HoverAir's new $750 (USD) Versa is marketed as a pocket camera, not a drone, letting it dodge the FCC's ban on foreign drones. The move tests how far companies can stretch import rules, and it matters for anyone buying flying cameras in the US in 2026.
What actually happened
The FCC approved HoverAir's Versa on 9 August 2026, according to public records reviewed by The Verge. Zero Zero Robotics, the brand behind HoverAir, launched the $750 (USD) Versa on Indiegogo this week, calling it a steadycam with an optional 'Flight Kit' of snap-on propellers. Global marketing director Anita Facundo told The Verge, 'The Flight Kit is an accessory that extends VERSA's capabilities. Therefore, HOVERAir is in full compliance with the applicable regulatory requirements for the full product configuration offered to US customers.' The company submitted only the camera portion for FCC certification, since the propellers carry no wireless radio. HoverAir's earlier Aqua drone was banned in December 2025 under the same rule, and the company began offering refunds once it became clear the Aqua would not ship in the US. Only 12 Indiegogo backers have chosen the camera-only option so far.
How we got here
In December 2025, the US government banned future foreign drones from entering the country, part of a wider crackdown that began with the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). That law named DJI and Autel Robotics specifically as covered manufacturers, but it does not automatically cover every dronemaker's cameras. HoverAir's Aqua, a floating drone, was one of the ban's first casualties. The FCC normally outsources certification decisions to private Telecommunications Certification Bodies (TCBs), one of which approved the Versa's camera on the grounds that HoverAir itself is not on the Covered List. That approval did not address whether the camera counts as a 'UAS critical component,' a category the FCC has said triggers stricter review.
Why this matters for you
For buyers, the Versa's legal status remains unsettled. The FCC can revoke a certification within 30 days, and that window has not closed. Anyone ordering now risks owning hardware that later needs a refund, as Aqua backers did. For hardware makers, the case is a preview of how far companies will stretch import rules to keep selling in the US. Wearable and pocket-camera makers, including those building toward AR glasses, will watch closely: any component with a radio can fall under national-security review, not just drones. Builders designing modular camera and sensor hardware may need to rethink what counts as a single certified product versus separate accessories.
The bigger question
If a product's flight hardware carries no wireless radio, should regulators still treat it as a drone? The FCC built its rules around radios because that is what it can certify, but HoverAir's approach shows how a component split can separate the parts regulators can see from the parts that actually make a device fly. As more hardware, from cameras to wearables, mixes modular parts with wireless chips, who decides where one certified product ends and a new one begins?
What to watch
The FCC has 30 days from the 9 August 2026 approval to reverse the Versa's certification, a window still open as of this report. Indiegogo backers are watching shipment timelines closely. For bonuz readers tracking wearable and AR hardware, this case is an early test of how US regulators will treat modular camera devices with detachable, radio-free parts.
