Most mobile electronics, including phones, tablets, and laptops, have an option called “airplane mode” that turns off the device’s wireless transmitters, including its Wi-Fi and cellular radio.
Airplane mode may also turn off Bluetooth and GPS, depending on the manufacturer. Eliminating potential radio interference with vital systems on commercial aircraft is the main goal of the feature.
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What Does Airplane Mode Mean?
When you switch on airplane mode, your phone is no longer able to connect to Bluetooth, WiFi, or cellular networks. You are thus unable to send texts, make or receive phone calls, or browse the internet.
However, you can still make use of your phone to take pictures, play games, listen to music, or write emails or text messages to send later. Basically anything that is not signal- or internet-dependent.
Why Would You Use Airplane Mode?
Airplane mode disables all wireless functions of your phone or laptop, including:
- Cellular connection: Calling, texting, and using mobile data to access the internet are not permitted.
- Wi-Fi: Any Wi-Fi connections that are currently active will be terminated, and your device won’t make any new connections.
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth is a short-range connection that lets you link your phone to speakers, headphones, and more. Airplane mode turns this off.
After turning on airplane mode, you can manually switch back on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth while keeping airplane mode on to block cellular signals.
Airplane mode has also been given convenience upgrades in recent iterations of iOS and Android. Modern phones won’t break the Bluetooth connection if you activate airplane mode while connected to a Bluetooth device. If you’d prefer, you can still manually turn off Bluetooth.
In some ways, GPS is unique. The GPS functionality on your phone only receives signals from GPS satellites; it doesn’t transmit any radio waves. GPS may or may not be disabled when your device is in airplane mode.
While features like live traffic won’t function in airplane mode because you don’t have access to the internet, offline map apps can be used without an internet connection.
Toggle Airplane Mode On Android
To enable airplane mode on your Android device, follow these steps:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen two times to open the Quick Settings panel. As an alternative, you can swipe downward once with two fingers.
- Look for the Airplane mode toggle in the grid. Swiping to the side may be necessary if you can’t see it in order to access more icons.
- Your phone enters airplane mode when you toggle it. Your status bar will display an airplane icon, and all effected radios will be turned off.
To turn off the airplane mode, repeat these steps. After exiting airplane mode, keep in mind that it might take a little while for your phone to re-connect to Wi-Fi and cellular data.
If your phone doesn’t have this shortcut for some reason, you can toggle airplane mode at Settings > Network & internet > Airplane mode.
Enable Airplane Mode
Almost all portable devices have an easy-to-reach quick-access toggle for airplane mode. The airplane-shaped button can be found on Android and iPhone devices by swiping down from the top of the screen.
Click the Wi-Fi signal indicator on a Windows laptop to reveal and activate the airplane mode button.
Can You Save Battery In Airplane Mode?
Yes, using airplane mode will help your device’s battery last longer. Your phone uses a lot of power to operate its various radios. They communicate with Bluetooth devices and cell towers frequently, push app notifications over Wi-Fi, and look up your location.
Disabling all of those at once will help your phone last longer because they all consume a lot of power. Your phone should charge more quickly because it works less hard in airplane mode.
When In Airplane Mode, Is Wi-fi Supportable?
Depending on your device, you can use Wi-Fi even in airplane mode on the majority of modern phones. Although Wi-Fi will be disabled when airplane mode is activated, you can manually turn it back on.
On your Android device, swipe down from the top of the screen twice to open Quick Settings again, then tap Wi-Fi. If your phone supports it, give it a few seconds and you’ll see Wi-Fi activate and connect. On an iPhone, open Control Center (swipe down from the top-right corner on iPhone models without a Home button, or swipe up from the bottom if your device has a Home button) and tap the Wi-Fi toggle in the same way.
Many airlines now offer in-flight Wi-Fi, so you can enable if applicable, use Wi-Fi in airplane mode to benefit from that. Before attempting a connection, you should ask an airline employee if you’re unsure. Wi-Fi is typically only permitted in aircraft above 10,000 feet, so be careful to keep it off during takeoff and landing.
Do Alarms Operate In Airplane Mode?
Yes, even in airplane mode, alarms will still sound. They don’t rely on any sort of mobile or internet connection. Open the Clock app on your device and switch to the Alarms tab to set your alarm as normal.
In Airplane Mode, Does Snapchat Function?
No, Snapchat won’t function at all in airplane mode since it depends on an internet connection.
Can Airplane Mode Be Used To Receive Calls And Texts?
No, as there is no cellular connection to your phone. Your voicemail will be reached if you receive a call while your phone is in airplane mode, just as if it were off. Once you turn off airplane mode, you’ll be able to see the texts you received while it was active.
However, this restriction won’t apply if you use Wi-Fi Calling. To make calls and send regular SMS texts over Wi-Fi, your phone and carrier must both support the feature.
An additional exception to this rule are messaging apps like WhatsApp and iMessage. You can still message people using instant messaging services even if your phone is in airplane mode and you’re connected to Wi-Fi.
What Happens When You Enable Airplane Mode
You cannot make or receive voice calls or send text messages while in airplane mode because the cellular radio is turned off. Wi-Fi is turned off when using airplane mode.
Depending on your device, airplane mode may also turn off GPS and Bluetooth. Due to Bluetooth’s limited range and the fact that you can use Bluetooth-enabled items like headphones and keyboards on commercial flights, manufacturers frequently leave Bluetooth enabled. Since GPS does not transmit anything at all but merely receives and processes signals from satellites, there is no practical reason why some manufacturers disable it.
You can turn specific wireless features back on while airplane mode is active even though it turns all of those individual radios off. For instance, you can reactivate Wi-Fi if you are on a commercial flight that has it. The cellular radio is still off, so this has no effect on it.
Why You Might Use Airplane Mode
According to its name, airplane mode is primarily designed to lessen interference on commercial flights. But there are a handful of other reasons why you might sometimes use this feature:
Troubleshooting
Toggling the problematic radio off and back on again is a common and simple fix for problems with your cellular connection or Wi-Fi; it’s similar to (but less time-consuming than) rebooting the entire phone. Simply activate airplane mode for a brief period of time, then turn it off once more to accomplish that.
Saving Data
Turning on airplane mode will prevent you from sending any text messages, downloading any data over cellular, or making calls unless you consciously turn airplane mode off. This is useful if you have a metered cellular plan and need to conserve your data in order to avoid paying an overage fee. To learn more, see our article on how to disable cellular data on an iPhone.
Privacy And Isolation
Some people discover that switching on airplane mode enables them to work without interruption from unexpected calls and messages. Consider turning on airplane mode to block out distractions if you need to concentrate on a project for a while.
Conclusion
A setting on smartphones and portable computers called “airplane mode,” also referred to as “flight mode,” stops wireless signal transmissions. When your mobile device is in airplane mode, none of its cellular, WiFi, or Bluetooth features are active. Additionally, GPS features can be disabled on occasion.
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