DJI ban: how the world’s biggest dronemaker is getting shoved out of the US – The Verge

HoverAir’s transforming modular drone has already been halted in the US

2026-08-24T16:43:18-04:00

The HoverAir Versa. | Image: HoverAir

I am so sorry, fellow US gadget fans: the FCC's drone ban appears to have struck again. The HoverAir Versa - a baby steadycam with snap-on propeller wings that transform it into a drone - has already stopped taking US orders just three days after its Indiegogo debut, and may be forced to abandon shipping plans in the US.

HoverAir is now telling backers it's only shipping its camera to the US, not the piece that turns it into a drone, "due to a few remaining logistics updates with the Flight Kit." But those "logistics" may actually be a euphemism for "we've been banned by the federal government." The FCC's database no longer has an entry for …

Read the full story at The Verge.

I bought DJI’s banned camera — it was cheap and easy

2026-08-20T12:35:01-04:00

As a kid, I always imagined the "black market" would be like the movies: Shady vendors hawking illicit goods along dusty streets. But if you want a banned DJI Osmo Pocket 4 or Pocket 4 Pro camera in the US, you can just reach for your phone.

They're on Temu, AliExpress, eBay, Mercari - even Amazon and Newegg - with fast, free shipping and no risk of tariffs or seizures. That's because these cameras are already inside the United States, despite rules that ban them from entering the country.

This past month, I ordered a DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro from Temu. It arrived just four days later, shipped directly from a fulfillment center in Oregon, whe …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Does giving a camera wings dodge the FCC’s drone ban?

2026-08-19T19:52:12-04:00

It’s a camera. It’s a drone. But HoverAir doesn’t want it to be a drone where the FCC is concerned. | Image: HoverAir

HoverAir drones always have intriguing gimmicks. This one folds flat to fit in your pocket. This one can land on water. Another can charge inside its carrying case. But the brand's latest trick might be its riskiest: it's attempting to sneak a drone past the FCC.

In December 2025, the US government banned future foreign drones from reaching our shores, and HoverAir's floating Aqua drone was one of the first casualties. But this time, brand owner Zero Zero Robotics might have found a loophole: its latest $750 Versa drone isn't a drone, it claims, but rather a DJI Pocket-style mini steadycam with optional snap-on propellers that let it fly.

…

Read the full story at The Verge.

Trump declares 100 percent tariffs on many drones and all aircraft parts

2026-08-14T05:50:49-04:00

The United States has already banned future foreign drones from entering the United States unless their companies kiss the ring - as well as routers, robots, and Roombas. Now, President Donald Trump is targeting existing drone imports and parts, too. He's going to try to make them cost a lot more.

In a presidential action, he's declared a whopping 100 percent tariff on imports of drones with thermal cameras, drones weighing over 25kg (57 pounds), and any kind of part for any kind of unmanned aircraft weighing over 25kg - you can read the full list here. For all other drones, including tiny sub-250-gram "Mini" consumer drones, he's declared …

Read the full story at The Verge.

DJI camera clone company Xtra is halting and refunding all preorders

2026-07-24T14:33:27-04:00

The Xtra Muse 2 Pro. | Image; Xtra

After selling a barely disguised version of the hit DJI Osmo Pocket 3 in the United States last year, Xtra Technology seemed ready to sneak in its version of the new dual-lens Osmo Pocket 4 Pro, too. But today, Xtra has abruptly removed the new Xtra Muse 2 Pro from its website landing page, is pausing preorders indefinitely, and says it'll refund all the $20 deposits that it's already collected.

Just days after showing off the camera at a Los Angeles launch event, the company is no longer necessarily committing to launch at all: "XTRA has not made a final announcement regarding future product availability. We have not announced a new produc …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Whack-a-drone

2026-07-27T09:47:57-04:00

In Pasadena, California, there's a cute red brick courtyard where one storefront isn't like the rest. The glass doors open onto a sparse industrial hallway, which leads to a sunlit foyer with a large spiral staircase. Go up, and you'll see a typical coworking space: open tables, healthy snacks, a collection of meeting rooms with glass walls. Follow one hallway most of the way back, and you'll find Office 18.

There are no signs of life in this tiny private office that's supposed to be the headquarters of Odyssey Robot, an upstart US drone company. We saw three small desks and chairs, but no power strips, no monitors, no keyboards or chargers …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The FCC is planning to retroactively ban disguised DJI gadgets

2026-07-21T05:51:45-04:00

AirPhotography" data-portal-copyright="Image: AirPhotography" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/skyrover-versus-air-photography.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" />

The Skyrover X1 vs the DJI Mini 4 Pro. | Image: AirPhotography

Last October, we told you how the FCC had given itself the power to retroactively ban gadgets that have already received its approval to be imported and sold in the United States. Now, the FCC's getting ready to wield that power for the first time, by cracking down on the "DJI front companies" suspected of sneaking the Chinese company's tech past its foreign drone ban.

Two Fridays ago, the FCC had already proposed a $25,000 fine on eight of those "front companies," including the ones behind the Skyrover drones and Xtra cameras. But now, the FCC is proposing a lot more than a slap on the wrist - it's planning to ban those same companies from …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The FCC is cracking down on DJI tech that dodged the foreign drone ban

2026-07-13T05:59:25-04:00

The Xtra Muse and the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

Last year, we told you about Xtra, the company that lets DJI sneak its popular cameras into the US, and Skyrover, a brand seemingly selling DJI drones in disguise. They're just two of the many firms DJI is suspected of starting to skirt the United States' foreign drone ban.

But it appears the FCC is finally doing something about "DJI front companies," as watcher Konrad Iturbe dubbed them last year. Today, the FCC is fining eight of them $25,000 each - and giving them until Monday, July 20th, just 10 calendar days, to answer the FCC's questions before the agency takes further action.

Those companies include Cogito Tech, Fixaxo Technology, …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Sorry kid, drones are for war now

2026-04-07T08:45:11-04:00

The DJI Mavic 4 Pro — one of the many drones the US doesn’t get anymore. | Image: DJI

What happens when DJI, the world's leading maker of drones, is no longer welcome in the United States? You might think other dronemakers would see a huge opportunity with their competitor out of the picture. That didn't happen.

In the 15 months since the United States triggered an automatic ban on future DJI products, no company has rushed to serve the consumers, prosumers, photographers, videographers, farmers, surveyors, and more that use DJI gear. Instead, US dronemakers are largely focused on a more lucrative opportunity: a billion dollars the Pentagon has earmarked for drones that kill.

Drone professionals are scared, says Vic Moss, …

Read the full story at The Verge.

DJI’s Avata 360 is a more functional, flexible 360 drone

2026-03-26T08:10:46-04:00

The Avata 360 looks a lot like the previous Avata 2.

DJI's Avata 360 finds the company at an odd time. For one, it's been beaten to the punch - upstart Antigravity's A1 became the first 360-degree drone when it launched last December, and DJI is playing catchup (and filing lawsuits). But this is also the last DJI drone you may ever be able to legally buy in the US, in the wake of the FCC's de facto ban, and even then it won't actually see an official release in the country.

It means that if you're in the US, the Antigravity A1 remains the best (and only) option for a flying 360-degree camera. But in the rest of the world, the Avata 360 makes a good case for itself: it's faster than the A1, do …

Read the full story at The Verge.