Airplane mode on the plane: we all obediently turn it on on our iPhone, but that makes less sense than you think.
Airplane mode iPhone on or off
The summer period has started and we are going on holiday en masse – and this is noticeable in the crowds at Schiphol. When you finally get to your seat on the plane, you probably obediently turn on airplane mode on your iPhone… and maybe panic if the person next to you doesn’t. But that is actually not necessary at all!
But wait: a smartphone with its WiFi, Bluetooth and 5G antennas can still disrupt an aircraft’s instruments? That is often thought (and it also causes slight irritation in the cockpit), but that does not appear to be the reason that you are asked to turn on airplane mode.
Why airplane mode on?
The real reason for the request to put your smartphone in airplane mode has to do with the cell towers on the ground. Your phone cannot reach the masts at normal flight height, but it can if you have just taken off or landed.
If everyone has the phone on on the plane, then a cell tower sometimes has to connect to hundreds of phones at once – and often just as quickly transfer the connection to the next tower due to the high speed of the plane. This causes too much congestion on the network, which can cause malfunctions. That chance is small, since you are soon at a height where the transmission towers are far out of your reach.
Airplane mode iPhone saves battery
In our opinion, the most important reason to turn on airplane mode is for your own benefit. Your iPhone’s battery will drain a lot faster if you don’t, because your phone constantly searches for a signal while flying and doesn’t find it. So if you want to enjoy a movie, series or game throughout the flight, the airplane mode helps with this.
By the way, as a side note: if the crew asks you to switch on airplane mode, then of course you should just do that … but in the end the biggest profit is for yourself!
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