DJI Air 3 obstacle avoidance usually "stops working" because of a setting or the conditions, not a fault. It is off in Sport mode, off when Obstacle Avoidance is set to Off in DJI Fly, unavailable at night, and unreliable around thin branches, wires, glass and water. Check those first, then clean the sensors and update firmware.
How Air 3 obstacle sensing works
The Air 3 has an omnidirectional vision system (forward, backward, sideways and upward), a downward vision system and a 3D infrared sensor underneath. It uses cameras to judge distance, so it needs light and visible texture, just like your eyes. It does not have LiDAR.
Per DJI's manual, the omnidirectional system turns on automatically only when:
- The drone is in Normal or Cine mode, and
- Obstacle Avoidance is set to Bypass or Brake in DJI Fly
For sensing ranges and how APAS behaves, see does the DJI Air 3 have obstacle avoidance.
Settings to check
- Flight mode switch. If it's on S (Sport), vision sensing is disabled. Switch to N or C.
- Obstacle Avoidance action. In DJI Fly settings, go to Safety and set Obstacle Avoidance Action to Bypass or Brake. If it is Off, the drone can't sense obstacles.
- Vision Positioning and Obstacle Sensing. This master switch lives in Safety > Advanced Safety Settings. When it's off, the drone relies only on GNSS to hover and omnidirectional sensing is unavailable. It turns back on by default after a restart.
- Flight mode in use. DJI notes that the Vision Positioning and Obstacle Sensing settings apply to manual flight and are unavailable during RTH and auto landing. Don't count on them during automated flight.
- Radar map. Turn on Display Radar Map so you can see what the drone is detecting.
Conditions where the sensors can't see
The Air 3 manual lists situations where the vision system may not work properly. The big ones:
- Darkness (below about 10 lux) or very bright glare (above 40,000 lux)
- Plain single-color surfaces, water, glass and mirrors
- Thin objects: tree branches, power lines, cables, crane and tower frames
- Repeating patterns such as tiles, or fast-changing light
- Fog, rain or visibility under 100 m
The vision systems also become unavailable when flying at night. In any of these, fly as if obstacle avoidance is off.
Clean and update
- Wipe each vision sensor and the infrared sensor window with a soft dry cloth. DJI says not to use alcohol-based cleaners.
- Remove stickers, film or anything covering a sensor.
- Update the aircraft firmware in DJI Fly.
- If DJI Fly prompts for vision calibration after long storage, let it run. See Air 3 vision sensor error.
When to contact DJI
If the radar map shows nothing near a wall in Normal mode with good light, or DJI Fly shows a vision system error, a sensor may be damaged. DJI asks you to contact support if any sensor lens is damaged. Start with our repair page.
If you fly near trees a lot, the Air 3S adds forward LiDAR for better low-light sensing. Compare them in Air 3 vs Air 3S.
Related guides
Not sure which to pick?
Tell us what you'll fly and your budget. One of our drone pilots will reply with a recommendation.
Buying drones for a business, agency or store? Get wholesale pricing →
