basic tasks, you can use the DJI Go 4 app to accomplish it. The DJI Assistant 2 shines when it comes to advanced stuff that are more than just firmware updates. Things like Flight simulation, flight logs, VPS calibrating and more.

So do you need the DJI assistant 2? If you’re a professional who regularly does flights, yes. If not, it still wouldn’t hurt to try it out.

Where to download DJI Assistant 2?

Now with that out of the way, let’s get to the actual guide. Downloading the DJI Assistant 2 is fairly simple.

You can go here to download the general version of the DJI Assistant 2, make sure you download the version that’s compatible with your computer. Downloading it as a .pkg (for mac) or as an .exe (for windows) is easier than downloading it as a ZIP file and then decompressing it.

How to install the DJI Assistant 2 App?

The installation process is also simple. Assuming you downloaded it as an executable (not ZIP file) and assuming you downloaded the correct app for your computer, here is what we’ll be doing after that:

1. Open the executable file by double clicking it (.pkg for Mac and .exe for Windows)
2. A pop-up may appear prompting that the DJI Assistant 2 app wants to make changes to your device. If it does, click accept.
3. The usual license agreement and terms of services will open up, simply hit accept.
4. Hit “Next” so that a desktop app is created
5. Hit “install” and wait for the app to install
6. The software extraction file will appear and installation will start
7. Hit “finish” and you’ll be good to go

Different versions of the DJI Assistant 2 App

There are actually different versions of the DJI assistant 2 app that vary depending on the model of your drone. Sometimes it can be hard to know which version you should download (there is also the risk of downloading a virus thinking it’s the official app)...

Which is why I’ve added this section to better guide you to the right version for you.

DJI Assistant 2 App [V1. 2.4/V1.2.5]

The standard version that you can download here. This version is available as a .pkg file for Mac computers and .exe for PCs, it’s 229 Mb and works for the following drones:

• MG-1
• DJI Goggles RE
• Mavic Air
• Mavic Pro Platinum
• Datalink 3
• Spark
• DJI Goggles
• Takyon Z14120
• Inspire 2
• Snail
• Osmo Mobile
• Mavic Pro
• Takyon Z415-M and Z425-M
• Datalink Pro
• D-RTK
• Ronin-MX
• Takyon Z420 and Z318
• E5000
• Matrice 100
• E7000
• DJI Lightbridge 2

DJI Assistant 2 for Mavic

This version is for the Mavic drones and can be downloaded here. It’s available as a .pkg file for Mac computers and .exe for PCs, it’s 389 Mb and works for the following drones:

• Mavic 2 Enterprise Series
• Mavic 2
• DJI Smart Controller
• Mavic Air 2
• Mavic Mini

DJI Assistant 2 for the DJI Mini 2

A version is for the Mini 2 and other consumer drones and can be downloaded here. It’s available as a .pkg file for Mac computers and .exe for PCs, it’s 389 Mb and works for the following drones:

The Mac .pkg version is 403 Mb while the windows file is 256 Mb.

DJI Assistant 2 for Phantom

The DJI Assistant 2 version for the Phantom drone series comes at 359 .pkg file for Mac and 200 Mb .exe file for Windows users and can be downloaded by going here. It works for the following drones:

• Phantom 4
• Phantom 4 Advanced
• Phantom 4 Pro
• Phantom 4 Pro V2.0
• P4 Multispectral
• Phantom 4 RTK
• D-RTK 2

DJI Assistant for Mavic Pro

You can download the DJI Assistant 2 version of the Mavic Pro, which stopped its updates back in 2019 by going here.

Both the Mac and PC versions are 225 Mb and can be downloaded as either a pkg or exe file.

DJI Assistant 2 Mavic Air

The DJI Assistant 2 version for the Mavic Air is the same as the one for the Mavic pro. So you can download a pkg file version V1.2.4 for Mac or get an executable or zip version V1.2.5 for Windows computers.

DJI Assistant for Mavic 3

Similarly to the DJI Mini 2, the Mavic 3 uses the “consumer drones” version of the DJI assistant 2 which you can download by going here. It’s 446 Mb and comes in both Mac and PC versions.

DJI Assistant 2 for Enterprise Series

This is a separate DJI Assistant 2 version for professional pilots who fly enterprise level drones. Like the rest of the versions this one comes in both the Mac and PC at 229 Mb and you can download it here. The drones that are compatible with this version are as follows:

• Matrice 600
• Matrice 200 Series V2
• Matrice 600 Pro
• Matrice 200 Series
• D-RTK 2
• Matrice 300 RTK
• Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced

The DJI Matrice 30 is probably also compatible with this version, but since the drone itself is fairly new and still unreleased that remains to be confirmed.

How to connect my drone to DJI Assistant 2?

Now that we’ve covered all of the app’s versions, connecting your drone to the DJI Assistant 2 won’t take long. Simply follow these steps:

1. Remove your drone’s propellers and hook it up to your Pc or Mac using its cable
2. Open up the DJI Assistant 2 App
3. Wait for 20 seconds or more depending on your drone
4. When your drone’s name appears, click on it
5. You can then choose firmware upgrade, log export, and flight simulator

How to update my firmware with DJI Assistant 2?

One of the primary features of the DJI Assistant 2 is firmware upgrade, which can be done easily as long as you have an internet connection and your drone is properly connected to the app.

You can update your drone’s firmware using the DJI assistant 2 by choosing your drone in the app, navigating in the left panel and clicking on “update firmware”. 

The process looks like this:

1. Connect your drone to your PC (make sure you’ve removed your propellers first)
2. Turn on your drone
3. On your computer, launch the DJI Assistant 2 app.
4. Choose your drone from the main menu.
5. Navigate to the left panel and choose “firmware update.”
6. Pick the latest firmware version once the list of available firmware updates appears on your screen. (you need internet connection for this)
7. Start the update by clicking “Start Update.”

From then on the process is hands-off. The app downloads the latest firmware and flashes it on your drone, it should take from 20 minutes to an hour for the process to be done.

While this video is specifically made for the DJI mini, I’ve found that it covers the process fairly well: 

How do I update a DJI Smart Controller with DJI Assistant 2?

The DJI assistant 2 not only upgrades your drone but can also upgrade your Smart Controller. In fact, upgrading your smart controller isn’t only recommended but actually necessary, as you’ll get a warning message whenever you fly your drone if your remote controller’s firmware isn’t up to date. The process is almost identical to that of upgrading your drone.

You can update your Smart Controller’s firmware using the DJI assistant 2 by choosing your smart controller in the app, navigating in the left panel and clicking on “update firmware”. 

Step by step, the process looks like this:

1. Connect your Smart Controller to your PC using a cableTurn on your drone
2. On your smart controller and launch the DJI Assistant 2 app.
3. Choose your device from the main menu (in this case the smart RC)
4. Navigate to the left panel and choose “firmware update.”
5. Pick the latest firmware version once the list of available firmware updates appears on your screen. (you need internet connection for this)
6. Start the update by clicking “Start Update.”

The process of the RC’s upgrade is pretty much the same with the drone, it’s automatic. You should expect your smart controller to be fully updated within one hour.

This video showcases this process perfectly:

How do you recalibrate vision with DJI Assistant?

Sometimes issues may come up with your vision sensors mid flight. When that happens, it’s strongly recommended to hit the “home” button on your remote controller to safely get the drone back to you. After all, if you try to fly it manually in that state crashing is almost guaranteed.

Fixing issues with your drone’s vision is quite easy in most cases. You can use the DJI assistant 2 app to automatically check for any vision issues and fix them. We call this process “calibrating”.

Step by step, here is how to go about that:

1. Launch the DJI assistant app
2. Make sure your drone is above 49% battery
3. Remove your drone’s propellers (important)
4. Connect your drone to your PC and turn it on
5. Choose the section with your drone’s name
6. Navigate the left section and hit “Calibration”
7. Within the app there some calibration tutorials that you can check out
8. Once you grasp the process, hit “Start calibration”
9. Place the drone carefully before the screen at the appropriate distance. Begin with your drone nearly touching the screen’s center, then pull away from it until the square’s corners turn blue.
10. Follow the squares while keeping your drone fixated in one place. Only tilt and rotate it.
11. Step back and redo the process.

Once the vision is finely tuned and calibrated, the app will upload all the data to your drone. Once that’s finished you’ll see the prompt “Calibration Success” which means… Well, success!

Even though it sounds tricky the process is actually simple and easy to do, I’ll link a video that I think explains it perfectly:

How do I get my DJI flight logs using DJI Assistant 2?

Moving on… if you’ve already opened the DJI assistant 2 and saw it for yourself, you might notice that we’re covering the features of the app top to bottom as they’re ranked within the app. That’s intentional and meant to make this easier for you.

To get your flight logs from DJI assistant, open the app and navigate to your “profile” then look for “Flight Data Center”. From there you can view your SD card’s data.

In more detail, the process looks like this:

1. Launch the DJI Assistant app and hit “Profile.”
2. At the profile’s screen bottom, hit “More.”
3. Select the “Flight Data Center” option.
4. When you open this section for the first time, a message appears asking you to enter the page and view your records by clicking the “SD Card” button. Press the button to confirm.
5. To browse the files stored on the SD Card, use “Open Data Viewer.”

Of course, during this entire process make sure your drone is plugged into your pc and is turned on.

The flight logs provided by the DJI assistant 2 are actually very detailed and can be a goldmine for some power users and professionals. Here is the kind of data the app provides:

• Longitude
• The altitude of air pressure
• Latitude
• Acc X, Y, and Z (Accelerometer)
• East, North, and Down Valid Velocity
• Gyro X, Y, and Z (Gyroscope)
• Compass X, Y, and Z
• Pitch, yaw, and roll
• Satellite numbers
• GPS level
• Status of flight
• RC input throttle
• Status of RC
• ESC and battery motor status, avoidance
• Usonic height and the valid flag
• RC input yaw, roll, and pitch
• Vision height

The Black Box

You’re probably already familiar with the concept of the black box when it comes to airplanes. Well, it’s not much different when it comes to your drone.

The black box in your drone contains detailed flight data that, in case of crashes or weird behavior, helps technicians pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with your drone so they can fix it. Making use of this feature is simple:

1. Launch your DJI Assistant App while making sure your drone is properly plugged into your computer
2. Click on the “Black Box”
3. Select “Save To Local”
4. Pick a folder on your computer.
5. Choose your file and name it.
6. The DJI Assistant 2 app then exports your drone’s information
7. Once done, the app will display “Export completed”

NOTE: Although your logged Blackbox file will be in the path you’ve chosen on your computer, without specialized software to read the data, it’ll be indecipherable. 

Data Upload with DJI Assistant 2

Data upload is another feature in the DJI Assistant 2 that allows you to upload data from your drone to your computer. This data is usually aerial pictures and footage. 

The reason you’d use DJI assistant 2 to import your footage instead of doing it manually from your SD card is because the process is faster and easier by using the app.

In order to do that, simply follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the left side of the app and hit “Data upload”
2. Press the “confirm” button
3. Select all the files you wish to upload
4. Click “Save To Local” to save your data to your computer. There is a chance this will fail, a way to troubleshoot it is to simply exit and try again a second time.
5. In the end, press the “Complete” button. Each file is now saved as a single compressed DAT file which you can decompress.

And that’s really it. The DJI Assistant makes it so that pretty much most of your “after flight” tasks with your drone are easy and automated for the most part.

The DJI Assistant 2 Simulator

The final feature we’ll be covering the app is a really important one called the flight simulator. 

What is the DJI assistant 2 Simulator?

Put simply, the dji assistant 2 simulator is a virtual 3D environment created from flight info transmitted to your computer. It gives commercial pilots the ability to simulate flight beforehand and carefully plan out their footage.

How to use the DJI assistant 2 simulator?

As complicated as it might seem, it’s actually a simple process. To use the DJI Assistant 2 Simulator, follow these steps: 

1. Launch the Assistant 2 app
2. Link the controller to your smartphone and launch DJI Fly.
3. Detach the drone’s propellers (this is important as the motor might spin when you start the simulation)
4. Plug your drone to you computer using a usb cable
5. Turn on both your controller and drone
6. When properly connected to your computer, the DJI Fly software screen indicates that it’s connecting to Assistant 2.
7. In Assistant 2, choose “Simulator” from the left navigation panel, then click “Open.”
8. Enter the longitude, latitude, and wind speed you want to be simulated. ( The “North component” specifies the north-south wind velocity, the “East component” indicates the east-west wind velocity and the “Downward component” denotes the vertical wind velocity.)
9. To begin the simulation, tap “Start Simulating.”
10. A new window will launch displaying your drone view. DJI Fly shows the camera view display. You can control the simulator by using the controller like you would your drone in a real flight.
11. To relocate your viewpoint, tap on the screen and adjust your mouse cursor.
12. A setting screen appears when you right-click where your drone is.
13. If you tick the “show trace” box, the flight path appears on the screen.
14. If you select “save trace to file,” the log file containing the flight path is stored in text format. Underneath the folder noted as “save path,” a new folder gets created, and the log saves as “trace.txt.”
15. To close the simulation, select “Stop Simulating.”

Below is a video showing the flight simulator in action:

Finals words

This has been a complete guide to the DJI Assistant 2 app. I’ve tried to include as much detail as I can without bombarding you with too much information at once. If you’re still a little bit lost, you don’t have to be. The DJI Assistant 2 app is at the end of the day simply a utility app for DJI drone users.

Sort of like the DJI Go 4 which you may be familiar with. If you’d like, there is a really good video that I’ve found which goes through the DJI assistant 2 app in its entirety: