You would have come across this feature in your device called airplane mode, but do you know what exactly it does? What are the uses it posses? Let’s take a look.
What is airplane mode
This option called flight mode or airplane mode could be seen on almost all the devices that we own from iPhone to PC. When you toggle the airplane option on your phone you will notice the airplane icon that appears on top of your screen and all the signals get disconnected from your device.
It is named as airplane or flight mode because almost all the airlines doesn’t allow the usage of any wireless devices inside a plane while on board. This is probably done due the signals transmitted can interfere with the radio system inside the airplane so just to be cautious before hand.
What does airplane mode do?
The purpose of the airplane mode in your device is that, it stops all the signals and wireless functions of your device. Let’s see a few of them.
Cellular connections - Once switched on you cannot attend to calls as well as make calls, can’t receive messages or send messages and also cannot access mobile data in your phone so internet will also be disconnected.
Bluetooth - Toggling on airplane mode will also remove your Bluetooth connection so you won’t be able to connect to your headphone or phone speaker, as Bluetooth acts as a wireless connection that covers a small radius.
Although turning on airplane mode will disconnect from all the wireless features in your device yet you can turn on wifi, data connection or Bluetooth if you really need it by toggling the specific buttons so only the service that you toggled will be working but still calls and messages will be blocked.
Let’s say you are using a modern version of phone and your device is connected to a Bluetooth, in this case if you turn on the airplane mode the Bluetooth will still be connected unless you turn the Bluetooth off manually by yourself. The airplane mode on the latest Android and iOS devices contains this easy features where you can adjust as needed.
It's not the same when It comes to GPS. Because radio waves don’t get transmitted but it still depends on the model of your phone. Sometimes when switching to airplane mode GPS might turn off too or sometime not, as the GPS are satellite transmitted.
So as we know maps work perfectly fine without connecting to internet but certain important features like live map and many other aspects of the map stops working when the wifi is disconnected due to airplane mode.
How to Toggle Airplane Mode on Android
Below are the steps that you have to follow in order to turn on the airplane mode in your device. Let’s take a looks.
To open the quick setting panel in your device swipe twice at the top of your device or you can also use two fingers to swipe down only once.
Now on the right you will come across the airplane mode icon. All you got to do is toggle the icon. In case if you don’t find the airplane option then you have to go to the side by swiping to find all the hidden icons.
Once you turn on the toggle option your device will disconnect all the connections and you will see the airplane icon which will be appeared on the top of the screen.
So in case if you are done with your airplane mode and want to change your phone back to normal then you have to follow the same steps as above to toggle it off. Do remember that the wifi or other network will be a little bit delayed in turning on once you toggle off the airplane mode.
So you can follow settings > network & internet > airplane mode if you are unable to swipe down the screen for the shortcut option or if you couldn’t find airplane mode on certain instances. Please note that the settings might defer in some devices.
Tap ‘win + A’ to go to the action center on your windows 10 and 11, that’s where you will find the toggle option for airplane mode. On the bottom of the screen you will come across the airplane option and you have to toggle it to turn it on. That’s it, now all the connections and signals will be stopped instantly.
Sometimes this feature won’t be visible if it is hidden by your windows 10 device so to show more options you have to tap "expand". Tap "pencil" icon if you are using an Android 11 this will allow you to make sure that the icon appears.
In this follow up link you will find out option to use airplane mode In your MacBook as mac OS doesn’t posses these feature on their device.
Does airplane mode save battery?
The good news is, airplane mode sure does help you save some of those battery life on your device. Certain activities in your device definitely suck up all those battery due to the radio transmissions, Bluetooth devices, wifi notifications, cell towers and location detections will be always running on the background of your device.
So the easiest option to keep all these activities at bay is by turning on the airplane mode. This will keep your charge from depilating in certain conditions. Also the charging works pretty fast when the airplane mode is turned on while charging.
Wi-Fi in Airplane Mode
As the evolution of mobile devices, the recent devices still allows you to access internet manually even though the flight mode is turned on. In some modern devices you don’t even have to manually turn of the wifi instead it works even though the airplane mode if on.
To on the wifi on your device while the airplane mode is on you have to go to the "quick settings" which you will while you swipe two times on top of your device screen. Simply click wifi and it will turn on but give it a few seconds to start working (only if your phone allows this feature).
Even on an iPhone you have to toggle the wifi button as same like what we mentioned above. First you have to go to the control center to get it done. If your iPhone doesn’t have a home button then you have to swipe it down from the top of the screen to get the toggle option or if your device posses a home button then you got to swipe up from down.
One good news is that most of the airlines now provide wifi in flight which can be made use of once the airplane takes off. You simply can turn on the wifi or turn off the flight mode. Always make sure you have to ask the airlines if this is allowed before doing it and you are supposed to switch to airplane mode and turn off wifi while taking off and landing which is very important.
Bluetooth in airplane mode
Similar to the wifi connection the Bluetooth gets disconnected while the airplane mode is running other than on certain instances as mentioned above. Using the toggle option on your shortcut menu can turn it on manually. You don’t have to worry about using Bluetooth inside a plane as it isn’t at a powerful range to cause interactions (around 30 feet’s mostly)
If you want to use a keyboard, ear buds or any similar devices that needs Bluetooth then you can turn it on any time. Using a Bluetooth to listen to songs consumes very less battery energy than using online streaming.
Does airplane mode use data?
This of course is a big NO. Airplane Mode will prevent you from connecting to your network provider so you won’t be able to use data with airplane mode on.
Airplane mode on games
Using airplane mode while playing an offline game is a wonderful idea. We often encounter ads and pop-up messages when playing a game which gets pretty annoying so switching to airplane mode turn of your wifi and data connection which will prevent from sending ads.
Unfortunately we can’t do anything when a game requires internet as turning on the airplane mode will disconnect the game. So you can always play your favorite game with airplane mode which saves battery and also stops sending those annoying ads.
Do alarms work in airplane mode?
As you don’t need cellular or wifi connection to function your alarm clock, you don’t have to worry about turning on airplane mode. You can set your alarm like you usually do by going to clock app and then to alarm option.
Snapchat in airplane mode
Snapchat needs internet connection to work so it’s not possible to use it on airplane mode.
Receiving calls and texts in Airplane Mode
Cellular services will be completely disconnected when you are on airplane mode so it’s not possible to receive calls or text messages. In case if someone calls you while the airplane mode is on it will always indicate that your device is switched off and the caller will be directed to your voice main. Once you disable the airplane mode you will get all the previous messages which was set to you.
So as we all know, we can use wifi manually while on airplane mode and if you are using any messaging apps that work over wifi then it’s possible to receive calls and messages if it’s enabled. You can send messages as usual too as cellular network is not used here instead you are connected to the wifi network.
Listen to music in airplane mode
If you intend to play music over certain networks like apple music, Spotify etc then I’m sorry as it won’t work without an internet connection so the option for you now is to connect to the wifi even though the airplane mode is on so that you can play music.
There are certain instances that you won’t be able to play music or if you don’t have a wifi connection then all you got to do is get the subscription premium account in Spotify or YouTube so you can download music content from them with the help of a downloader app. This way you can even play music off line with airplane mode on.
There is another way you can play music is baby listening to already existing downloaded music in your device and play music on the phone by syncing to your device with help of an offline music player app.
So no you know how to and what to do with airplane mode on your device such as laptop or phone. Airplane mode is essential when you are flying to keep all the wireless network disconnected and also to keep your networks not connected. You still have the facility to switch on airplane mode and keep your wifi or Bluetooth connected when need.
Are you having any travel plans ahead? Then make sure you get all the necessary offline apps or media downloaded so that you don’t have to pay a large amount for the in flight wifi. You can also enjoy using your phone without having to connect to a wifi network.
Almost all the devices such an iPhone, Android, iPad including windows PC have this option called airplane mode available on their short cut menu which can be toggled. Are you aware of the importance and the uses of this feature? If not let’s dive into see what it does.
In this article you will come across all the answers to your query on airplane mode. Here’s how,
In this article you will come across all the answers to your query on airplane mode. Here’s how,
This option called flight mode or airplane mode could be seen on almost all the devices that we own from iPhone to PC. When you toggle the airplane option on your phone you will notice the airplane icon that appears on top of your screen and all the signals get disconnected from your device.
It is named as airplane or flight mode because almost all the airlines doesn’t allow the usage of any wireless devices inside a plane while on board. This is probably done due the signals transmitted can interfere with the radio system inside the airplane so just to be cautious before hand.
What does airplane mode do?
The purpose of the airplane mode in your device is that, it stops all the signals and wireless functions of your device. Let’s see a few of them.
Cellular connections - Once switched on you cannot attend to calls as well as make calls, can’t receive messages or send messages and also cannot access mobile data in your phone so internet will also be disconnected.
Wifi - All the wifi connections will discontinue from working as well as not connecting to any wifi around you.
Bluetooth - Toggling on airplane mode will also remove your Bluetooth connection so you won’t be able to connect to your headphone or phone speaker, as Bluetooth acts as a wireless connection that covers a small radius.
Although turning on airplane mode will disconnect from all the wireless features in your device yet you can turn on wifi, data connection or Bluetooth if you really need it by toggling the specific buttons so only the service that you toggled will be working but still calls and messages will be blocked.
Let’s say you are using a modern version of phone and your device is connected to a Bluetooth, in this case if you turn on the airplane mode the Bluetooth will still be connected unless you turn the Bluetooth off manually by yourself. The airplane mode on the latest Android and iOS devices contains this easy features where you can adjust as needed.
It's not the same when It comes to GPS. Because radio waves don’t get transmitted but it still depends on the model of your phone. Sometimes when switching to airplane mode GPS might turn off too or sometime not, as the GPS are satellite transmitted.
So as we know maps work perfectly fine without connecting to internet but certain important features like live map and many other aspects of the map stops working when the wifi is disconnected due to airplane mode.
How to Toggle Airplane Mode on Android
Below are the steps that you have to follow in order to turn on the airplane mode in your device. Let’s take a looks.
To open the quick setting panel in your device swipe twice at the top of your device or you can also use two fingers to swipe down only once.
So in case if you are done with your airplane mode and want to change your phone back to normal then you have to follow the same steps as above to toggle it off. Do remember that the wifi or other network will be a little bit delayed in turning on once you toggle off the airplane mode.
So you can follow settings > network & internet > airplane mode if you are unable to swipe down the screen for the shortcut option or if you couldn’t find airplane mode on certain instances. Please note that the settings might defer in some devices.
Toggle Airplane Mode on Windows and Mac Computer
Tap ‘win + A’ to go to the action center on your windows 10 and 11, that’s where you will find the toggle option for airplane mode. On the bottom of the screen you will come across the airplane option and you have to toggle it to turn it on. That’s it, now all the connections and signals will be stopped instantly.
Sometimes this feature won’t be visible if it is hidden by your windows 10 device so to show more options you have to tap "expand". Tap "pencil" icon if you are using an Android 11 this will allow you to make sure that the icon appears.
Does airplane mode save battery?
The good news is, airplane mode sure does help you save some of those battery life on your device. Certain activities in your device definitely suck up all those battery due to the radio transmissions, Bluetooth devices, wifi notifications, cell towers and location detections will be always running on the background of your device.
So the easiest option to keep all these activities at bay is by turning on the airplane mode. This will keep your charge from depilating in certain conditions. Also the charging works pretty fast when the airplane mode is turned on while charging.
Wi-Fi in Airplane Mode
As the evolution of mobile devices, the recent devices still allows you to access internet manually even though the flight mode is turned on. In some modern devices you don’t even have to manually turn of the wifi instead it works even though the airplane mode if on.
To on the wifi on your device while the airplane mode is on you have to go to the "quick settings" which you will while you swipe two times on top of your device screen. Simply click wifi and it will turn on but give it a few seconds to start working (only if your phone allows this feature).
Even on an iPhone you have to toggle the wifi button as same like what we mentioned above. First you have to go to the control center to get it done. If your iPhone doesn’t have a home button then you have to swipe it down from the top of the screen to get the toggle option or if your device posses a home button then you got to swipe up from down.
One good news is that most of the airlines now provide wifi in flight which can be made use of once the airplane takes off. You simply can turn on the wifi or turn off the flight mode. Always make sure you have to ask the airlines if this is allowed before doing it and you are supposed to switch to airplane mode and turn off wifi while taking off and landing which is very important.
Bluetooth in airplane mode
Similar to the wifi connection the Bluetooth gets disconnected while the airplane mode is running other than on certain instances as mentioned above. Using the toggle option on your shortcut menu can turn it on manually. You don’t have to worry about using Bluetooth inside a plane as it isn’t at a powerful range to cause interactions (around 30 feet’s mostly)
If you want to use a keyboard, ear buds or any similar devices that needs Bluetooth then you can turn it on any time. Using a Bluetooth to listen to songs consumes very less battery energy than using online streaming.
Does airplane mode use data?
This of course is a big NO. Airplane Mode will prevent you from connecting to your network provider so you won’t be able to use data with airplane mode on.
Airplane mode on games
Using airplane mode while playing an offline game is a wonderful idea. We often encounter ads and pop-up messages when playing a game which gets pretty annoying so switching to airplane mode turn of your wifi and data connection which will prevent from sending ads.
Unfortunately we can’t do anything when a game requires internet as turning on the airplane mode will disconnect the game. So you can always play your favorite game with airplane mode which saves battery and also stops sending those annoying ads.
Do alarms work in airplane mode?
As you don’t need cellular or wifi connection to function your alarm clock, you don’t have to worry about turning on airplane mode. You can set your alarm like you usually do by going to clock app and then to alarm option.
Snapchat in airplane mode
Snapchat needs internet connection to work so it’s not possible to use it on airplane mode.
Receiving calls and texts in Airplane Mode
Cellular services will be completely disconnected when you are on airplane mode so it’s not possible to receive calls or text messages. In case if someone calls you while the airplane mode is on it will always indicate that your device is switched off and the caller will be directed to your voice main. Once you disable the airplane mode you will get all the previous messages which was set to you.
So as we all know, we can use wifi manually while on airplane mode and if you are using any messaging apps that work over wifi then it’s possible to receive calls and messages if it’s enabled. You can send messages as usual too as cellular network is not used here instead you are connected to the wifi network.
Listen to music in airplane mode
If you intend to play music over certain networks like apple music, Spotify etc then I’m sorry as it won’t work without an internet connection so the option for you now is to connect to the wifi even though the airplane mode is on so that you can play music.
There are certain instances that you won’t be able to play music or if you don’t have a wifi connection then all you got to do is get the subscription premium account in Spotify or YouTube so you can download music content from them with the help of a downloader app. This way you can even play music off line with airplane mode on.
There is another way you can play music is baby listening to already existing downloaded music in your device and play music on the phone by syncing to your device with help of an offline music player app.
So no you know how to and what to do with airplane mode on your device such as laptop or phone. Airplane mode is essential when you are flying to keep all the wireless network disconnected and also to keep your networks not connected. You still have the facility to switch on airplane mode and keep your wifi or Bluetooth connected when need.
Are you having any travel plans ahead? Then make sure you get all the necessary offline apps or media downloaded so that you don’t have to pay a large amount for the in flight wifi. You can also enjoy using your phone without having to connect to a wifi network.
