Why Airplane Mode in Android Exist

It is a standard practice on almost all Airlines to request passengers to switch their phones to Airplane Mode while flying. But, why to switch your phone to Airplane Mode and what happens when you do not follow the directions and decide not to switch your iPhone or Android Phone to Airplane Mode?

Why to Switch Your Phone to Airplane Mode While Flying

There is a common belief that smartphone signals can interfere with an Airplane’s telecommunication systems and cause a plane to crash.
However, this is not exactly true, the equipment used in modern planes is very robust and unlikely to malfunction or be affected in any way due to due to interference from electronic devices.
The reason that flight attendants ask you to switch to Airplane Mode while flying is due to the fact that when you are so high up in the air and travelling quickly, your cell phone signal bounces off multiple towers on the ground causing interference and network congestion on the ground.
This can cause interference with the Aircraft’s radios, and if this happens repeatedly or at a bigger level due to multiple devices, it is possible for the flight crew to miss or misunderstand a critical radio call from the Air Traffic Controllers.

What Does Airplane Mode Do

Airplane mode is a feature that can be easily enabled or disabled on most Smart phones. Airplane Mode is not just meant for use on Airplanes, it is also used for conserving battery life and also used for troubleshooting purposes.

In general, Airplane Mode disables WiFi, Cellular Connection, Bluetooth and also GPS on most Android and iOS devices.

WiFi: Is completely disabled on your phone and your phone will no longer scan for Wi-Fi networks. You won’t be able to browse the internet, chat or make calls over a WiFi network.

Cellular: Your Phone will no longer try to establish connection with cell towers. Which means you will not be receiving messages or calls on your phone and won’t be able to make any calls from your phone using cellular network.

Bluetooth: Airplane mode also disables Bluetooth on your device. This means you won’t be able to use your wireless keyboard, mouse or headset.

As mentioned above, your device in Airplane Mode will be conserving battery life, as it is no longer spending its energy looking for Cellular Towers and WiFi networks.

In case you want to, you can continue to use your device for getting some work done or watching pictures and videos.

Use WiFi While Flying
Many Airplanes are now offering paid in-flight WiFi services and you will be allowed to use WiFi on such planes.

By default, enabling airplane mode disables WiFi on smartphones. However, you can still go into Settings and enable WiFi while still keeping Cellular services disabled on your device.

How to Enable Airplane Mode on iPhone
Follow the steps below to enable Airplane Mode on your iPhone

From the Home Screen of your iPhone tap on Settings

On the Settings Screen, Enable Airplane Mode by moving the slider to ON Position (Green)

Airplane Mode on iPhone

How to Enable Airplane Mode on Android Phone
Follow the steps below to enable Airplane mode on an Android Phone.

Tap on the Settings app on your Android Phone

On the settings Screen, tap on Flight Mode

On the Next Screen, Enable Flight Mode by moving the slider to ON position.