Airplane mode on your phone – why do you need it if you’re not flying anywhere?

Why do you need airplane mode on your phone if you're not flying anywhere? Not long ago I asked this question to my friend, on whose phone I noticed airplane mode was turned on. And thanks to her, I learned about new ways to use this function in everyday life. But I’ll start, perhaps, from the very beginning.

A couple of months ago, my husband and I went to my friend and former classmate Marinka’s birthday party. The celebration itself was planned at the dacha of the birthday girl’s parents; the journey there from Moscow took approximately 2.5 hours. As I remember, we left home late, and I was still afraid that we wouldn’t make it in time for the start of the holiday. But no, they arrived even before the appointed time. Well, so as not to sit in vain, we rushed to help the birthday girl set the table. While my husband was busy barbecuing, we were in the kitchen preparing light salads, cutting up appetizers, and washing fruits. Just like in my teenage years, I put on the music of my favorite singer on my phone, started singing along and laughing out loud.

“Girls, throw some pepper, eh,” my betrothed shouted from the street.

- Right now! – Marinka answered, took the pepper shaker with her and left the house.

At exactly the same second, the next song in the playlist started playing from the phone speaker. A moment later, I heard the birthday girl’s request to switch the song. Well, okay, I shrugged and reached for her smartphone. Having chosen the most successful melody, I was about to lock the device again when I saw the “airplane” icon in the notification shade.I still thought then: “It’s strange, we don’t seem to be flying anywhere, why turn on airplane mode,” and in fact, I decided to ask this question directly to the owner of the device.

“Yes, I always turn it on when I’m at the dacha,” answered Marina, returning with a plate of freshly picked cucumbers.

- But why?

• Well, firstly, it costs less charging.
• And secondly, well, I should take a break from the endless calls from work.

- It's clear.

In fact, I thought then: “Okay, the calls are clear. The connection is disconnected and you won’t be able to get through. But where is the connection between airplane mode and battery charge? I didn’t ask my friend again. Besides, the guests have already arrived, and it’s time to take the prepared dishes out onto the veranda.

The very next day, the dialogue with Marina was completely forgotten. My husband and I went home safely, once again congratulating the birthday girl and wishing her all the best. When we arrived at the house, my husband said:

- Maybe we can go to the store? Otherwise, when we left, we cleaned out the entire refrigerator. And I wouldn't mind having a snack.

- We just got up from the table recently... Okay. – I smiled and reached for my phone to check my bank card balance.

And then an unpleasant surprise awaited me. There is only 8% charge left on the smartphone. If this number drops to 5, the contactless function will no longer be available. I told my husband about this.

- Yes, things are going on. I also didn’t take my wallet or cards with me. What do we do?

And then I remembered the life hack that Marina told me - airplane mode to save battery. It’s not a torture to try, maybe you’ll actually be able to hold out until you get to the store and safely pay with a card from your smartphone. About half an hour later we parked near the store. Unlocked the phone - 7% left.

“Great, there’s still time,” I tell my husband and literally fly to the hypermarket.

It took about 10 minutes to fill the grocery basket. Already standing at the checkout, with a 6% charge, I guessed to turn off the airplane mode. The payment went through safely, and I am happy and returning to my husband with a bag of food.

After this incident, I often started using airplane mode. And now I’m ready to share my observations with you:

1. In airplane mode, the phone not only discharges slower, but also charges faster. This is due to disconnecting all network connections that somehow consume the smartphone’s energy. When talking about network connections, I mean mobile Internet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Please note that NFC (contactless payment) also stops working.
2. Enabling airplane mode improves Internet speed and fixes network problems. How is this possible, you ask. Everything is very simple - when the flight mode is activated, the module is reset, and the device has a chance to connect to another cellular communication cell, where this same connection will be better.
3. With airplane mode, you can relax quietly while playing a game or reading an e-book, without fear of being bothered by notifications, calls and SMS. What is especially important for people with children, the lack of network access will prevent your child from making an accidental purchase in the application.

To summarize, I will say the following: many people underestimate airplane mode and resort to it only during flights. I believe that there are many more situations in which the flight mode will become an indispensable assistant. I hope my note will be useful to you.