Let’s say your drone gets stolen, and you give DJI the serial number. Can they prevent it from flying?
Nope, DJI can’t stop a stolen drone from flying. They don’t actively track drones, whether flying or not. What they can do is mark the serial number as stolen in their system.
Why does this matter? Because the drone is still tied to your DJI account. A thief or whoever ends up with it won’t be able to use it without unbinding it, which requires contacting DJI. If someone tries to unbind it, DJI will notice it’s flagged as stolen and should contact you.
But if it’s stripped for parts, there’s not much anyone can do. Kind of a bummer, huh?
Looks like the answer is no: HOW CAN I BLOCK THE USE OF MY DRONE??? | DJI FORUM
If the thief doesn’t go online (like logging in from the remote), there’s no way to block the drone. Once paired, the remote and drone work without needing DJI’s servers.
If the drone hasn’t been activated yet (like if it was brand new when stolen), activation might be blocked based on the serial number. Same goes for a used drone if it ever connects to the internet again.
@Marston
If you don’t log into your account for 30 days, the drone goes into limited mode (like 30 meters max range). It happens to me all the time when I forget.
With Remote ID, DJI could theoretically ground the drone once it connects to the network by sending a signal to force it to land—just like how drones are grounded in no-fly zones.
Raleigh said:
With Remote ID, DJI could theoretically ground the drone once it connects to the network by sending a signal to force it to land—just like how drones are grounded in no-fly zones.
Actually, drones don’t connect to a network. The only connection is between the drone and the remote controller. DJI doesn’t directly force landings in no-fly zones either; the drone itself follows the FlySafe database it downloaded during the last update.
If the drone was stolen with the remote controller, stopping it is unlikely.
If it’s just the drone, it’s still tied to the original controller and your account. Eventually, it’ll need reactivation, which requires your account credentials.