What does Airplane Mode do?

ALL travellers are familiar with the final warning before taking off to turn off their phones or set them in Airplane mode.

But what exactly is Airplane mode and what does it do?

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What does Airplane Mode do?

Airplane mode or Flight mode is a setting on your phone that disables the device’s cellular radio, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

These are your phone's wireless transmission functions.

So when you set your phone on flight mode you essentially stopping your device from communicating with cellular towers.

You will not be able to call or receive calls and send or receive SMS messages.

Additionally, your device will stop scanning for Wifi networks.

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Bluetooth will also be disabled which means you won't be able to use your headsets or keyboard.

Lastly, you will not be able to use your GPS.

Can I get internet on an airplane?

While you are not able to use your mobile data onboard you might be able to use Wifi if you are lucky.

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More and more airlines offer inflight Internet so passengers can do everything they would normally do when connected such as sending e-mails making calls and even streaming films.

Some airlines also offer the option to pay for some online time with prices varying depending on the time you want to purchase.

What happens if I use mobile data on an airplane?

The reason why airlines always make sure to remind you to turn on your airplane mode is that your phone's signal could interfere with the airplane’s sensors and cause disruptions in the pilot's communication with air traffic control.

This would lead to potential safety issues.

A flight attendant has explained the reason you are asked to put your phone on flight mode, in a TikTok video.

She said that sometimes "frequencies can collide and cause a loss of signal completely."

"Now picture how bad it would be for a pilot who is taking directions from the ground, all of a sudden loses signal and starts flying blindly, all because of a frequency of a passenger's phone that intercepted it," she added.