To receive live ADS-B traffic data you need a Stratux ADS-B receiver. You can purchase one from PilotADSB.com that has been fully optimized for Bluetooth communication, build your own, or use one you already own or purchased elsewhere. Not ready to buy? The app includes a full library of recorded ADS-B data so you can explore every feature before committing to any hardware.

Drone Pilot ADS-B requires Android 8.0 (Oreo) or higher. Android 10 or higher is recommended for the best experience. Bluetooth ADS-B connectivity requires Bluetooth 4.0 BLE support, which is standard on all modern Android devices.

Yes — the app is fully optimized for both phones and tablets. A larger tablet screen gives you a bigger map view, which many drone pilots prefer when monitoring airspace during a flight. The interface adapts automatically to your screen size.

Not yet — iOS support is coming soon! We are working hard on the iOS version. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified the moment it launches.

No — and that is by design. Your drone controller already shows your drone. Drone Pilot ADS-B is focused on your location as the pilot, providing unparalleled situational awareness of manned aircraft, obstacles, and airspace restrictions in the area where you are flying. You can import your drone's flight route or mission perimeter to see your planned flight boundary in relation to any approaching air traffic.

The app provides both audible voice callouts and on-screen visual alerts so you can keep your eyes on the sky and your controller. Every alert is highly specific — the callout tells you the direction, altitude, and distance of the aircraft or object of concern. You can fully customize alert rules, distances, altitude thresholds, and which aircraft to mute individually.

No — live ADS-B traffic comes directly from your receiver via Bluetooth or WiFi and requires no internet. However, internet is highly recommended for the best experience. Features including weather radar, TFRs, LAANC zones, wind data, and the background map all require an active internet connection. Our PilotADSB.com Stratux receiver supports Bluetooth, which keeps your phone on its normal cellular or WiFi connection so all features work seamlessly. See our setup tutorials for configuration options.

ADS-B traffic reception works worldwide — the 1090MHz frequency is a global standard. The app supports both feet and meters to accommodate pilots everywhere. Some features currently provide data for the USA only, including LAANC zones, weather, wind, obstacles, power lines, and pipelines. We are actively working to add international data for these features as it becomes available.

Quite a lot! Without a receiver you can still access the background map, weather radar, TFR alerts, LAANC authorization zones, obstacle layers (towers, power lines, pipelines), and the search tool — all with just an internet connection. You can also use our built-in library of recorded real ADS-B flight sessions to see exactly how the app behaves with live traffic, test your custom alert rules, and explore every setting before your receiver arrives.

Yes. Drone Pilot ADS-B works with any Stratux-based ADS-B receiver. Stratux is an open-source platform and the core functionality is the same regardless of where you purchased it. The main difference is in the firmware loaded on the SD card. Our PilotADSB.com receiver ships with our custom firmware that enables seamless Bluetooth connectivity and internet passthrough. See our BYOD page for full details on using other hardware with the app.

Our receiver ships pre-built, pre-tested, and pre-configured — ready to use in 60 seconds. It runs our custom Stratux firmware that enables Bluetooth GDL90 (so your phone stays on cellular for maps and weather), optimized SDR gain settings for maximum range, and reliable internet passthrough. Every unit is tested before shipping. It also includes a full year of the Drone Pilot ADS-B app subscription — a $39.99 value at no extra charge.

The standard US Stratux build has a known issue where it crashes when internet passthrough is enabled. We recommend either our PilotADSB.com Stratux build or the current EU Stratux build, both of which support internet passthrough reliably. Our build also adds seamless Bluetooth integration. See the BYOD page for download and flashing instructions.

The app is free to download and includes a full 30-day free trial — no credit card required. After the trial, a subscription is required to continue using the app. If you purchase a PilotADSB.com receiver, you receive a full year of the app included free — a $39.99 value. After that first year, or if you use your own hardware, the subscription is just $39.99/year or $4.99/month.

Yes — your subscription covers up to 3 active devices under your Google Play account (iOS account when iOS launches). This means you can run the app on your phone, tablet, and a spare device simultaneously under a single subscription.

Subscriptions are managed through the app store on your device. Android (Google Play): Open the Play Store app → tap your profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → Drone Pilot ADS-B → Cancel. Your access continues until the end of the paid billing period. iOS support coming soon.

Never. Your GPS location is processed in real time on your device and is never stored on our servers or shared with any third party. We do not run ads and we do not sell user data. Read our full Privacy Policy for complete details.

Yes — through our community forum. All support questions are handled in our pilot community forum rather than by email. This way every question and answer is visible to all users, other pilots can help each other, and solutions are searchable so the next person with the same question finds the answer instantly. Our team monitors the forum actively and jumps in where needed.

Our Tutorials page provides step-by-step video guides covering every feature in the app — from initial setup and receiver connection to advanced alert rules, recording, and playback. We also have a detailed Troubleshooting guide for common issues.

Check our Troubleshooting guide first — it covers the most common issues with step-by-step fixes for connection problems, GPS issues, map not loading, and more. If you are still stuck, post in our community forum with your device model, Android version, and a description of the issue. Our team and fellow pilots monitor the forum actively and we fix reported problems fast.