How to Record Smartphone Audio While Shooting Aerial Video on the DJI Neo 2
Peter Leslie
21 May 2026
If your footage off the DJI Neo 2 is coming back silent and you want the phone microphone, a DJI Mic 2, or a Bluetooth headset to ride along with the aerial clip, the setting you are looking for is Record Audio with Phone inside DJI Fly.
Most drone pilots hit a silent clip because the drone itself has no on-board microphone — every audible video out of the DJI Neo 2 is the phone-side capture being merged in when the toggle is on. Switch the toggle off when you want clean motion-only clips for a music edit, and switch it on when the shot needs a voiceover, ambient audio, or a presenter mic.
Quick guide
To record smartphone audio while shooting aerial video on the DJI Neo 2, go to DJI Fly → Settings → Camera → Record Audio with Phone and switch the toggle on. Off means the merged clip is silent; on means the phone microphone (or paired DJI Mic 2 or Bluetooth headset) is rolled into the same video file written to the SD card.
Step-by-step: How to Record Smartphone Audio While Shooting Aerial Video on the DJI Neo 2
Follow these top to bottom the first time, and you will know the path off by heart the second time.
Connect the audio source you want to record before opening DJI Fly
If the shot calls for an external microphone or a Bluetooth headset, pair it to the phone first so the phone treats it as the live audio input. The DJI Neo 2 records whatever the phone is hearing at the moment the clip starts, so the source has to be live before DJI Fly opens.
Open the DJI Fly Settings menu from the camera view
With the DJI Neo 2 and the remote connected and DJI Fly open on the camera view, tap the Settings icon in the top right. The settings panel slides in over the live feed with the category tabs running down the left edge.
Tap the Camera category in the Settings panel
Camera sits in the left-hand category list of the Settings panel, between Control and Transmission. Tap it and the right pane fills with the camera options for the DJI Neo 2 grouped under collapsible section headers.
Scroll the Camera page down to the Record Audio with Phone row
Scroll the right pane down past the exposure, storage, and style groups until the Record Audio with Phone row comes into view. The row sits lower down the Camera page with a single toggle on the right and a microphone glyph next to the label.
Tap the Record Audio with Phone toggle to switch it on
Tap the toggle on the right of the row. The toggle slides across to the active state and a small microphone icon appears in the live view to confirm the next clip will carry phone-side audio alongside the aerial video.
Grant DJI Fly the microphone permission when the system prompts
The first time the toggle is switched on, the phone fires a system dialog asking DJI Fly for microphone access. Tap Allow. If you miss the prompt, open the phone Settings app, find DJI Fly in the app list, switch Microphone on by hand, and return to DJI Fly — the toggle should already be on.
Pick a noise reduction effect on the Record Audio with Phone row
With the toggle on, two further options appear underneath the row — Natural and Pure. Natural leaves the phone microphone signal close to what it captured, while Pure applies heavier voice-isolation processing to push wind and background hum down. Tap whichever matches the shot.
Close the Settings panel and start the recording from the camera view
Tap the close icon at the top of the Settings overlay or tap outside the panel to dismiss it. The microphone icon stays visible in the live view as a reminder that the next clip will be written with audio merged in, and the record button behaves the same way it always does.
Peter's tip
Set the toggle and the noise reduction effect before you press record — DJI Fly locks the row the moment a clip starts. I have lost more than one piece-to-camera by going to flip the toggle mid-shot and finding the row greyed out. Lock the audio path first, then fly.
| Toggle state | What gets written to the clip | When to pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Off (default) | Aerial video only — the audio track on the merged file is silent. The DJI Neo 2 has no on-board microphone, so off means a clean motion clip with nothing to mute later. | Music-led edits, B-roll inserts, and any shot where the editor is going to lay sound on in post anyway. Keeps the file small and the timeline simple. |
| On | Aerial video plus whatever audio source the phone is treating as live — the built-in microphone, a DJI Mic 2, or a paired Bluetooth headset — merged into the same video file. | Pieces to camera, narrated walkthroughs, ambient location captures, and any shot where the voice or the scene sound is part of the story. |
Frequently asked questions
Does the DJI Neo 2 record audio by default?
No. The Record Audio with Phone toggle ships in the off position, and any clip recorded with the toggle off is silent on the audio track. The drone itself has no on-board microphone — every audible clip out of the DJI Neo 2 is the phone-side capture rolled in once the toggle is on.
What audio sources can I record alongside DJI Neo 2 video?
Three — the built-in microphone on the phone running DJI Fly, a DJI Mic 2 transmitter routed through the phone, and a paired Bluetooth headset. Whichever source the phone treats as the live audio input at the moment the clip starts is the source the drone uses. For the supported Bluetooth devices, the Downloads page on the DJI Neo 2 product listing carries the current compatibility list.
Why is the Record Audio with Phone toggle greyed out mid-recording?
The toggle can only be flipped before a clip starts. Once the record button is pressed, the row locks until the clip is stopped. If you forgot to switch audio on before pressing record, stop the clip, flip the toggle, and start a new clip — the previous file is locked in as silent.
What is the difference between Natural and Pure noise reduction on the DJI Neo 2?
Natural leaves the captured signal close to what the microphone heard, with light cleanup. Pure applies heavier voice-isolation processing that pushes wind and background hum down at the cost of some natural ambience. Natural suits wide aerial shots where the ambient sound is part of the scene; Pure suits pieces to camera where the voice has to cut through propeller noise on the phone microphone.
Will the recorded audio show up on the SD card clip from the DJI Neo 2?
Yes. When you view or download the clip through the Album view in DJI Fly, the phone-side audio is merged automatically into the same video file. The merged file is what gets pulled across to the phone or the computer for editing — no separate audio file to track down.
Why is there no sound on my DJI Neo 2 footage even with the toggle on?
Three usual causes — DJI Fly never got the microphone permission, the toggle was flipped after the clip started, or the phone was routing audio to a Bluetooth source that dropped out. Check the Microphone permission for DJI Fly in the phone Settings app, confirm the toggle is on before recording starts, and pull any unstable Bluetooth source out of the path. Once the merged file is written it cannot be retro-fitted with audio.
Does Record Audio with Phone work the same way on iPhone and Android?
The toggle and the menu path are identical on both platforms. The only divergence is the permission flow — iPhone shows a single system prompt the first time the toggle is switched on, while Android can route through the phone Settings app for finer-grained microphone control. Once the permission is granted, the recording behaviour is the same on either platform.
Can I use a DJI Mic 2 with the DJI Neo 2 for cleaner audio?
Yes. Pair the DJI Mic 2 receiver to the phone before launching DJI Fly, then switch the Record Audio with Phone toggle on. DJI Fly records whatever the phone treats as the active microphone input, so the DJI Mic 2 signal feeds straight into the merged video file. This is the workflow to lean on when the shot has a presenter on camera and the built-in phone microphone is not clean enough.
Record Audio with Phone is one of those DJI Neo 2 toggles that quietly explains every silent clip a new pilot complains about. Once you know it lives in the Camera category and that the row locks the moment recording starts, the workflow is simply lock the audio path, then fly.
If the toggle still produces silent clips after granting the microphone permission, or your DJI Mic 2 is not feeding through to the merged file, send the details to peter@hiredronepilot.uk with a screenshot of the Camera settings page and I will come back to you. The video version of this walkthrough sits on YouTube if you would rather watch the click path than read it.
References
Primary source material for this article is the official DJI Neo 2 documentation and DJI Fly. External links open in a new tab.
- DJI Neo 2 — Downloads (User Manual, Quick Start Guide, firmware notes) · Recording Audio via App section covering supported devices, the Natural and Pure noise reduction effects, and the rule that audio recording can only be enabled or disabled before recording.
- DJI Neo 2 — Product page (UK) · Hardware overview confirming there is no on-board drone microphone, plus the compatibility list for DJI Mic 2 and supported Bluetooth headsets.
- DJI Fly — App download and release notes · The app where Settings, Camera, and the Record Audio with Phone toggle live. Release notes record any 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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