If you’ve boarded a plan recently, you probably already know how to turn on Airplane Mode, but did you know what airplane mode is? You probably know that it shut your WiFi off, that’s one of the most immediately noticeable effects, but what else does it do? In short, it is designed to turn off all of the features of your phone that might interfere with the various sensors and measurement devices your plane uses.
Whether you have one of the best Android phones or the latest iPhone, airplane mode will be relatively the same. It is activated by tapping an airplane symbol in your settings and acts to shut down cellular and other signals from your phone. While there are some particulars to explore below, you will not be sending (or receiving) calls or texts while in airplane mode.
The United States Federal Aviation Administration’s 2017 portable electronic devices guidance quickly explains the need to turn off certain signals during flight. In fact, fellow phone-related organization (the Federal Communications Commission, FCC) explicitly prohibits cellular telephone usage while in flight. The waves produced are too long range. Bluetooth, however, uses short-range waves and is permitted.
Using Wi-Fi on a plane is more of a gray area. The FAA allows Wi-Fi, but only if the plane has the appropriate hardware available onboard to make it safe. Ask your in-flight attendant or wait for guidance from the pilot before proceeding.
Thankfully, if allowed, you can turn Bluetooth and Wi-Fi back on without exiting Airplane Mode. To do so, tap the relevant icon in your notification shade by swiping down from the top on an Android device or swiping up from the bottom to access the Control Center on an iOS device.
However, the precise rules may vary depending on the aircraft, airline, or country you’re in. If in doubt, ask before you turn any connections on.
Now that you understand what Airplane Mode is, we felt it was important to mention that it can be highly convenient in a few other situations besides an airplane ride.
One of the best uses of airplane mode off of a plane is to simply save battery life. If you’re struggling to establish a solid connection on your phone and you’re having difficulty getting a signal, it can be helpful to switch Airplane Mode on and off again.
The feature also operates well when you’re in a “don’t disturb” kind of mood. You can quickly turn Airplane Mode on right before you head to bed, and your phone won’t annoyingly wake you up with a text or email alert (and if you’re wondering, yes, alarms still work). When you need to increase the battery life on your phone, Airplane Mode is also an excellent technique to boost it. You can use it and save your battery as long as you aren’t expecting a call or message from someone. We encourage you to take a look at our iPhone battery tips article for more neat ideas. When you’re using Airplane Mode, you should also begin to notice that your phone charges faster when it’s plugged in.
Enabling Airplane Mode is a great way of limiting cellular data usage when traveling if you haven’t paid for international roaming. For those without roaming plans, your phones will immediately charge you international fees when it pings a nearby tower, even if you have Wi-Fi and cellular data turned off. The best way to prevent that is to use Airplane Mode, giving you the ability to use your phone without racking up fees. You can even enable Wi-Fi after Airplane Mode is on while still being assured that your cellular connection isn’t active. Airplane Mode can also be used to limit cellular data usage when you’re near home, for example, if you’re running low on data and don’t want your phone automatically downloading images and videos from WhatsApp messages or updating apps while you’re not connected to Wi-Fi.
If someone calls you on airplane mode, you will not receive the call as you phone does not receive signal. As your phone does not receive a signal, there will be no notification that your phone was “pinged” by an outside source. In effect, the call simply does not happen. However, the caller may still be able to leave a voicemail. If you have Wi-Fi calling enabled and are allowed to use Wi-Fi on your flight, you may receive calls during flights. Note that you will need to turn off data roaming as well, if you use an iPhone.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.
Apple's first foldable phone is now on shelves, in short supply, but with an unreal amount of buzz around it. After all, it's the first foldable iPhone, and there's plenty that this phone gets right. But there's also a lot that is either broken or underwhelming. What's peculiar is the dialogue around this phone, and how it has completely overshadowed every other attempt at making a phone with a similar form factor.
I've spent some time with the iPhone Duo, and I've used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for almost three months now. In my opinion, Samsung deserves more credit. When the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived earlier this year, it was celebrated in some circles and ridiculed in others for supposedly copying what Apple would eventually deliver with the iPhone Duo. The dialogue was pretty odd, for multiple reasons. Samsung has been making foldable phones for years, so claiming that it copied a product Apple hadn't even launched was simply absurd.