What is Airplane Mode, and Is It Really Necessary?

What is Airplane mode

Airplane mode is a setting on cell phones, smartphones and other mobile devices that prevents the device from sending or receiving calls and text messages. Airplane mode is also known as offline mode, standalone mode and flight mode.

Airplane mode disables a device’s cellular radio, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth — the wireless transmission functions. But many airplanes now offer in-flight Wi-Fi, and cellular access may be coming to planes soon — so where does that leave airplane mode?

Even if you never fly, airplane mode offers a quick way to disable your device’s battery-draining radios. It can extend your device’s battery life as long as you don’t need any of those wireless radios.

What Does Airplane Mode Do?

Whatever device you’re using — an Android phone, iPhone, iPad, Windows 8 tablet, or whatever else — airplane mode disables the same hardware functions each device. This includes:

• Cellular: Your device will stop communicating with cell towers. You won’t be able to send or receive anything that depends on cellular data, from voice calls and SMS messages to mobile data.

•      Wi-Fi: Your phone will stop scanning for nearby Wi-Fi networks and attempting to join them. If you’re already connected to a Wi-Fi network, you’ll be disconnected.

•          Bluetooth: Airplane mode also disables Bluetooth, a wireless communication technology most people associate with wireless headsets. But Bluetooth can be used for many other things, including keyboards and mice.

•           GPS: Airplane mode also disables GPS-receiving functions, but only on some devices. This is a bit confusing and inconsistent. In theory, GPS is unlike all the other technologies here — a device with GPS turned on is only listening to GPS signals it receives, not transmitting any signals. However, some aircraft regulations do not allow the use of GPS-receiving functions for some reason.

When airplane mode is enabled, you’ll often see an airplane icon in your device’s notification bar — this appears on the top bar on Android devices, iPhones, and iPads. You can still use devices on the aircraft — even during takeoff and landing — as long as airplane mode is enabled. You don’t have to power them off.

Why is Airplane Mode Necessary?

Regulations in many countries prohibit the use of devices that transmit signals on commercial aircraft. A typical phone or cellular-enabled tablet is communicating with several cell towers and attempting to maintain a connection at all times. If the towers are far away, the phone or tablet has to boost its signal so it can communicate with the towers. This sort of communication could interfere with an airplane’s sensors and potentially cause issues with sensitive navigation equipment. That’s a concern that brought these laws about, anyway. In reality, modern equipment is robust. Even if this does cause problems, your plane won’t fall out of the sky because a few people forgot to enable airplane mode!

A more demonstrable concern is that, as you’re traveling very quickly, all the phones on the plane would be constantly handing off from cell tower to cell tower. This would interfere with the cellular signals people on the ground receive. You wouldn’t want your phone to do this hard work, anyway — it would drain its battery and it wouldn’t be able to maintain a signal properly, anyway.

Battery Saving

Airplane mode can help even when you’re on the ground. It’s an excellent way to save battery power on your device. The radios on a device use a large amount of power, communicating with cell towers, scanning for nearby Wi-Fi networks and attempting to connect, waiting for incoming Bluetooth connections, and occasionally checking your location via GPS.

Turn airplane mode on and all the radios will be disabled. Bear in mind that this will block incoming phone calls and SMS messages on a phone, but it can be a great battery-saving tip if you really need that last bit of juice. It’s especially useful on a tablet when you’re just using your tablet as an offline eReader anyway.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Can Be Enabled in Airplane Mode

Wi-Fi is allowed on some airplanes — in fact, many airplanes now offer in-flight Wi-Fi you can pay for. Enabling airplane mode always disables Wi-Fi. However, on most devices, you can enable Wi-Fi after enabling airplane mode. Cellular signals will still be blocked, but Wi-Fi will be working so you can connect to that in-flight Wi-Fi network.

Some devices also allow you to enable Bluetooth when airplane mode is enabled. Whether this is allowed depends on your airline and the regulatory agency is in charge.