GoPro’s foray into the world of drones was fraught with one misstep after another. Fast forward two years after the company announced it was discontinuing the Karma—its one and only drone—and the Karma is coming back to bite GoPro again.
According to The Verge, Karma owners have been experiencing problems with their drones being unable to fly. The issue appears to be related to the drones’ older GPS system. Older systems must be updated to deal with clock rollovers in the GPS and GLONASS satellite systems. Unfortunately, the Karma hasn’t received a software update since September 2018.
Users are reporting that their drones are not receiving a GPS signal, and even turning it off doesn’t seem to fix the issues. GoPro has said they are aware of the problem and are actively working on it, but gave no indication if or when a fix would be available.
GoPro’s Karma debacle is a reminder that companies looking to branch into emerging technologies do well to fully understand the field they’re entering.