Why Does My GoPro Blink Blue?

Confused by the blue flashing light on your GoPro? There’s a simple explanation, and it’s easy to fix.

GoPro HERO Session Blue Blinking Light
Text & Photos By David Coleman
Last Revised & Updated:
Filed Under: Troubleshooting

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That blue blinking light on your GoPro is the wireless status indicator (wifi and Bluetooth). If it’s blinking blue intermittently, the wireless function is turned on.

The wireless function can be on even if the rest of the camera is turned off. It’s a little more confusing than it should because you only see it when the wireless is on and the camera isn’t recording.

What happens is that even when the main processor in the camera is powered down, you can leave the wifi connection polling intermittently so that you can wake it up with something like a GoPro Smart Remote.

There is a downside to leaving the wireless on though: it drains the battery. It’s a much slower drain than if the camera is fully powered up, but even the slower trickle will deplete the battery. So if you’re not using it, it’s a good idea to turn it off.

How to Turn off the Blue Light on the GoPro HERO4 Session & HERO Session

To turn off the wifi and blue flashing light:

  1. Press the Info/Wireless button. That’s the small, black rectangular one on the back of the camera.
  2. Press it again a few times until you get the Select Wireless (icon) Control / App and RC.
  3. Press the shutter button (round button on top of camera) to select. It will toggle a check mark and the wireless icon will animate when it’s on and be static when it’s off.

It’s also possible to turn off the blue blinking light while still having the wireless on. That can be useful if you need something a little more stealthy.

To do that:

  1. Connect to your camera via the GoPro mobile app.
  2. In the app, go to Settings.
  3. Scroll down to the LED Blink option and toggle it on or off.

How to Turn off the Blue Blinking Light on the HERO3 & HERO3+

It’s simpler to turn the wifi on and off with these models because they have a dedicated wifi button on the side.

  1. With the camera powered off, hold down to the button on the side to turn the wireless on or off.

Text & Photos by David Coleman

I'm a freelance travel photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. My images have appeared in numerous publications, and you can check out some of my travel photography here.

I've been shooting with GoPros for years, starting with the HD HERO, and have owned and used just about every model since. More »