10 best drone apps for Android to enhance your flight

This article originally appeared on our partner site DroneRush.com

Are you excited to fly your new drone? Of course you are, but first you should make sure you have all the tools you need to fly safely. This includes the latest software not only for the drone app to control your drone, but also for additional tools that improve your flight experience.

Today is all about the additional apps you can install to get more out of your flying experience. These are some of the best drone apps out there.

First some theory. What would you like to achieve before or with your flight? Maybe you’re trying to keep it legal and make sure you can fly in a certain place, there is an app for that. Maybe you are looking for a logging service to track your flights, there are tools for that too, or maybe you just want a weather report. Their needs also differ depending on the drone – a camera drone has different needs than a racing drone, for example.

Go ahead and go through the list to get an idea of ​​what a non-vendor app can do for you. We hope to help you find something new and helpful.

As you know, the first thing you have to do with any drone (after registering) is to find a place to fly it. The truth is, there are quite a few drone mapping apps on our list today. They’re great at showing where it’s safe to fly. Safe airfields are one thing, but before you get to that point, search Google Earth for exceptional airfields. Google Earth is free for your mobile device and is also available on the web.

Related reading: Best Map Apps for Android – on Android Authority

2. Flight plan

Airmap is one of those tools that can do so much more than just map a potential flight location or help you keep a flight log. With support from companies like Microsoft and Qualcomm, not to mention drone players like Yuneec, Airmap is fast becoming the de facto tool for commercial drone flight. Don’t let their commercial drone mapping, geo-fencing, and flight logging tools put you off, using the real-time traffic alerts on their mobile app is valuable enough. Check out Airmap for your basic needs or for your commercial pilot business.

3. B4UFly from the FAAAA

Let’s keep this simple: the FAA is the body that enforces drone laws in the United States, and this is their app that tells you where and when to fly. I could stop doing that, but I think you should know that at times B4UFly is a little arrogant and tells you that there are places where you can’t fly where you can. However, the app offers one of the most detailed airport lists, each showing the 5 mile radius. In case of doubt, what it comes down to is the B4UFly app, how to get to the source for legal information on drone flights in the USA.

If your drone weighs 0.55 pounds or more, you will need to register with the FAA and post your registration number on the boat. The process is simple, but it costs $ 5 and you must be at least 13 years old. This registration will familiarize you with the FAA rules for drone flight, which you should definitely familiarize yourself with. Drone Rush can also help:

If you fly for payment or some other form of compensation, you must operate by different rules and have a commercial drone license. We call it Part 107, it’s not too hard to come by, but it will take time to learn all of the rules. We want to help you learn the rules and get your commercial license. Check out our training material for drone pilots.

Hover is an underrated app that provides map and location information as provided by Airmap, but then adds weather information. Hover can tell you at a glance if it’s safe to fly. With visibility, wind, location, and more in mind, Hover might not be the only drone app you need, but if you’re sticking to just one then an app like this is certainly a great choice. Get Hover for your mobile device now.

5. DroneDeploy

Next up is an app that we initially hesitated to include. We were hoping to make a list of the best drone apps that didn’t focus on a single vendor. The truth is, DJI is such an important player and this app is so cool that we couldn’t resist it. If you own a DJI drone from the Phantom 3 and newer, consider DroneDeploy as an alternative controller for your flying machine. The app offers advanced flight planning and autonomous control for your drone. Choose a coordinate path and watch your drone fly the route, the app control the camera exposure along the way, and much more. Now take a look at DroneDeploy.

6. UAV prediction

UAV Forecast focuses almost entirely on the weather and strives to provide detailed wind and weather information to help you decide whether it is safe to fly. Tell the app the parameters of your drone, it can then quickly show whether it is the day to fly or not. A range of pilot information is provided, including wind speed and direction, wind chill and temperature, cloud cover, visibility, and more. In order not to be outdone by other apps, UAV Forecast also offers maps with visible no-fly zones. Check it out for your weather needs.

Related reading: Best Weather Apps for Android – on Android Authority

7. Kittyhawk

Let’s see we’ve covered apps that check the weather, apps with no-fly zone maps, active air traffic information maps, apps that keep flight logs and help you track your drones, now for one app that can do it all from above. Kittyhawk: Drone Operations is a robust app and platform that includes everything from pre-flight checks to post-flight analysis. Kittyhawk is an ambitious app and platform that will get you in the air and make the most of your time in the sky.

8. Sun surveyor (sun & moon)

If you’ve been outside … I’ll stop right now. Outdoor photography is almost entirely about managing sunlight, never more so than drone photography because there is no shadow up there. Instead of guessing where the sun and moon will be, why not knowing exactly why, Sun Surveyor does so with great accuracy. The perfect position of the sun or moon is just an app away. Sun Surveyor (Sun & Moon) is $ 7.99 for Android.

9. Confirm

Insurance. Love it or hate it, insurance is an important part of modern life. Unlike your auto or home insurance, which you pay a premium for every month, Verifly offers something different, on-demand insurance. The idea is simple, your flights, especially commercial flights, are either too few or too dispersed and unpredictable to get full-time insurance. Verifly allows you to keep track of your start and end times and then only pay for what you use. It starts at around $ 10 / hour. Click the download buttons below for more details on actual coverage. The guidelines are adopted from Global Aerospace, Inc.

10. Litchi for DJI drones (special consideration)

We all know you need the official DJI GO, DJI GO 4, and DJI Fly apps to fly your favorite DJI drones, right? Not correct! There are a few alternative apps that can take control of your DJI Mavic Pro, DJI Spark, DJI Phantom Series drone, and more, the best of these apps we’ve tried so far, Litchi. The full app name is long but explains most of what it does. Litchi for DJI Mavic / Phantom / Inspire / Spark is a robust app that maintains the same feel as the DJI apps but does things a little differently. Basically, if you will, if you’re looking for the best of the DJI application and some new goodies, Litchi is well worth your consideration. The waypoint flights and the built-in VR / FPV functionality are the key factors that drew me to Litchi. Extensive features and functionality like these are available to you through the current price of $ 24.99 for the app, which may be above what many are considering.

That’s it for today. We hope you’ve found a new app or two to improve your flights or to get more out of the aerial photos you captured afterwards. This is an early list with plenty of room to grow and mature, just like the drone market. Please contact us in the comments if you would like to discuss any other apps that you think belong here.

Bonus: Google’s Wing Aviation OpenSky

The people at Google are fun. OpenSky is a simple app to discover airspace restrictions and get LAANC permission to fly in controlled airspace. The first start of this app has very few functions as we could not see any other flights, drones or manned aircraft in our vicinity, nor could we confirm that our flights not registered with LAANC were reported in OpenSky for other apps and maps to see our attitude.

If you’re not into the extras apps like Airmap can offer, OpenSky is a quick tool to get your permit to fly.