DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro

The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro locks its own hardware after five power cycles unless the owner downloads DJI's proprietary smartphone app, creates an account, & agrees to terms of use that include binding arbitration & a class action waiver. The DJI Mimo app required for activation collects the user's email address, phone number, location data, & device identifiers, which DJI shares with third-party analytics & advertising partners. DJI's support documentation doesn't provide a reason why a non-flying action camera requires this activation process.

DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro

Basic Information
Release Year	2024
Product Type	Cameras
In Production	Yes
Official Website	https://www.dji.com/osmo-action-5-pro

Background

The Osmo Action 5 Pro is a $349 action camera released in September 2024. It features a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor capable of 40-megapixel photos & 4K video at 120 fps, is waterproof to 20 meters without a case (60 meters with the optional waterproof case), & carries an IP68 rating. The camera weighs 146 grams, includes 47 GB of built-in storage expandable to 1 TB via microSD, & connects to smartphones over Wi-Fi 6 & Bluetooth 5.1.

DJI manufactures consumer drones, gimbals, & action cameras. The Osmo Action 5 Pro is part of DJI's Osmo Action line, which has required mandatory app activation across its models.

Incidents

Mandatory app activation

When the Osmo Action 5 Pro is powered on for the first time, the screen displays a prompt to scan a QR code & download the DJI Mimo app. The user can skip this prompt, but DJI's documentation states the skip counter decrements with each power cycle: "The number of times that you can use the Osmo Action series product without activation is reduced by one each time you power on and then power off the camera. After five trials, you need to connect to the DJI Mimo app for activation before use."

After the fifth power cycle without activation, the camera locks at the activation screen & can't be used for any purpose until the owner completes activation through the DJI Mimo app.

The activation requirement creates a barrier for users whose smartphones aren't compatible with DJI Mimo. On the DPReview forums, a user reported the app crashed immediately on a Samsung A10e (2019 Exynos chipset) & that running it through an Android emulator (BlueStacks 5) also failed. Another user in the same thread reported they don't own a smartphone at all & had to return a camera they purchased because they couldn't activate it.

The forced activation isn't limited to the Action 5 Pro. DJI's support documentation confirms the same requirement applies across the Osmo Action series, the Osmo Pocket 3, the Osmo Mobile series (where lack of activation causes "gimbal spinning and jitter"), & the Osmo Nano and Osmo 360.

Data collection

Activating the camera through DJI Mimo requires creating a DJI account with an email address or phone number. DJI's privacy policy (effective March 1, 2025) states the company collects "user ID, email address (or phone number), password or other information for account verification," plus optional fields including gender, birthday, & professional information. Location data is collected through "GPS location, IP address, cell tower location, or detection by physical on-location Wi-Fi or Bluetooth sensors."

Apple's App Store privacy labels for DJI Mimo disclose that the app collects Contact Info & Identifiers as data that "may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies." The app also collects Coarse Location, Photos or Videos, Audio Data, & Performance Data, which Apple categorizes as not linked to the user's identity.

DJI's privacy policy states collected data may be shared with third parties for "analytics and advertising purposes."

A 2020 security audit by River Loop Security found that an earlier version of DJI Mimo collected "carrier and network information, to hardware, usage, and geolocation data" & transmitted much of it unencrypted through the MobTech SDK, which the researchers described as "a Chinese analytics company which openly cooperates with the Chinese Government." DJI may have removed the MobTech SDK since 2020. A November 2025 assessment by sUAS News documented ongoing concerns about "MIMO/GO4 dynamic code loading mechanisms" & noted that DJI disputes rather than remediates independently reported vulnerabilities, citing unresolved CVE-2023-6949 & CVE-2023-6950.

Binding arbitration & class action waiver

The DJI terms of use (updated December 22, 2025) that users must accept during activation state: "all disputes between you and DJI will be resolved by BINDING ARBITRATION. YOU AGREE TO GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO GO TO COURT." The terms also prohibit class action lawsuits: "YOU AND DJI AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING."

Arbitration is administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA). For claims under $10,000, DJI covers the filing, administrative, & arbitrator fees. Users can reject future changes to the arbitration provision by mailing written notice to DJI's Cerritos, California address within 30 days of the change, but doing so results in account termination.

DJI has used forced-activation terms to defend against lawsuits. In Bishop v. SZ DJI Technology Co. (E.D. Tex., No. 4:2024cv00268), a personal injury case involving a malfunctioning drone, DJI filed a motion to compel arbitration. The court denied DJI's motion on September 30, 2025, because the person who agreed to the terms was a minor who later disaffirmed the agreement.

EU users are exempt from the binding arbitration clause. DJI's product terms note that "Section 11 is not applicable to you" for EU users.

Server dependency

The Osmo Action 5 Pro's activation process requires the DJI Mimo app to connect to DJI's servers over the internet. If DJI discontinued the Mimo app or shut down its activation servers, any unactivated camera would have no way to complete the required activation.

DJI has a history of discontinuing support for older products. An official "Notice of Suspension of Service and Support for Old Product Series" lists over 120 discontinued products, including the original Osmo Pocket & multiple Osmo Mobile models. As of January 30, 2026, DJI ended support for six additional products, with the company stating it "will no longer provide you with services for these products involving product inquiries, technical support, and product maintenance."

Competitor practices

DJI's forced activation isn't unique among Chinese action camera manufacturers, but American competitor GoPro doesn't impose the same restriction.

Manufacturer	Flagship camera	App activation required	Offline bypass available
DJI	Osmo Action 5 Pro	Yes (locks after 5 uses)	No
Insta360	X4	Yes (required before first use)	No
GoPro	Hero 13 Black	Prompted but optional	Yes (SD card firmware update)

Insta360's official documentation for the X4 states: "You need to activate X4 in the Insta360 app before using it for the first time." Unlike DJI, Insta360 doesn't offer any trial uses before forcing activation.

GoPro's Hero 13 Black displays a QR code on first boot prompting connection to the GoPro Quik app, but users can bypass it entirely by loading a firmware update onto the microSD card. After the update completes, the camera asks only for date & time before becoming fully functional without any app or account.

Consumer response

PCMag's review of the Osmo Action 5 Pro criticized the activation requirement: "Grabbing the app is a strict requirement; you'll need it to activate the camera, which is a necessary, not optional, step... we wish DJI didn't make it a requirement."

The DPReview forum thread on the activation requirement drew responses from users who had spent weeks searching for a workaround & couldn't find one, with one user calculating they'd need to pay $20 per month more for a compatible phone plan just to activate a camera they'd already purchased.

See also

• Forced app download
• Forced account
• DJI