If your Autel Evo Nano return to home not working, the cause is usually a setup, signal, or calibration issue rather than a major hardware failure.
This guide explains the most common reasons the drone fails to return and the exact checks that restore reliable RTH behavior.
What Return to Home does on the Autel Evo Nano
Return to Home, often called RTH, is a safety feature that tells the Autel Evo Nano to fly back to a saved home point automatically.
On the Evo Nano, that home point is usually recorded at takeoff, then updated in the app if GPS lock and flight conditions allow it.
RTH depends on several systems working together: GPS satellites, the flight controller, the IMU, the compass, the battery status, and the Autel Sky app.
If one of those systems is unstable, the drone may hover, warn you, or fail to return as expected.
Why the Autel Evo Nano return to home not working issue happens
The most common reason for Autel Evo Nano return to home not working is weak or inaccurate positioning data.
That usually means the drone did not get a strong GPS fix before takeoff, lost GPS in flight, or never confirmed the correct home point.
Other common causes include:
- Compass interference from vehicles, metal structures, reinforced concrete, or power lines
- IMU or compass calibration errors
- Firmware mismatch between the drone and the Autel Sky app
- Low battery conditions that trigger a forced landing instead of RTH
- Manual mode changes or pilot input that override automatic behavior
- Takeoff from an area with poor satellite visibility, such as a balcony or near tall buildings
Check whether the home point was set correctly
The first thing to verify is whether the home point actually saved before flight.
Many RTH problems start on the ground, not in the air.
What to look for before takeoff
- Wait for a strong GPS signal and a clear home-point confirmation in the app
- Confirm the app shows enough satellites for stable positioning
- Take off from an open area with a clear view of the sky
- Avoid launching from a moving surface, vehicle, or boat unless the drone supports that workflow
If the home point was not confirmed, the drone may not know where to return.
In that case, the RTH command may be unavailable or may behave unpredictably.
Inspect GPS signal and satellite lock
GPS quality is one of the biggest factors behind RTH reliability.
The Autel Evo Nano uses GPS to determine position, map the home point, and navigate back during return.
Weak GPS can happen near buildings, trees, cliffs, reflective surfaces, or in areas with heavy radio interference.
Even if the app shows a GPS mode, the signal may still be too unstable for dependable return navigation.
How to improve GPS performance
- Fly in open terrain away from tall structures
- Keep the drone level while waiting for satellite lock
- Power on the drone and app several minutes before takeoff
- Check for alert messages about poor positioning before launching
If GPS is weak at takeoff, land and relaunch only after the drone confirms a better satellite lock.
Recalibrate the compass and IMU if the drone drifts or warns you
Compass and IMU calibration issues can cause navigation errors that make RTH unreliable.
The compass helps the Evo Nano understand heading, while the IMU supports orientation and stability.
If the drone drifts, rotates unexpectedly, or displays compass warnings, calibration should be one of your next steps.
Magnetic interference can corrupt compass data, especially after flying near cars, bridges, utility poles, or large metal objects.
Best practices for calibration
- Calibrate only in a low-interference environment
- Move away from magnets, steel surfaces, and electronics
- Follow the Autel Sky app prompts exactly
- Do not calibrate repeatedly unless the drone requests it or the environment changes significantly
After calibration, power-cycle the drone and controller before testing RTH again.
Update firmware and the Autel Sky app
Firmware bugs can affect how the flight controller interprets RTH commands.
If the drone, controller, and app are not on compatible versions, the return function may fail, delay, or send warnings that appear unrelated at first.
Check that the Autel Evo Nano firmware is current and that the Autel Sky app is updated on your phone.
Update both sides of the system, then reconnect and verify that the app recognizes the latest aircraft status.
A failed update can also create inconsistent behavior.
If the drone started showing RTH issues after a recent update, reinstall the app, refresh the firmware package, and repeat the setup process carefully.
Make sure battery behavior is not overriding Return to Home
Low battery can change how the Autel Evo Nano behaves.
Instead of a normal RTH sequence, the drone may initiate an emergency landing if the battery reserve is too low to guarantee a safe return.
This is especially important if the drone is flying against wind, at longer distances, or at higher altitude.
A battery level that looks sufficient on paper may still be inadequate once wind resistance and flight distance are factored in.
Battery-related warning signs
- RTH starts but the drone descends early
- The app shows critical battery warnings
- Flight time drops unusually fast
- The drone cannot climb or maintain speed during return
To avoid this, set conservative battery limits and begin the return earlier than you think necessary.
Review the RTH settings in the app
The Autel Sky app controls many return-related settings, and the wrong configuration can make RTH seem broken.
Check whether the RTH altitude is set appropriately for your environment and whether the drone is configured to return after signal loss.
If the RTH altitude is too low, the drone may try to return through obstacles and then pause, warn, or change behavior.
If it is too high, it may still return, but the path may be inefficient or trigger extra battery use.
Settings to verify
- RTH altitude above nearby trees, rooftops, and towers
- Signal-loss behavior
- Current home-point status
- Obstacle avoidance availability, if applicable to your flight mode
Match the RTH altitude to the tallest object in your normal flight area, then add a safety margin.
Test the remote controller and command path
Sometimes the drone is fine, but the command never reaches it correctly.
A damaged controller, weak phone connection, or pairing issue can interfere with sending the RTH command.
Check the cable or wireless link between your phone and controller, then verify the controller is properly linked to the aircraft.
If the app has delayed responsiveness, restart the controller and phone, then reconnect before another test flight.
Quick controller checks
- Confirm the controller is fully charged
- Use the correct data cable if your setup requires one
- Close unnecessary apps on your phone
- Rebind the controller if connection issues persist
When obstacle avoidance affects return behavior
The Autel Evo Nano may slow down, stop, or reroute if obstacle avoidance detects an object during return.
That can look like RTH is not working, when the drone is actually pausing for safety.
Branches, wires, poles, buildings, and even poor lighting conditions can confuse the sensors.
If the drone is trying to return through a cluttered environment, it may hover or ask for pilot input instead of completing the route automatically.
For testing, try RTH in an open field first.
If it works there, the issue is likely environmental rather than mechanical.
Step-by-step troubleshooting checklist
- Power on the drone, controller, and app, then wait for strong GPS lock.
- Confirm the home point is saved before takeoff.
- Fly a short distance in an open area and trigger RTH manually.
- Watch for compass or GPS warnings in the app.
- Check battery level and make sure it is not critically low.
- Verify firmware, app version, and controller connection.
- Recalibrate the compass and IMU if the drone drifts or shows heading issues.
- Retest RTH after each change so you can identify the real cause.
When to contact Autel support
If you have checked GPS, calibration, firmware, battery, and settings, but the Autel Evo Nano return to home not working problem continues, the aircraft may need service.
Contact Autel Robotics support if the drone repeatedly ignores RTH commands, shows persistent navigation errors, or fails home-point confirmation in normal open-sky conditions.
Provide support with your firmware version, app version, flight logs, error messages, and a clear description of when the failure happens.
That information helps determine whether the issue is software-related or tied to a hardware component such as the compass, GPS module, or flight controller.
Once the drone is properly calibrated and operating with a strong satellite lock, RTH should be consistent and predictable in normal flight conditions.