Not only useful for air travel

The flight mode on smartphones is not only useful for air travel, but it is also a practical function that can save energy. It offers several other advantages and can also protect privacy.

Protection against high roaming costs on flights

The original purpose of Airplane Mode is to ensure safety during flights. The cell phone signals are switched off without having to turn off the smartphone. Connections to the mobile network, but also Bluetooth, NFC and WLAN connections are cut off. Telephone calls, sending text messages and using mobile data are not possible in airplane mode. Important signals and devices on board the aircraft cannot be disturbed by the signals from the smartphone.

The smartphone does not send out connection signals in airplane mode and does not search for a network. Some smartphones allow the use of WiFi in airplane mode. All functions of the smartphone that do not require a wireless connection can still be used. Access to the camera, games, videos and music is still possible in airplane mode.

When flying, it is important to switch your smartphone to airplane mode, otherwise it would emit radio waves and could affect the on-board electronics.

Flight mode avoids the risk of interference. Radio waves from the smartphone could interfere with the radio waves from the pilots' headphones, so that in the worst case the pilot would miss a radio message.

However, flight mode has another important purpose on an airplane. It avoids high roaming costs because the EU roaming regulation does not apply on planes. So it could be expensive to quickly send an aerial photo from the plane. Data exchange in the background when messages are not actively being sent can also incur costs without flight mode activated.

How to activate airplane mode

Airplane mode is very easy to activate. All you have to do is click on the airplane symbol. On the iPhone, the airplane icon is in the Control Center. On Android smartphones, the airplane symbol is usually located in the quick access bar at the top of the screen.

Airplane mode will be deactivated when the airplane icon is tapped again. All radio connections are then available again, so that all functions of the smartphone can be used again.

Save energy with airplane mode

A decisive advantage in airplane mode is the saving of energy, as the smartphone does not exchange data in the background and does not constantly search for networks. The battery life can be extended, which is particularly useful when the battery is almost empty and there is no way to charge it quickly. Airplane mode can be activated even when the smartphone is not being used, such as in a meeting, while exercising or at night.

If you are in a region with poor reception, you can activate airplane mode because the smartphone will continue to search for a connection if the network connection is poor. If the search for a network is hopeless, electricity will otherwise be used unnecessarily.

Energy can also be saved if airplane mode is activated when charging the cell phone. The battery fills up faster when charging in airplane mode. The loading time is shortened.

Improved network connectivity with airplane mode

Flight mode can improve the network connection because it briefly disconnects an unstable connection and then restarts it. If the mobile network is poor, airplane mode can be activated. Immediately afterwards it will be deactivated again. This will restart the search for the network.

The smartphone can then often find a stable connection more easily.

Protect privacy with airplane mode

The smartphone is completely offline in airplane mode, which helps protect privacy. The cell phone cannot be located because the location services are turned off. Data exchange in the background is deactivated. Updates do not take place. Push notifications cannot be received in airplane mode. The traces of cell phone data that the smartphone leaves behind on the internet are reduced.

In airplane mode, the smartphone cannot unintentionally connect to public networks. Such networks can pose a threat to digital security. Hackers cannot access the data over the public network in airplane mode.