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No image in the map box?

Spark 317

Well known member with a Spark and a Mavic Air 2.
Premium Pilot
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Jul 10, 2017
Messages
5,040
Loc
Indiana, USA
I noticed my map window doesn't display a map anymore. Just a blank screen.

It worked last week.

Do I have to download Maps now?

All of my firmware(s) are up to date.
I'm using an Ipad mini 4, wi-fi only.
I tried it with the OTG cable and without.

Everything seems to work but the map box.

Should I uninstall and reinstall the DJI Go4 app?
 
Since the ios device is wifi only, then you need to cache the map first
 
With the OTG cable, you can use the wifi to connect to your phone set as hot-spot. But as you will not really now which band is using the hot-spot, it is better to turn it off as soon the maps are cached. And don't forget to turn off wifi and Bluetooth on your devices after that.
 
There is also a trick given by @msinger in another thread to press a few times the small compass icon on the map to display the cached map as it didn't show as you would think. Also the zooming factor seems to have an impact.
 
Search for map caching and in the list there is tablet-for-rc-controller.
 
I appreciate the tips but I must be missing something.

First of all, how do I find a map to cache?
Do I go online to Google Maps?
I'm sure DJI's flight information won't be there.
Once cached, how do I put it in the app?

There is nothing in the Go app. The only thing I can find concerning a map is the mainland China switch.

The map box is displayed but no map. Street, satellite, or hybrid. No image.

Even the flight log page no longer shows a map. Just my flight path on a blank screen.

The images used to be there and I didn't have to cache anything. It just worked.
I've even reinstalled the Go4 app. Nope.

I have an Ipad mini 4 with wi-fi only that I bought just for the Spark. (First time Apple product for me.)

I've flown with and without a cable.
I've always used the remote when flying.

I know these are silly questions but I'm at a lost.

If I happen to lose sight of my drone and it crashes or it lands somewhere, it would be nice to see it on a map.:)

Thanks again for any help.
 
Same for me, iPad mini4, first ios device.
The caching is automatic in the app, it remember what it has already seen as map. It cannot really preload map like on android version.
You need either to preview the map at home or use a phone as hotspot at start of flight.

Start Spark and RC, let them link. You will need later that the Spark get GPS lock.
Connect the ipad wifi to the RC.
Open the Go4 app.
Use "Enter Device" button.
Wait until Spark get GPS lock and it says that home point has been recorded.
Connect the ipad wifi to internet.
Then it should upload the map where is the Spark and where you plan to fly, be sure to do it at all the required zoom level you want.
Connect the ipad wifi to the RC.
Map should be active.

This is the theory, tried to do it (was using android devices last week) but it failed, I had a grey map always. Maybe it is just on mine, will recheck and report back.

In comparison, the caching of maps on android version is much better or there is a trick I don't know.
The flight records maps are supposed to refresh when the iPad is connect to internet and you watch the map.
 
It seems that playing with the Flight records, showing the map, make it working back.
When displaying a past flight (with internet connection), it was shown first grey and then map comes. Then when back to the Spark, the map was ok.
Maybe there is some time validity of cached map and it needs some refresh.
It seems that using the flight records map display could be a way to "pre-load the maps", but the way it is cached remain strange to me.
 
I am planning to use my ipad (wifi) too but I havent tried.

But on my iphone, I tested the following:
- Open the app
- Enter the device anyway (not connected to spark whatsoever)
- Click on the box and open map
- Move around the area which you want to cache, zoom in zoom out
- Kill app
- Airplane mode
- Open app
- Map is there

Will try with ipad this week.
 
I...
- Move around the area which you want to cache, zoom in zoom out
...
Did you see the map during this step? I was not and there was no sign of home point or iTab position, it was just greyed, with or without internet. Same with flight records map but shortly the map was filled and after that I got it in the Spark map too. Maybe there is some timeout for such cached map (I was no using my ipas last week). In the past it worked straight to retrieve cached map. Pressing several times the compass icon map seems to trigger some refresh and force the display update but I have noted that it was matter of zoom level.
 
Yes I see the map during that step. As it will then still connects to internet. I will try with my ipad and report back.
 
I think that one of the point is a iPad WIFI with no GPS. defining Its own location is more random and dependent on the wifi networks around. When it cannot define its location it don't display in the map the iPad location (blue disk) and then also no cached map.
Using the flight record map, probably forced him to get some location to search for and trigger the cached map. My guess.
 
While sitting next to my home wi-fi router inside the house, I tried Lancelot's step procedure of retrieving maps through the Go4 app when using my mini 4. No Luck. Same thing, map box with the buttons that seem to work, but no image to see.

Just on a whim, I opened up the Google Maps, Veifly, Airmap, and Hover apps from my mini 4 and they all displayed a map I could work with. So where is it in the Go4 app? o_O Ugh.

I also tried the tapping of the icon trick given by @msinger in another thread. Nope.

So I tried Dronason's theory procedure with the mini 4 listed below that he hasn't tried yet and I may have stumbled on something?

1) Start Spark and RC, let them link. You will need later that the Spark get GPS lock. Check!
2) Connect the ipad wifi to the RC. I used the Wi-Fi and not the OTG cable. Check!
3) Open the Go4 app. Check!
4) Use "Enter Device" button. Check!
5) Wait until Spark get GPS lock and it says that home point has been recorded. GPS Lock. Check!. Home Point. It didn't do it by itself so I manually set the Home Point. Check!
6) Connect the ipad wifi to internet. I disconnected from the Spark via the settings in the mini 4 and connected to the home Wi-Fi. Check!
7) Then it should upload the map where is the Spark and where you plan to fly, be sure to do it at all the required zoom level you want. At this point it failed. I tried twice with no luck. I then tried to connect with just the mini 4 and no RC. I've never done this before since I have the RC but WTH. With the RC OFF, mini 4 can't see the Spark to connect. When the RC is ON, mini 4 can see it but can't connect because Spark is linked to the RC. Before going through the relinking steps I thought I'd try the above steps again only with the OTG cable....Check!
8) Connect the ipad wifi to the RC. via the OTG Cable. Check!
9) Map should be active. Heck yeah they are!!

I'm not exactly sure what I did but something worked. The map is back like it was in the beginning when I unboxed it last month. :)

Thank you so much fellow pilots for your interest and help.

 
I noticed my map window doesn't display a map anymore. Just a blank screen.

It worked last week.

Do I have to download Maps now?

All of my firmware(s) are up to date.
I'm using an Ipad mini 4, wi-fi only.
I tried it with the OTG cable and without.

Everything seems to work but the map box.

Should I uninstall and reinstall the DJI Go4 app?
After the last firmware update I only get street view map, no satalite maps anymore. Im using an android.
Same for me, iPad mini4, first ios device.
The caching is automatic in the app, it remember what it has already seen as map. It cannot really preload map like on android version.
You need either to preview the map at home or use a phone as hotspot at start of flight.

Start Spark and RC, let them link. You will need later that the Spark get GPS lock.
Connect the ipad wifi to the RC.
Open the Go4 app.
Use "Enter Device" button.
Wait until Spark get GPS lock and it says that home point has been recorded.
Connect the ipad wifi to internet.
Then it should upload the map where is the Spark and where you plan to fly, be sure to do it at all the required zoom level you want.
Connect the ipad wifi to the RC.
Map should be active.

This is the theory, tried to do it (was using android devices last week) but it failed, I had a grey map always. Maybe it is just on mine, will recheck and report back.

In comparison, the caching of maps on android version is much better or there is a trick I don't know.
The flight records maps are supposed to refresh when the iPad is connect to internet and you watch the map.
 

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