Betaflight 2025.12 (4.6) is shaping up to be one of the most feature-rich updates in recent memory. It’s now an official release, meaning you can safely flash it to your flight controller and give it a try. Let’s break down the major updates you can expect in this version—and whether it’s worth upgrading now.
If you are new to Betaflight, make sure to check out our beginners tutorial: https://oscarliang.com/betaflight-firmware-setup/
Update (June 2026): There’s now a newer version of Betaflight: https://oscarliang.com/betaflight-2026-6/
Table of Contents
TL;DR
Should you upgrade?
- Yes if your build rely heavily on GPS related functionality like long range and cinelifters.
- Yes if you fly performance fixed-wings
- For freestyle/race quads that already fly great, you won’t see a magic boost in performance or flight feel. But the new version have introduced a few new quality of life features you should look into.
If you want to try the new firmware, I have instructions in this post on how to flash to your FC.
Version System Changes
Betaflight announced it is changing its versioning system. Instead of the old X.X.X format, future releases will follow a date-based format: YYYY.M.PATCH (for instance, the next release will be version 2025.12.0, instead of 4.6.0).
The Betaflight devs explain the name change is because they want to commit to 2 full releases per year – one in June named YYYY.06.0 and another in December named YYYY.12.0.
They are also changing the version system for the configurator as well, so now the configurator and firmware versions are matching which is nice! (So when you want to flash and configure Betaflight 2025.12, you need to use the Betaflight Configurator 2025.12)
New Features in Betaflight 2025.12 (4.6)
Altitude Hold, Position Hold & Auto-Landing
The most exciting addition for me has to be the new GPS-assisted flight modes, including Position Hold, Altitude Hold, and Auto-Landing. Now, your FPV drone can hover in place with minimal drifting—similar to how a DJI Mavic and Mini behaves.
This puts Betaflight closer to what iNav offers in terms of GPS-assisted features, making it especially appealing for long-range and cinelifter pilots – useful for getting a stable shot or pausing mid-flight.
- Altitude Hold & Position Hold (https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight/pull/13975): Works with or without a magnetometer, though it is recommended for better accuracy.
- Auto-Landing: A new feature that helps with hands-free landings.
- GPS Rescue Improvements: Better altitude control and return behavior.
I wrote a tutorial on how to setup Altitude and Position Hold: https://oscarliang.com/betaflight-position-hold/
Chirp Signal Generator for Tuning
The Chirp Signal Generator is a brand new tuning tool that helps you tune your quad’s PID and filtering better.
You can assign this tuning mode to a switch, and when activated, it sends stepped input signals (oscillations) to one axis at a time, first roll, then pitch, then yaw—while you can still fly normally. It starts slow and gradually speeds up, letting Betaflight see how your drone reacts at different speeds.
This will generate consistent Blackbox data for analysis, and will help you measure how the drone responds so they can make PID tuning more accurate.
For you as a beginner: You wouldn’t use this for everyday flying—it’s more of a diagnostic tool to improve tune quality. But it’s cool to know your firmware can do automated “in-flight testing” now instead of only manual stick waggling.
Turtle Mode Enhancements
This update makes turtle mode (flip over after crash) smarter and safer—especially for powerful quads that tend to over-flip or slam into the ground when trying to turn upright.
- Using the accelerometer, it controls the flip speed so you don’t over-rotate.
- Stops the motors automatically as soon as you’ve flipped upright, saving your ESCs and motors from damage.
- Lets you instantly resume flying after a successful flip without doing a full disarm/re-arm, helps you recover faster in races.
LED Improvements
If you are into show builds, these two new LED upgrades are worth a look:
- Adjustable LED brightness (https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight/pull/13776) – You can now control LED strip brightness using an AUX switch or slider on your radio (setup in Adjustment tab in the configurator).
- New LED display modes (https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight/pull/13404) – Your LED strip can now:
- Show the number of GPS satellites as a bar, when you get GPS lock it changes from red to green.
- Shows the battery percentage in a loading bar style. Goes from green to red depending on the battery level.
- Change color based on barometer altitude.
Racing-Specific Improvements
- Advanced Feedforward Algorithm (https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight/pull/13576): A new rise/decay control makes quads more responsive without adding oscillations—especially beneficial for racing.
- Launch Timer Mode (https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight/pull/14332): Automatically starts a timer when launch mode is activated—perfect for time-based racing.
Cinematic & Long Range Improvements
- Better Filtering: More precise RPM and dynamic notch filter placement plus improved filter initialization. This is especially helpful for heavy builds like CineLifters that need extra filtering to deal with noise. https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight/pull/14150
- Rangefinder & Optical Flow Support: Betaflight will support rangefinders and optical flow sensors, enabling accurate altitude hold close to the ground—ideal for precise indoor or low-level outdoor flying.
Fixed-Wing Enhancements
There are a bunch of new features added for wings, which makes Betaflight a real contender for high-performance wing aircraft. I won’t go into all the details, but some of the new features include:
- S-Term and Control Surface Compensation (https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight/pull/14010): A new control input for handling servo throw based on airspeed.
- TPA Based on Airspeed: Instead of throttle input, TPA (Throttle PID Attenuation) can now scale PID gains based on speed. Great for handling gusty winds at high speeds. Why it matters: wings need higher gains when slow (for stability in wind) and lower gains when fast (to avoid flutter). PID Adjustment based on airspeed is exactly what performance wings have needed.
- Level-Flight and Pitch Offset Adjustments
If you want advanced waypoint navigation, iNav still is the go-to option. But for fast, performance-oriented wings, this Betaflight release is absolutely worth a look.
Other Improvements
Betaflight 4.6 includes over 500 new features, improvements, and bug fixes—we’ve only scratched the surface here. For the full list, check out the official GitHub milestone page:
https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight/pulls?q=is%3Apr+milestone%3A4.6
Is there anything you’re excited about that I haven’t mentioned? Drop it in the comments—I’d love to hear your thoughts.
How to Flash Betaflight 2025.12
Access Latest Configurator
Every new Betaflight release requires an updated Configurator. You must use the newest version for Betaflight 2025.12—older versions may cause compatibility issues.
Instead of downloading and installing it, the easiest way is to use the online configurator, which is already updated to version 11.0: https://app.betaflight.com/
Backup Settings
Back up your flight controller using the Presets tab before updating to Betaflight 2025.12.0. If anything goes wrong, you can always revert to your previous state (i.e., flash the previous firmware version, then restore the preset).
My favourite backup method is actually using the STM32CubeProg tool, it is a bit more complicated, but it makes it easier when you restore it. It basically backs up the whole memory in the processor chip, which includes the configuration as well as the firmware in a single file. So when you restore it, you don’t need to worry about getting the right target or version of the firmware. Here’s a tutorial: https://oscarliang.com/backup-fc-stm32cubeprogrammer/.
Flashing
Follow this guide to flash BF4.6: https://oscarliang.com/flash-update-betaflight/
To summarize the steps:
- Go to the firmware flasher tab.
- Auto-detect your flight controller target or manually select the correct one.
- Mind the build options (don’t assume defaults just work):
- OSD protocol: pick Analog vs Digital correctly (this is a newer explicit choice).
- Motor protocol: verify DShot as your choice
- If you intent to use Magnetometer (compass) make sure to select it in the options otherwise it won’t work.
- Feature selection (memory is finite on some FC especially F411 and F722, select only features you really need in your build)
- Full chip erase is is recommended if you are flashing a big update like from 4.5 to 2025.12.0
If you encounter any issues while flashing, refer to my FC driver troubleshooting. One common problem with new flight controllers is failing to enter DFU mode: https://oscarliang.com/fc-driver-issues-flash-firmware/
Final Thoughts
Betaflight 2025.12.0 (4.6) delivers improvements for every type of pilot—whether you race, fly cinematic FPV, go long-range, freestyle, or fly fixed wings. While it may not radically change flight performance, the GPS features and utility upgrades stand out as the most exciting. I cannot wait to test Betaflight 2025.12.0 on my quads!
Edit History
- Aug 2025 – News published
- Oct 2025 – Release Candidate 1 is out, updated flash instructions.
- Jan 2026 – Stable Release is out.
20 comments
Hi,
BetaFlight 2025.12.1 is out… but I can’t find an installer file for MacOS (.dmg), and the compilation method is too complex for my computer skills. Normally, the .dmg comes out at the same time or the next day, but there’s been nothing for a month. I know that BF is available from a browser, but I prefer to install the application…
Can anyone help me?
Rémy
Question for BF; So how do I make changes to my setup while at the “field” with my PC and no internet connection? I am not a fan of the web based software.
You could leave the Betaflight Configurator browser tab open (without shutting down your laptop and just put it in sleep mode).
Unfortunately that’s the direction we are heading with most FPV related configurator, it’s all going browser based now.
hi oscar, we need maybe a full video of chirp tuning with this new firmware,
autoland,how to use atl and pos hold, and etc, thanks
Only one thing stop me to update BF, its Configurator on Android that don’t support serial communication, so i cant modify settings on spot without laptop, it’s works only on Bluetooth :(
Once it’s released, I would love to see a tutorial (or update to the existing one) about how to use the chirp for tuning PID parameters.
Bump, same!
“Should I write a tutorial on how to set this [new GPS features] up? Let me know in the comment if there’s interest.”
-> Yes, please! :-)
Typo alert: “The Betaflight des”; I’m pretty sure you meant “The Betaflight devs”
Have you played with the autopilot pids at all? I can’t find any expert advice. There is P,I,D, and A (acceleration – a new one to me which I’m guessing might be some kind of feedfoward or iterm relax type thing?) all at a default of 30 with a range of 200. I want to tighten up the hold a bit, especially in wind. The only way to test the pid adjustments is to first fly 100m to get the home point, return, perform altitude (and position) hold and watch what effect the changes had, land, plug into Betaflight for the CLI (no OSD adjustments yet) tweak a pid, and repeat. Tedious way to refine the pids, adjusting one at a time and having to repeat the process each time. Would be great to have a starting point, particularly for an 8 inch. Note, CLI command is shortened from the instructions to ap_position_P etc. I guess I could spend a day tuning it, already given it a good nudge, but I always appreciate finding your tutorials.
I installed 4.6 on Chimera 7 V2 and restored 4,5 settings, and though there were some errors – Chimera flies great, and I am not going back
Yes, please write a tutorial on the setup of position hold, altitude hold and auto landing. Please include your recommended switch setup.
Optical flow sensor and rangefinder for indoor and low altitude outdoor would be great
Of course a tutorial for GPS rescue would be extremely useful !!
Will altitude and position hold work for an Air65 with a soldered on nano GPS? I assume it won’t have a barometer which makes me question if it can.
No, position hold might, but altitude hold definitely will not
Default altitude hold PIDs are based on GPS only. BF devs say barometer can be unreliable in certain conditions e.g. gusty winds and if using barometer you should consider readjusting PIDs.
Howmuch we can trust Betaflight for fixed wing,oscar? 😍😍😍
Dear Oscar, it will be great, if you will write some step by step tutorial how to set up Alt hold and Position hold features in Betaflight 4.6. I’ve almost set up this features following your tutorial for iNAV, and it works, thank you !
An “Altitude Hold, Position Hold & Auto-Landing” would be amazing!