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

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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 …

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The FCC is planning to retroactively ban disguised DJI gadgets

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

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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 …

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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, …

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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, …

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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 …

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DJI sues over the FCC’s decision to block new drone imports

2026-02-24T12:02:52-05:00

DJI wants a federal court to toss out the Federal Communications Commission's decision to ban imports of its China-made drones and components, as reported earlier by Reuters. In a petition filed in an appeals court this week, DJI claims the FCC "exceeded its statutory authority" last December when adding drones made in foreign countries to its Covered List, which blocks communications equipment "deemed to pose an unacceptable risk" to national security.

In addition to preventing DJI and other foreign dronemakers from importing new drones in the US (unless approved by the Department of Defense), the FCC also gave itself the authority to retr …

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The FCC’s foreign drone ban is here

2025-12-22T20:17:54-05:00

The Federal Communications Commission has banned new drones made in foreign countries from being imported into the US unless the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security recommends them. Monday's action added drones to the FCC's Covered List, qualifying foreign-made drones and drone parts, like those from DJI, as communications equipment representing "unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons."

DJI is "disappointed" by today's action, Adam Welsh, DJI's head of global policy, says in a statement. "While DJI was not singled out, no information has been …

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Antigravity’s 360-degree drone is here to help you forget DJI

2025-12-04T18:53:25-05:00

The Antigravity A1.

With DJI facing an imminent import ban in the US and its flagship drones disappearing from shelves, the new Antigravity A1 didn't need to be a groundbreaking gadget to make headlines. It just needed to be a competent alternative that you can actually buy in the United States. In August, the Chinese brand couldn't promise that for sure.

But today, it's happening: the Antigravity A1 is now on sale at Best Buy here in the US, on shelves and shipping this very week as well as Antigravity's own site. And thankfully, it's not just a DJI alternative: this $1,599 drone and headset combo is like nothing I've tried before.

When I let a friend who's …

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DJI’s Neo 2 selfie drone launches globally, but not in the US

2025-11-12T14:47:38-05:00

The Neo 2 adds obstacle avoidance but still features prop guards as a backup. | Image: DJI

After launching exclusively in China last month, DJI is announcing wider global availability for its Neo 2 selfie drone, including Japan, Canada, the UK, and other countries where the company sells its drones. But as with the Mavic 4 Pro and 8K Osmo 360 camera, the Neo 2 won't be available in the US. "DJI remains committed to the US market and serving our US-based customers. Like many global companies, we've had to adjust our market strategies as the local conditions and industry environment have evolved," DJI spokesperson Daisy Kong told The Verge in an emailed statement.

The Neo 2's upgrades include a lidar-based obstacle avoidance system …

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