Frequently asked questions

Yes. The free version detects and tracks nearby Remote ID drones live on a map, shows the full broadcast (serial number, operator ID, altitude, speed, direction, pilot location when broadcast), identifies the drone's brand, and exports flight tracks to GPX. Optional Silver, Gold and Platinum subscriptions add notifications, flight history, model identification, offline maps, labels, groups, notes, server integrations and ADS-B.

Remote ID — also called OpenDroneID or, in the EU, Direct Remote Identification (DRI) — is a digital licence plate for drones. The drone itself broadcasts who and where it is over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and anyone nearby with a suitable receiver can read it. DroneScout implements the open standards ASTM F3411 and ASD-STAN EN 4709-002, and also receives China's GB 46750-2025. See drone rules by region for who must broadcast it where. For the technology behind it — the standards, what a broadcast contains, Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi — see Remote ID explained on dronescout.co.

Only drones that actually broadcast Remote ID. That covers most new drones in regions where it is mandatory — in the US most drones above 250 g, in the EU drones with a C1 class label or higher, in the UK drones with a UK1 class mark or higher, in Japan drones of 100 g or more. Older drones, many small sub-250 g drones, and drones whose broadcast is switched off or missing will not appear. DroneScout is a Remote ID receiver, not a radar: it cannot see a drone that stays silent.

Detection itself happens over your phone's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios, directly from the drone. The background map needs data to load, unless you use offline maps (MBTiles, a Gold feature). Server integrations and network ADS-B (Platinum) naturally need a connection.

The most common reasons, roughly in order:

• The drone isn't broadcasting yet. DJI drones switch Remote ID on only once they are in the air, and only in a country where Remote ID is mandatory.
• The drone has no Remote ID. Older drones and many small drones don't broadcast unless an add-on module is fitted.
• Your phone can't receive the signal. Most drones, including DJI, broadcast over Wi-Fi Beacon, and many use Bluetooth Long Range — see the questions on iPhone and Android below. DroneScout Bridge solves this.
• The drone is out of range. DJI drones can be detected from 1 km or more, but some add-on modules transmit at low power.
• The drone broadcasts on 5 GHz. A small share of drones (under 5%) does; only the higher Bridge models receive 5 GHz.

Network Remote ID is the counterpart of broadcast Remote ID. Instead of a radio signal, the drone sends its identity and position over the mobile network to a service run by or for the authorities. Only that service, and whoever it shares the data with, can see it: there is no signal in the air for a phone to pick up. China is the only country where it is mandatory for every drone, on top of broadcast — see Remote ID in China. In the EU it is part of U-space, in designated airspace only, on top of broadcast; the US proposed it and dropped it from its final Remote ID rule. DroneScout receives broadcast Remote ID: what a drone transmits nearby, with no network or account needed.

Because of Apple's platform, not the app. No iPhone or iPad can receive Bluetooth Long Range S8, and iOS does not allow any app to scan for Wi-Fi Beacon frames. Without an accessory, an iPhone can only receive Bluetooth Legacy broadcasts — a small minority of real-world Remote ID traffic. DroneScout Bridge solves this.

Maybe. Bluetooth Long Range S8 is an optional Bluetooth 5 feature: some phones have no radio for it, and phones that advertise it often fail to receive it correctly. Android also throttles Wi-Fi Beacon scanning to about twice a minute unless you switch off Wi-Fi scan throttling in Developer Options. If you miss drones that others nearby can see, this is the most likely reason. Step by step: See more drones on Android.

On Android, Wi-Fi detection is slow and drains the battery: Android lets an app scan for Wi-Fi only about twice a minute unless you switch off Wi-Fi scan throttling in Developer Options. That's why DroneScout starts with Wi-Fi scanning off; you can switch it on in the settings. On iPhone, Apple doesn't let apps scan for Wi-Fi at all. DroneScout Bridge is the better way to catch Wi-Fi Remote ID on both.

DroneScout checks whether the broadcast contains the fields that are mandatory where the drone is flying. The rules differ per region — the EU and Singapore, for example, also require a valid operator registration number, which the US and Japan don't — so the check is based on the drone's own reported position: the same signal can be compliant over Europe and non-compliant over the US. The drone has to be in the air for a fair check. If a drone shows non-compliant, contact the drone or module manufacturer, or report it to your aviation authority.

Yes, with a Silver, Gold or Platinum subscription. Both Apple and Android limit what apps may do in the background, so check your phone's settings too:

• iPhone and iPad: Settings → General → Background App Refresh: switch it on, and make sure DroneScout pro is enabled in the list.
• Android: Settings → Apps → DroneScout pro → Battery: change Optimized or Restricted to Unrestricted, and allow unrestricted data use. Locking the app in the recent-apps screen also helps. Phone makers such as Samsung, Xiaomi and Motorola handle background apps differently, so the exact menus vary.

Step by step, including notifications and per-brand settings: Keep scanning in the background.

With a Platinum subscription, DroneScout shows planes and helicopters that broadcast ADS-B on the same map as drones. The main source is a portable ADS-B receiver with the GDL 90 protocol: connect your phone to the receiver's Wi-Fi, then switch on Show ADS-B traffic on map under Preferences → ADS-B. DroneScout listens for GDL 90 on UDP port 4000. As a fallback, Show network ADS-B traffic fetches aircraft within 25 km from our network service over the internet. ADS-B works only while DroneScout is open on screen, not in the background. Step by step: See manned aircraft with ADS-B.

Bridge is an optional, affordable receiver made by BlueMark Innovations. It listens on Bluetooth Legacy, Bluetooth Long Range S8, Wi-Fi Beacon and Wi-Fi NaN on 2.4 GHz — and on 5 GHz too on the higher Bridge models, which catches drones that broadcast only on 5 GHz, such as Skydio — and rebroadcasts everything as plain Bluetooth Legacy, which every phone and tablet receives reliably. It works with Android and iPhone, with a range of up to about 2 km. The app works fully without it. More on the DroneScout Bridge page.

No. Bridge rebroadcasts what it receives as ordinary, connectionless Bluetooth Remote ID signals, so there's nothing to pair: switch it on and DroneScout picks the drones up. The green Bridge dot on the map confirms it works — step by step: Use DroneScout Bridge.

Yes. Because Bridge sends standard Bluetooth Remote ID, it works with any Remote ID app that can receive Bluetooth — not only DroneScout.

Order the triple-band ds110 directly from our shop, with worldwide shipping. Other models, including a smaller one and PCB versions for integrators, are at dronescout.co/bridge.

Your detections aren't: they stay on your phone, and nothing about them is sent anywhere unless you switch on a server integration yourself (Platinum). To manage your subscription, the app does register two anonymous device identifiers with our server — no name, phone number or e-mail address. Details are in the privacy policy.

BlueMark Innovations, a Dutch company founded in 2008. Since 2022 we have built Remote ID hardware — receivers such as DroneScout Bridge, and transmitters — and the app is developed in the European Union.

Yes. We can build a version of the app with your logo and custom features. Contact us at [email protected].