Causes
- Firmware bug at the 17.18 GB file limit — The Osmo Action 6 records a single MP4 up to about 17.18 GB and then, on affected units, simply stops recording instead of starting a new file the way the Action 4 and Action 5 Pro do. Multiple owners on r/djiosmo confirmed the recording halts with no on-screen warning at the file-size boundary (roughly 18–19 minutes of 4K30, 20 minutes of 4K60), losing everything after that point. DJI support first blamed "non-approved" SD cards, then acknowledged it as a software issue and promised a firmware fix. It is intermittent — one owner's 2-hour bench test produced clean ~17 GB files, while the very next ride with the same card stopped dead at the limit.
- Sudden shutdowns in high-contrast, high-motion scenes — A separate, more serious bug: the camera powers itself off (you hear the normal shutdown beeps) after 30–60 seconds of shooting when moving through rapidly changing light — for example riding an MTB in and out of forest shade on a sunny day. It happens with the recommended Kingston CANVAS Go! Plus card and also with internal storage, so it is not the SD card. DJI's repair team confirmed it as a known software bug after being unable to reproduce it in a warehouse, and the community found it is triggered by busy scenes, the Sport stabilization scenario, and the variable aperture hunting between f/2.0 and f/4.0.
- Heavy mode combinations push the processor into the bug — 4K60 in 1:1 (open gate), Subject Tracking, or SuperNight, with RockSteady on and the wireless mic connected, reproduce the stutter-then-stop cycle most reliably. One owner found 4K60 1:1 unusable in busy scenes and could only shoot 2K portrait 30fps; lowering ISO to minimum, switching from Sport to Daily stabilization, and fixing the aperture reduced or stopped the shutdowns for other users.
- Gesture Control stopping recordings unintentionally — With Gesture Control enabled, the Action 6 watches for an open palm to start/stop recording, and it reacts to hands raised while talking, adjusting a mount, or waving at someone. One owner confirmed their camera stopped mid-mix repeatedly because the camera was reading their hand gestures as a stop command; disabling Gesture Control fixed that pattern (several users also keep Voice Control off for the same reason).
- SD card near capacity or never formatted in-camera — Even a fast SanDisk Extreme V30 U3 card throws a "write speed too slow" error and stops recording once it passes 60–80% full, and a brand-new card that was never formatted inside the camera will stop a few seconds into the second file (after the first ~17 GB one). The Action 6 writes up to 120 Mbps, and worn, nearly-full, or improperly formatted cards cannot sustain that rate through file segmentation.
- Loosely seated battery losing contact under vibration — Action camera batteries have shipped with slightly loose trays before; one owner's random shutdowns stopped after removing and firmly re-seating the battery, only to return weeks later. Vibration from handlebar or helmet mounts can make an imperfectly seated battery momentarily drop the camera's power rail.
How to Fix
- Update to the latest firmware first — DJI has shipped multiple releases since launch (for example 01.01.02.30 and 01.01.02.37) that fix "minor bugs," and DJI support has publicly stated both the 17 GB stop and the sudden-shutdown bug are being addressed in firmware. Open the DJI Mimo app, connect the camera over Wi-Fi, and install any available update, then power-cycle the camera. Check DJI's Osmo Action 6 release notes (dl.djicdn.com) after updating to confirm which bugs your version fixed.
- Turn off Gesture Control (and Voice Control) for unattended or talking shots — Swipe down on the screen, open Settings, and disable Gesture Control if you record anything where hands move near the lens — DJing, talking while mounted on a chest or helmet rig, or riding past people waving. If you use voice commands for hands-free start/stop, be aware the camera also listens for "Stop Recording" — leave Voice Control off when you don't need it. This immediately eliminates the class of stops that look like the camera has a mind of its own.
- Set a fixed aperture and lower the ISO — In the image/audio settings, change Variable Aperture from Auto to Fixed (f/2.8) and, in PRO mode, cap ISO at its minimum workable value (100–400 for daytime). Owners who did this report the transition-induced shutdowns stopped even when the stutter remained, because the processor is no longer hunting exposure and refocusing the iris while stabilizing a moving scene. Set white balance to manual (e.g. 5500K daylight) if you shoot mixed sun/shade.
- Use Daily stabilization and a lighter mode for long or busy shots — Switch the stabilization scenario from Sport to Daily, drop 4K60 1:1 to 4K30 16:9 (or 2.7K30), and avoid SuperNight and Subject Tracking for continuous recording. These are the exact combinations the community found trigger the shutdown bug most reliably. For ride-long MTB or motorcycle videos, 4K30 with RockSteady is the sweet spot that keeps footage smooth without loading the pipeline enough to trip the bug.
- Split long recordings yourself and respect the ~17 GB boundary — Until DJI ships the file-splitting fix, treat ~17 GB (roughly 18–20 minutes at 4K30/4K60) as a recording limit: restart recording manually before each segment ends, or use shorter clips and stitch in post. Recording to the 64 GB internal storage is reported to dodge the stop-at-file-limit bug entirely (the 50 GB usable space fits about an hour of 4K30), so for one long uninterrupted take, shoot to internal storage and offload later.
- Format your SD card inside the camera and keep it under 60% full — Format the card from the camera's own storage menu, not on a computer, before long shoots, and offload footage so the card stays below 60–80% capacity — write speeds drop sharply once most cards fill past that point. Use a DJI-recommended card (Kingston CANVAS Go! Plus or Lexar Professional SILVER PLUS, U3 A2 V30) if you see repeat stops, and test any suspicious card with h2testw or a PC benchmark to rule out counterfeits.
- Re-seat the battery and run a clean-reset test — Open the battery compartment, remove the battery and the SD card, wait 30–60 seconds, and reinsert both firmly until they click. Then do a factory reset from Settings (or hold the Quick Switch button 10–15 seconds to hard-reboot). Record a 30-minute mixed-light test on internal storage and a separate one on the card. If the stops persist on both, the unit is defective — open a DJI Care/warranty case and reference the known bugs; affected owners have received replacements, and a second replacement behaving identically is a reason to ask for a refund.