Guide

Updating a Pico or Standard to firmware 5.41

Devices running firmware 1.32 or 3.32 have no Bluetooth, so they cannot be updated the usual way. This is the full procedure, what to expect at each step, and how to go back if you need to.

Updated 7 August 2026

Why this one is different

Your GliderKeeper stores its program in a fixed area of its flash memory. On the Standard, v2 and Pico, that area was sized for the original firmware — the 1.32 and 3.32 releases — and firmware 5.41 does not fit in it: the Bluetooth stack needs more room.

So this is not a normal over-the-air update. Before 5.41 can be loaded, the device has to rearrange its own flash memory to make the program area bigger. The app does it for you, in one guided operation called Migrate to PRO format, but it is a two-stage process with a reboot in the middle, and it is worth knowing what you are looking at while it runs.

All stored flights and all device settings are erased. Rearranging the flash destroys everything that was in it. Download your flights before you start — once the migration begins there is no way back to them.

Before you start

Install or update the GliderKeeper app on your phone. You'll find it for Android and iPhone on the Downloads page.
Open the app once with a working internet connection, and leave it open for a few seconds. The app downloads and caches the firmware packs at startup. This matters more than it sounds: during the migration your phone will be connected to the GliderKeeper's own Wi-Fi network, which has no internet, so nothing can be downloaded at that point. If the packs were never cached, the app will stop mid-way and tell you there is no firmware available.
Download your flights. They will be erased.
Make sure the device stays powered for the whole process. Do not unplug the battery unless the app tells you to.

Connect over Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth

This is the part that confuses people: the app talks to modern devices over Bluetooth, but your device does not have Bluetooth yet — that is the whole point of this update. The migration is therefore done over Wi-Fi.

Power the device on and look at the blue LED:

One blink per second — AP mode. The GliderKeeper is broadcasting its own network, named GliderKeeper_XXXX. Connect your phone to that Wi-Fi network, then search again in the app.
Two blinks per second — STA mode. The GliderKeeper has joined a Wi-Fi network or hotspot you configured earlier. Put your phone on that same network before searching.

If it doesn't appear: the network must be 2.4 GHz, coverage must be good, and no RC transmitter may be powered on within 4 m. Restarting the GliderKeeper forces a fresh network search and usually helps; closing and reopening the app helps too.

The migration, step by step

In the app, go to Maintenance → Firmware → Migrate to PRO format. The app shows the warning about flights being erased; confirm it to begin.

From here the app runs three stages by itself — an upload, a restart, and a second upload. What you should see:

Stage 1 — the migration firmware uploads

A progress bar fills as the app sends the migration firmware to the device. Nothing unusual here; it behaves like any other update.

Stage 2 — the device restarts and rearranges its flash

This is the stage that looks like a failure and isn't. The device reboots and rewrites its own memory layout. The app shows a 60-second countdown, and after that it starts searching for the device again.

Allow up to 90 seconds in total. During this time the device may show nothing at all on its display. Do not unplug it.

Once the countdown ends the app looks for the device over Bluetooth first — it has Bluetooth now — for about 15 seconds, and falls back to searching over Wi-Fi if it doesn't find it.

Stage 3 — you choose the firmware and it loads

When the device comes back, the app asks which 5.41 package you want to load. This is the competition class you fly — the same choice as in any firmware update. Pick it, and the app uploads it and restarts the device.

When it comes back this time, it is running 5.41 and it has Bluetooth.

If it seems stuck

The app has a Problems? button on that screen, which says this:

The device is restarting and updating its flash memory. This can take up to 90 seconds. If nothing happens after a minute:

Power-cycle the device (unplug and replug the battery).

Tap Go to home — the app will detect the device as partially updated and continue automatically.

That second point is the important one, and it is the reason a stalled migration is not a brick. A device whose flash was rearranged but which has no final firmware yet reports itself as being in recovery mode, and the app recognises it on sight:

This device is in recovery mode — its flash was updated but no production firmware was uploaded yet. Please upload the firmware now to restore normal operation.

Find the device on the home screen — it will be marked as recovery — tap it, and the process picks up where it left off. You can do this as many times as you need.

The first Bluetooth connection may fail. Try again.

A known quirk, and one you are quite likely to meet on a freshly migrated device: the first Bluetooth connection after the migration sometimes times out, or connects and immediately drops. Scanning and connecting a second time works. The app already retries by itself, so usually you'll only notice a slightly slow first connection.

This is specific to a device that has just been migrated and has not been running long. It settles down afterwards.

Going back to the previous firmware

If you need to return to 1.32 (Standard and v2) or 3.32 (Pico), you can — but not over the air. Going back means shrinking the program area again, and a device cannot do that to itself while running from it. It has to be done over USB, from the Windows desktop app.

Going back erases the device completely once more — flights and settings both. And note this is a real reason to keep x.32 around: it is the firmware approved by the FAI for the Standard, v2 and Pico (AMRT063 and AMRT064). Firmware 5.41 works on those models but is only approved on the GliderKeeper Pro.

What you need:

A Windows PC. USB flashing is available in the Windows desktop app only — not on Android or iPhone. Get it from the Downloads page.
The CH340 driver, if Windows doesn't recognise the device when you plug it in. It's on the Downloads page too.
A USB cable that carries data. Charge-only cables are a common and very confusing cause of "no device found".

The procedure:

Connect the device to the PC by USB and open the desktop app.
Go to the USB tab and press SCAN COM PORTS. The device appears under Detected devices with its chip details.
Press Load New Firmware.
If asked, select the model: GliderKeeper Standard or GliderKeeper PICO/PRO.
For Target partition scheme, choose Original (no Bluetooth) — this is the step that actually undoes the migration. The app warns you that the device will be completely erased.
Choose the firmware package for the class you fly, and let it write.
The first restart after flashing can take up to 20 seconds. Do not unplug the device until its display lights up.
When the app reports the write is complete, disconnect the USB cable and power the device on again.

The same screen, with Bluetooth selected as the target scheme instead, is also the way to recover a device by USB if an over-the-air migration went wrong beyond what recovery mode can fix.