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How to pair / connect the Nikon Keymission 360 with your iOS or Android smartphone

I just got my Keymission 360 and one of the first things I tried was to pair it a phone, because I’ve heard a lot people having trouble with it.  Yes, it is more challenging than on other devices, but it is doable.  And more importantly, it is much simpler to reconnect after the initial pairing.

UPDATE: added a video tutorial for iPhone (see below).  I will add a video tutorial for Android later.
10/30 update: added a video tutorial for Android (see below).

The primary challenge is that the Keymission 360 needs both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to connect, and it won’t turn on its Wi-Fi antenna until you first connect with its Bluetooth signal.

iOS / iPhone:

UPDATE: Here is a video tutorial for iPhone:

Detailed steps for iPhone:
1.  Preparation
– Update your iOS to 10.1
– Install the Snapbridge 360/170 app from iTunes.  Be sure it is updated to 1.0.2 or the latest version.
– Activate both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your iPhone.
– Your phone might connect better if it’s not in low power mode. (Thanks to Zach Goodyear for this tip!)
– Be sure both your iPhone and the Keymission are charged.
– Be sure there is a Micro SD card inserted in the Keymission.
– Be sure your Keymission is not in Airplane Mode (there’s a switch in the battery compartment for Airplane Mode, which should be on OFF).
– If you attempted to pair but the pairing failed, you need to go to your Bluetooth settings and forget the Keymission device.  You’ll also check the Wi-Fi settings and if the Keymission is there, you should check “forget this network” as well.
– If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network to which you automatically connect, you may want to disable automatic connection, although it’s not absolutely necessary.
2.  Put the Keymission in pairing mode.
– The first time you turn on the Keymission, it will already be in pairing mode and the lights will alternately flash green.
– If the Keymission is not in pairing mode, turn it off (by holding the movie shutter button).  When it is off, hold down the movie button for at least 7 seconds.  You’ll see the lights flash green alternately.
3.  Turn on the Snapbridge 360/170 app.  It will begin searching for the Keymission.
Select the Keymission from the list.
4.  It will ask you to select an accessory.  At first it will be blank.  Wait until the Keymission appears and select it.
5.  It will tell you that the Keymission’s Bluetooth has paired successfully.
6.  A dialog box will appear, saying Wi-Fi has been enabled on the camera.  Do not click on the “Go” button.  Instead, go to your iPhone’s Wi-Fi settings and select the Keymission’s Wi-Fi signal.

When you see this, don’t click on Go.  Instead, go to your iPhone Wi-Fi settings and look for the Keymission Wi-Fi signal.

7.  When you select the Keymission’s Wi-Fi signal, you’ll be prompted for a password.  The default password is NikonKeyMission (case-sensitive).
8.  Go back to the Snapbridge app and check to see the diagram showing the phone and the camera, with the Bluetooth logo between them.  This indicates a successful connection.

Once connected, you can get a remote view by tapping on the Camera icon at the bottom, then selecting Remote Photography.

The next time you want to reconnect to the Keymission, you just have to run Snapbridge, then turn on the camera.  It should reconnect automatically.

Quirks:
1.  If you turn on the Keymission, usually it will take either a photo or a video, depending on which button you used to turn it on.  It will only reconnect after it finishes taking a photo or video.
2. Sometimes, even after a successful connection, I don’t get a remote view (under Camera, tap on Remote Photography).  If that happens, try to go to Camera… then Camera Settings first then change a setting such as LED brightness, then try Remote Photography again.

Android.
Connecting with Android is simpler because the app can automatically switch your Wi-Fi from an existing connection (such as your Wi-Fi network) to the Keymission Wi-Fi signal.

Here is a video showing how to connect with an Android phone:

Here are the detailed instructions:

1.  Preparation
– Install the Snapbridge 360/170 app from Google Play.  Be sure it is updated to 1.0.2 or the latest version.
– Activate both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your phone.
– Be sure both your phone and the Keymission are charged.
– Your phone might connect better if it’s not in low power mode. (Thanks to Zach Goodyear for this tip!)
– Be sure there is a Micro SD card inserted in the Keymission.
– Be sure your Keymission is not in Airplane Mode (there’s a switch in the battery compartment for Airplane Mode, which should be on OFF).
– If you attempted to pair but the pairing failed, you need to go to your Bluetooth settings and forget the Keymission device.  You’ll also check the Wi-Fi settings and if the Keymission is there, you should check “forget this network” as well.
– If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network to which you automatically connect, you may want to disable automatic connection, although it’s not absolutely necessary.

2.  Put the Keymission in pairing mode.
– The first time you turn on the Keymission, it will already be in pairing mode and the lights will alternately flash green.
– If the Keymission is not in pairing mode, turn it off (by holding the movie shutter button).  When it is off, hold down the movie button for at least 7 seconds.  You’ll see the lights flash green alternately.
3.  Turn on the Snapbridge 360/170 app.  It will begin searching for the Keymission.
Select the Keymission from the list.  The phone will connect to the Camera.

4.  If you tap on the Camera icon, then select Remote Photography, it will tell you that it needs to connect to the Keymission’s Wi-Fi signal.  Just click OK.  It will then automatically connect to the Keymission’s Wi-Fi.

The next time you want to reconnect to the Keymission, you just have to run Snapbridge, then turn on the camera.  It should reconnect automatically.

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Mic Ty

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