Anyone know why it's not on the Play Store? (On iOS it is on the App Store, well because there isn't another way till this DMA thing kicks in)
Their china-based engineers might not even consider it important to support the play store.
As a non-US citizen, I frequently see how US based engineering teams just don't understand local markets/customs. This is just being on the other side of that.
It's almost as if it were intentional.
But since they control entire device, there's no need for Play Framework, Play Store and whatever is needed for certification just to ship it.
The Play Store versions of some of those apps are likely not the same as the side-loaded version.
That they don't want to release through the official android app stores for a free app is a bit sus.
Can’t think of any reason that isn’t sketchy. The article gives a clue already.
If the app passes Apple’s review, then it could pass Google’s review.
Did Cydia Impactor stop working or something? Sure you need a developer account, but then you can use the account to sideload any third-party IPA.
The phone doesn't need to broadcast anything to control the drone directly. The phone talks to the remote control unit, which is what broadcasts signals to control the drone. You don't need wifi or mobile internet, or even bluetooth to fly a DJI drone (the phone connects by cable to the remote control unit).
(Actually, that's not 100% true -- if you're in a locked zone that requires permission to fly (such as near airfields or other protected sites), you will need internet access to start your flight and unlock the zone using your DJI account. Otherwise the drone may refuse to fly into restricted zones.)
You don't even need the phone at all -- the remote unit is quite capable of controlling the drone in flight with the phone switched off.
The Chinese government, while not openly supporting Russia, has been repeatedly accused of covertly doing so. Imagine what kind of harm a device used for reconnaissance could do if it secretly works for the other side.
https://cybernews.com/resources/how-to-access-google-play-ap...
Otherwise, it might depend whose side you're on?
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-spacex-secre...
They likely flash verified firmware and use a verified app version, not the latest one from DJI's website... Maybe they have their own code, by now. Especially with reconnaissance drones. The Ukrainians probably need to do this, not just because of the obvious possibility of a "backdoor", but RF adaptability in the EM warfare situation.
I would worry more about contractor John Doe bringing a compromised private phone to a government or industrial facility. Not sure a highres video feed from a drone could be easily exfiltrated unnoticed, anyway, since they usually don't come with WWAN hardware built-in. But the phone itself would be able do all sorts of reconnaissance and become an attack vector in a sensitive context. Then again, this is not specific to drone (software), but all untrusted software people install.
I'm surprised people really think it's anything other than wanting to protect their IP.
https://qz.com/1145669/googles-true-origin-partly-lies-in-ci...
Drone business is important to the military industrial complex
This however is akin to malware development, i wouldn't want to install such software