How to Enable or Disable Phone Charging from the DJI Neo 2 Remote Controller
Peter Leslie
21 May 2026
If you have plugged your phone into the DJI RC-N3 and noticed the controller battery dropping faster than expected, the setting you are looking for is one toggle in DJI Fly.
You might switch it off to save controller battery on a long DJI Neo 2 flight, or leave it on to top up a low phone in the field.
Quick guide
To enable or disable phone charging on the DJI Neo 2 remote controller, go to DJI Fly → Settings → Control → Remote Controller → Phone Charging. Off means the cable carries data only; on means the DJI RC-N3 trickles power into your phone over USB-C.
Step-by-step: DJI Neo 2 Fly – How to Enable or Disable Phone Charging from Remote Controller
Follow these top to bottom the first time, and you will know the path off by heart the second time.
Press the power button on the DJI Neo 2
Press the power button on the drone and wait for the status LEDs to settle.
Press and hold the power button on the DJI RC-N3 controller
Press and hold the power button on the controller until the indicator lights come on.
Slot your phone into the RC-N3 spring-loaded clamp
Slide the spring-loaded clamp open, drop the phone in, and let it close around the body. The phone should sit centred on top of the controller.
Plug the supplied DJI USB-C cable into your phone
Use the short cable that came in the box. Plug the controller end into the RC-N3 port and the other end into the phone.
Launch DJI Fly and let it detect the controller
Tap the DJI Fly app icon on your phone. The app detects the controller and the DJI Neo 2 over the link.
Wait for the DJI Fly camera view to appear
DJI Fly drops you onto the camera view with the drone's live feed and flight telemetry across the bottom of the screen.
Open the DJI Fly Settings menu from the camera view
Tap the Settings icon in the camera view. A panel of category tabs slides in.
Tap the Control category in the Settings panel
Select Control from the list of category tabs. The pane updates to show the controller and stick options for the DJI Neo 2.
Scroll down to the Remote Controller section inside Control
Scroll past the stick mode and gimbal settings until you reach a sub-header labelled Remote Controller.
Tap the Phone Charging toggle to switch it on or off
Green means the controller charges the phone over the USB-C cable. Grey means data only — no power transfer. The change is live straight away.
Peter's tip
For a long session with a healthy phone, I always switch this off before takeoff. The controller easily gets through six or seven Neo 2 battery cycles when it is not also feeding a phone.
| Toggle state | What happens to the phone | Effect on controller battery |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Charging ON (green) | Phone charges over USB-C while connected to the DJI RC-N3 | Controller drains faster — every watt the phone takes comes from the RC-N3 pack |
| Phone Charging OFF (grey) | Cable carries data only — no power transfer to the phone | Controller battery lasts noticeably longer through a flight session |
Frequently asked questions
Does the DJI Neo 2 controller charge my phone by default?
Yes. Phone Charging is enabled out of the box, so the DJI RC-N3 trickles power into a connected phone over USB-C as soon as you plug it in.
Will turning Phone Charging off save my drone batteries?
No. The toggle only affects the controller battery. The DJI Neo 2 flight batteries are not in the charging loop, so they are unaffected either way.
When should I switch Phone Charging off, and when should I leave it on?
Switch it off when the controller is the resource you cannot afford to run flat — a long shoot, controller already at sixty per cent, phone comfortably charged. Leave it on when the phone is the bottleneck — you arrived with twenty per cent on screen and a full controller. The trickle lifts the phone roughly ten to fifteen per cent over a session, which is usually enough to keep DJI Fly alive through landing.
Does the Phone Charging toggle work reliably on iPhone?
Yes. On iPhone, off means off. If a DJI Fly update ever leaves the toggle stuck on, switch to a data-only USB-C cable with no power pin — that bypasses the toggle by design.
Why does my Android phone keep charging when Phone Charging is off?
USB-C negotiates a small amount of current to bring the data link up, so on many Android phones a stubborn trickle keeps flowing regardless of the toggle. The fix is a data-only USB-C cable, not another sweep through DJI Fly. If a USB prompt appears on the phone, pick "Charge Only" or "File Transfer / Android Auto" to keep the data link stable.
Why is my phone not charging even with the Phone Charging toggle on?
Three things usually cause this. A third-party data-only USB-C cable passes data but blocks power — swap to the original DJI cable. The DJI RC-N3 also stops feeding the phone when its own battery drops below roughly twenty per cent. Finally, check the phone is not in a low-power mode that refuses slow-amp charging (an iPhone in Low Power Mode is the usual culprit).
What if I cannot find the Phone Charging toggle in DJI Fly?
An out-of-date DJI Fly build sometimes hides the toggle entirely — update from the App Store or Google Play. DJI also shuffle the menu between versions, so if the toggle is not in the Remote Controller section under Control, swipe across to the About or Safety tabs.
Can I use a power bank to charge my phone instead of the controller?
Yes. A USB-C power bank plugged straight into the phone bypasses the controller entirely. Use this approach when the phone is critically low — the controller's trickle is too slow for a fast top-up.
Does this setting exist on the DJI RC 2 or with the DJI Goggles N3?
No. The DJI RC 2 is not an official DJI Neo 2 controller, and the FPV combo with the DJI Goggles N3 and Motion Controller 3 has no phone in the loop. The Phone Charging toggle only appears when an RC-N3 (or older RC-N2 / RC-N1) is connected.
That is the toggle. For most drone pilots, the right move comes down to which battery matters more on the day — controller or phone. Once you know that, the switch is a five-second job before takeoff. Pair this with the routine in the guide to flying the DJI Neo 2 with the controller and you have got everything you need.
Got a controller behaving in a way this guide does not cover? Drop a note to peter@hiredronepilot.uk and I will come back to you directly. If you prefer the video version of this explainer, the comments are open on YouTube.
References
Primary source material for this article is the official DJI Neo 2 documentation and the DJI Fly app. External links open in a new tab.
- DJI Neo 2 — Downloads (User Manual and Quick Start Guide) · RC-N3 pairing flow, cable options shipped in the box, and supported DJI Fly versions.
- DJI RC-N3 — Product page · Controller battery rating, USB-C port specification, and supported phone mount range.
- DJI Fly — App download and release notes · The app that exposes the Phone Charging toggle. Release notes record menu reshuffles between versions.
Peter Leslie
Founder & GVC Drone Pilot
Peter is the founder of HireDronePilot. With thousands of logged commercial flight hours, he writes about drone technology, commercial surveying tactics, and UK aviation compliance.
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