DJI Fly "There was a problem parsing the package": how to fix it

"There was a problem parsing the package" is an Android install error. It means your phone can't read the DJI Fly APK file. With DJI Fly there are two usual causes: the phone runs an Android version that's too old for the current app, or the download didn't finish and the file is incomplete. Check your Android version first, then delete the file and download it again from dji.com on Wi-Fi.

Fix the parsing error — DJI's download page lists Android 9.0 or later for current DJI Fly versions. The APK is several hundred MB, so a cut-off download is common.

1. Check your Android version

DJI's download page says current DJI Fly versions require Android 9.0 or later, and DJI recommends mainstream flagship phones released after 2019. On older Android versions, the APK can't be parsed and won't install.

To check: open Settings, then About phone, and look for the Android version. The wording varies by brand.

If your phone is below Android 9.0, a newer DJI Fly won't install on it. Your options are a newer phone, or a drone with a screen controller such as the DJI RC 2, which runs DJI Fly itself. See DJI Fly compatible phones for the phones DJI has tested.

2. Download it again

The DJI Fly APK is several hundred megabytes. If the connection drops or the phone sleeps, you can end up with a partial file that Android can't parse.

Open your Downloads folder and delete every DJI Fly APK you've downloaded so far.
Connect to stable Wi-Fi and keep the screen on.
Download the APK again from DJI's official DJI Fly download page.
Wait for the download to finish completely, then tap the file to install.
If Android asks, allow your browser to install unknown apps.

Make sure you have plenty of free storage. A full phone can stop a download partway through without warning.

3. Other causes

APK from a third-party site. Repackaged or renamed files often fail to parse, and they can carry malware. Delete it and use dji.com only.
Older 32-bit phone. Recent DJI Fly builds are 64-bit ARM (arm64-v8a) apps. Older budget phones with 32-bit processors or 32-bit Android can't install them.
Opened from the wrong app. Open the APK from the phone's own Files or Downloads app, not from a messaging or cloud app's preview.
Copied from a computer. If you moved the APK by USB or cloud storage, the copy may be incomplete. Download it directly on the phone instead.

Different error, different fix

"App not installed" usually means a conflict with the version already on the phone. Uninstall DJI Fly and install again. Footage stored only inside the app's album may be lost, so save it first.
"Blocked by Auto Blocker" on Samsung phones means Auto Blocker is stopping installs from outside the Galaxy Store and Google Play. Turn it off, install, then turn it back on.
Installs but crashes is a different problem. See DJI Fly app crashing.

On a DJI screen controller

DJI RC and RC 2 controllers come with DJI Fly installed, and updates arrive through DJI's own prompts when the controller is on Wi-Fi. Don't try to sideload an APK onto them. If an update fails on a screen controller, charge it, connect to stable Wi-Fi and try the prompt again.

Step-by-step install instructions are in how to install DJI Fly on Android. If phone setup keeps getting in the way, a DJI Mini 4 Pro with the DJI RC 2 avoids the phone entirely.