All You Ever Wanted to Know About Airplane Mode | Resource Centre by Reliance Digital

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Many of us know that while travelling in an Airplane you are asked to either switch off or enable the flight mode in your smartphone or laptop. If you are frequent flyer you probably know the drill. However, have you ever wondered what is the functionality of the airplane mode is? And why are you asked to enable it? What if you don’t? If you ever got these thoughts running across your mind every time while tapping on the flight mode option as the flight takes off then, here’s a quick over view on the basic understanding of airplane mode and how you can enable it in your smartphones not only when you travel but surprisingly for many other day to day activities as well.

Why Is It Important to enable the Airplane Mode in Flight?

There are many explanations to this one of them being that flight attendants need to be able to communicate the security and safety instructions with passengers quickly while in flight. What’s more, many people do not want to sit next to a person who talks on the phone during an entire flight, which is bound to happen if phones are allowed. Another explanation is, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) contends that the radio frequencies admitted by cellphones and similar devices can interfere with the airplane’s navigation and communication systems. Due to this, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits the usage of any electronic devices during takeoff and landing of the flight.

How does Airplane Mode Work?

Airplane mode temporarily disables the phone or laptop’s data transmitter and receiver’s signals i.e. prevents any data from being sent or received to your device.In other words, it means you will have no access to make any calls, send or receive text messages or mails while on airplane mode. That being said, airplane mode allows you to connect to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi functions. So, if you wish to listen to your curated playlist while flying just tap the Bluetooth icon to connect your wireless Bluetooth with your smartphone. Yes, it’s just that simple and it works!

Now that you have got a decent understanding and an overview about the Airplane mode feature, let’s take a look at how can you enable it in your smartphone and laptop that too in few simple steps.

Turing on Airplane Mode in Android

There are two ways through which you can enable the airplane mode settings on your Android smartphone

Quick Settings
Settings Menu

1) Via Quick Settings

Step 1: Swipe the notification bar downwards.

Step 2: You will come across various short cut options for Wi-Fi, Torch, hotspot Airplane Mode or Flight Mode option among several others.

Step 3: Look for the icon of an airplane and tap on it to enable.

Step 4: Immediately you will see a flight or airplane sign instead of the network indicator.

2) Via Settings Menu:

Step 1: Tap on the settings option in your smartphone.

Step 2: Select the Connections / Wireless & Network option under Settings.

Step 3: Toggle or tap on the Airplane mode option to enable the same.

Once enabled, you will find that the network symbols is replaced by an airplane sign.

Turing on Airplane Mode in iOS

Likewise, if you own an iPhone or an iPad you too can enable the airplane mode either via Control Center or through Settings menu. But here’s a catch, once you manually enable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth using one of the methods above, it will stay activated the next time that Airplane Mode is turned on.

Control Center

Step 1: Swipe upwards from the bottom of your iPhone screen

Step 2: You will come across the airplane mode amidst other options. Tap on the airplane icon located at the upper-left corner under Control Center.

Settings Menu

Step 1: Tap on the Settings Option in your iPhone or iPad

Step 2: As you click on it, you will come across the Airplane Mode option right at the beginning.

Turing on Airplane Mode in Windows Laptop:

Step 1: Open the Settings option –> Click on the Network & Internet section.

Step 2: On clicking on the Network & Internet settings you will come across the Airplane mode Option.

Step 3 Swipe the toggle to enable or disable this feature on your windows laptop.

Turing on Airplane Mode in MAC

You probably must be aware of the fact that Mac does not come with any built in Airplane Mode feature. That being said, this feature can be custom made by any Mac user in few easy steps:

Step 1: Click on System Preference option –> Select the Network option under Internet & Wireless settings –>on clicking you will come across a Network window pop up.

Step 2: Thereafter, Click on Location, a drop down box will appear –>Click on the plus sign (+) to edit and add a new location.

Step 3: Enter the name as ‘Airplane Mode’ and click on Done to save.

Step 4: Choose the Airplane Mode option under location and click on each available network interface in the list at the left of the window i.e. you can choose the connectivity options you wish to enable while setting up the device to airplane mode.

Other Uses of Airplane Mode:

Additionally, airplane mode also aids in providing you with some undisrupted sleep at night! All you need to do is just enable it to turn off all the distracting vibration of the notifications that pop up at odd hours. The only sound that will wake you up then is the alarm. Yes, that feature of your phone will still work even in airplane mode.
Well if you are having difficulty in charging your phone i.e. it’s taking ages to charge, try enabling the airplane mode the next time your phone will charge comparatively faster.
And, if in any case you happen to be in situation wherein your smartphone is beeping due to low battery and you have forgotten to carry your charger or powerbank along don’t panic. Just enable the airplane mode it will automatically cut off other background activities of your device and help in saving the battery of your smartphone.

So, while airplane mode won’t allow you to actually fly a plane. It will definitely help you to access your phone even while you transit on high altitude as well as a hands on solution for other day to day requirements.

Do let us know how useful you found the airplane mode while travelling or while using it for other activities. Also if you know any other benefits of airplane mode then do share them with us. And, if you liked this article then do share it with your family and friends.

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