One-page reference
Airplane mode: the one-page version
What it switches off, what you can switch back on, and what it does to charging
What airplane mode does
- It disables cellular connectivity.
- Depending on the phone and its settings, it may also switch off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
What you can put back
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can be turned back on individually while airplane mode stays on.
- Cellular stays unavailable until airplane mode is switched off.
What it changes about charging
- It never makes the charger more powerful and doesn't change the phone's maximum charging speed.
- It reduces what the phone spends electricity on while plugged in — radios and background work.
- The effect is most visible with a weak cellular signal or heavy background activity. On a strong connection with the screen off, it may change very little.
Test it on your own phone (three runs)
- Run 1 — normal mode: cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth all operating.
- Run 2 — airplane mode on.
- Run 3 — cellular on, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth manually disabled.
- If run 3 matches run 2, the radios are what your phone was spending that power on.
Read the full investigation
Condensed from How It Actually Works' airplane-mode and tech-myths investigations. Print this page or keep it on your phone.