What Is Airplane Mode on Your Phone and How to Enable or Disable It

Although it seems impossible to cause system interference on a modern aircraft, it is true that even the slightest chance of it happening should be prevented. So, to remove the possible risk factor, you can switch off or turn on Airplane Mode on your phone on a flight.

While turning on Airplane Mode on your phone can stop it from taking calls or using any other radio functions, you can manually enable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth even when Airplane Mode is enabled. This is helpful if you want to use in-flight Wi-Fi or connect to wireless headphones. But what exactly is Airplane Mode all about? Let’s find out.

What Is Airplane Mode

Airplane Mode blocks all radio communications to and from your Android or iPhone. This means you can’t make regular calls, send text messages, use data services, etc. Your phone will, however, still be operable, barring a few apps and services that require internet services. And while you can manually enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it is not encouraged.

What Does Airplane Mode Do on Cell Phones

While Airplane Mode is essential when flying, you can also use it for other occasions, such as driving or working on an important task. This will help you reduce distractions and keep your focus. But what other things does Airplane Mode do on your phone? Let’s have a look.

Does Airplane Mode Save Battery

Since enabling Airplane Mode essentially turns off all radio communication, it can help your device save power by reducing power usage for other such functions. This also helps decrease the charging time for your device, though other factors can also impact this.

Can You Use Airplane Mode to Fix Your Phone

If you’ve been experiencing issues while using Wi-Fi, making calls, connecting a Bluetooth device, etc., an easy fix would be to enable and disable Airplane Mode on your Android or iPhone. Starting radio communication services afresh can help resolve any temporary issues that might have been hindering these operations.

How Do I Find a Lost Android Phone in Airplane Mode

Fundamentally, while Airplane Mode restricts device access to the internet, cellular services, etc., it does not disable location-sharing services in most cases. This means that users can potentially use Google’s Find My Device or, for Samsung users, Find My Mobile services to locate their Android device even when Airplane Mode is enabled.

This is, however, subjective to whether all the necessary permissions have been granted and all the required conditions have been met. iPhone users can use Find My for similar purposes.

How to Enable or Disable Airplane Mode on Android

If you want to enable or disable Airplane Mode on your Android device, you can easily do it using the Quick Settings menu. Or, you can use Android’s settings menu. Additionally, the ability to manage Airplane Mode is also available in the power menu for certain devices. For more details, here’s a step-by-step process.

1. Using Quick Settings

Step 1: Pull down from the top of the screen to open the Quick Settings panel.

Tip: Here’s how to customize the Quick Settings menu on your Android device.

Step 2: Here, tap on the Airplane Mode tile. Wait for the airplane icon to become visible in the menu options.

Note: To disable the Airplane Mode, tap the highlighted airplane icon. This will turn it off.

This will help enable or disable Airplane Mode on your Android device.

2. Using Power Menu

Note: We’re using a Xiaomi device for demonstration. The option for enabling Airplane Mode might differ on your device.

Step 1: Long-press the power button.

Step 2: Once the options become available, tap on the airplane icon.

This will close the power menu and turn on Airplane Mode on your device. To turn it off, again use the power menu and tap on the relevant Airplane Mode icon.

3. Using Settings Menu

Step 1: Open the Settings menu on your device.

Step 2: Here, tap on Connections.

Step 3: Turn on the toggle for Flight mode.

Note: If you want to disable Flight mode, turn the toggle off.

This will turn on or off Airplane Mode on Android.

How to Turn Airplane Mode on or off on iPhone

If you’re an iPhone user, you can use the Control Center to turn on or off Airplane Mode quickly. Or, if you would like to try a more traditional route or if the option is not available, you can also use the Settings menu to achieve the same feat. Here’s how to do it.

1. Using Control Center

Step 1: Swipe up from the bottom to open Control Center. Or, if your device doesn’t have a Home button, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen.

Tip: Check out how to customize the Control Center on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap on the airplane icon to enable Airplane Mode.

Tip: If the airplane icon is selected, tap on it again to turn it off.

2. Using Settings Menu

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Here, turn on the Airplane Mode toggle.

Note: Turn the toggle off to disable Airplane Mode.

Once the airplane symbol is visible in the menu options, Airplane Mode will be enabled for your iPhone. Or, if you’ve disabled it, wait for the airplane icon to grey out.

Also Read: How to automatically turn on or off Airplane Mode on iOS devices

FAQs for Using Airplane Mode on Your Phone

Disable All Radio Communications

While Airplane Mode is mostly associated with flying, it can also be useful for other situations. So, we hope this article helped you better understand what Airplane Mode is and how you can enable or disable Airplane Mode on your phone.