Can iPhone be used in flight mode when in an airplane?

[Hellhammer]

Sp, I'm heading to Thailand tomorrow and I was wondering can the iPhone be used while flying if it's in flight mode? I know it might depend on the airline but generally does it work? It's 11-hour flight + 3-hour bus trip so I'd really like to use my iPhone while flying because I don't have an iPod anymore so all my music is in my iPhone.

Thanks

[-aggie-]

Sure, that's what airplane mode is for. You can use the iPod, play games, etc.

[yg17]

Yes, that's what flight mode is for, to use it in flight.

[eawmp1]

You're kidding...right? That's why it's called "Flight Mode." Turns of cell function and wifi. All other functions work.

[jabingla2810]

Originally Posted by Hellhammer

Sp, I'm heading to Thailand tomorrow and I was wondering can the iPhone be used while flying if it's in flight mode? I know it might depend on the airline but generally does it work? It's 11-hour flight + 3-hour bus trip so I'd really like to use my iPhone while flying because I don't have an iPod anymore so all my music is in my iPhone.

Thanks

Putting the iphone into flight mode disconnects it from all networks.

You can use it as an ipod or gaming device while in flight mode.

I dont understand why you dont just put it in flight mode right now and try to listen to music instead of asking if you can?

[-aggie-]

Originally Posted by eawmp1

You're kidding...right? That's why it's called "Flight Mode." Turns of cell function and wifi. All other functions work.

It turns off wifi, but you can turn it back on and still be in airplane mode. Some of the airlines are actually letting passengers use the onboard wifi in flights.

[MacBoobsPro]

I thought it was more for when you were out sailing?

[Hellhammer]

I asked because my last Nokia had flight mode too but it was still not allowed to be used in airplanes (AFAIK). I know my question was quite stupid but I wanted to make sure that it can be.

And please don't troll so much. This wasn't the only "stupid" question asked in here

[Hellhammer]

Just checked from my airline (Finnair) and yes, mobile phones can be used in offline/flight mode when the seat belt light is turned off.

Thanks anyway guys

[thelatinist]

Originally Posted by Hellhammer

I asked because my last Nokia had flight mode too but it was still not allowed to be used in airplanes (AFAIK).

If it turned off the phone's radios, it could be. Even with airplane mode, though, you are not allowed to use any electronic device during takeoff or landing.

And please don't troll so much. This wasn't the only "stupid" question asked in here

I don't think you know what trolling is. Might want to look it up. Nothing in this thread is trolling. Flaming, maybe, but even that's too strong.

[jabingla2810]

Who called you "stupid?"

Did you mean to ask, "am I allowed to use my iphone in flight mode on a flight?"

I read your question as, "can i still listen to music and play games in flight mode on a flight?"

[kAoTiX]

Some airlines are just fussy about having all mobile phones off regardless of airplane mode or not. I recently flew to Houston then San Jose and I had my phone turned on, not in flight mode, the whole way there. 6,000+ miles.

It's for safety really and if the plane crashed it would probably have been my fault
They also say about various electical items you can and cannot use but I used my camera and laptop both during the flight (allowed) and during take-off and landing (not-allowed). Again, we didn't crash.

[Hellhammer]

Originally Posted by thelatinist

I don't think you know what trolling is. Might want to look it up. Nothing in this thread is trolling. Flaming, maybe, but even that's too strong.

Trolling is maybe a wrong word but you got my meaning. If you bothered to reply, why to give a reply like "I thought it was more for when you were out sailing?" I'm not a newbie here so I was waiting for some more "adult-like" replies which I got too.

Originally Posted by jabingla2810

I read your question as, "can i still listen to music and play games in flight mode on a flight?"

Maybe I should've use this instead as I'm not going to call or text anyone but I'd like to listen to some music and maybe a watch a movie.

I was just thinking that is the flight mode some kinda US version which applies to US rules but may not to other rules but as I said above, I checked it from the airline and they do allow mobile phones if they are in flight mode, so the problem has been solved.

[-aggie-]

Originally Posted by Hellhammer

Trolling is maybe a wrong word but you got my meaning. If you bothered to reply, why to give a reply like "I thought it was more for when you were out sailing?"



Maybe I should've use this instead as I'm not going to call or text anyone but I'd like to listen to some music and maybe a watch a movie.

As I said above, I checked it from the airline and they do allow mobile phones if they are in flight mode.

The sailing comment would constitute trolling IMO. Trolling is posting "in order to anger other members or intentionally cause negative reactions."

Anyway, you got your question answered.

[yg17]

Originally Posted by kAoTiX

Some airlines are just fussy about having all mobile phones off regardless of airplane mode or not. I recently flew to Houston then San Jose and I had my phone turned on, not in flight mode, the whole way there. 6,000+ miles.

It's for safety really and if the plane crashed it would probably have been my fault
They also say about various electical items you can and cannot use but I used my camera and laptop both during the flight (allowed) and during take-off and landing (not-allowed). Again, we didn't crash.

It's not for safety. There's absolutely no reason for the restrictions. No modern plane can be taken down by an iPod. If it was that easy, don't you think Al Qaeda would be attacking us with portable electronic devices that can get through security

And that would also mean that every single flight would crash because I guarantee you that on a full plane of 150 or more people, at least one person has not turned off all their electronic devices or even put them into plane mode. At least one passenger has a cell phone on and connected to the network.

The US and the rest of the world have different restrictions too. In the US, you can't use them until you're at 10,000 feet and the pilot or flight attendant will announce it. The first time I took an intra-Europe flight on British Airways, there was no announcement about 15 minutes after takeoff, so I asked the flight attendant if I could use my iPod and he almost couldn't believe I asked such a stupid question; he told me you can use them as soon as the wheels come off the ground.

Cell phones won't work in-flight once you reach a certain altitude just because you're too high up to connect to cell towers on the ground, and a giant aluminum tube does a great job at blocking external signals as well, so there's no technical reason to enable flight mode other than to save battery. But there's no technical reason to restrict the use of iPods and such at any point in the flight.

[Small White Car]

Originally Posted by yg17

It's not for safety. There's absolutely no reason for the restrictions.

Yeah, when I take my company's private plane the pilots don't care what we do.

I surf the web during takeoff until I lose signal (usually about 30 seconds in) and then switch on flight mode for the rest of the flight to save battery. I can often get a signal for the last 5 minutes before landing too since they come in slower than they take off.

I'm not sure what the airline's rules are for but I guess they have their reasons. The cell-phone ban is mostly because they know passengers would all annoy each other by talking too loud. I get that. But why can't I watch a movie on my iPhone during takeoff? I have no clue what that rule is for.

[-aggie-]

I thought one of the reasons lately was that a terrorist could get a lock on the plane using the iPhone and shoot it down?

[aloofman]

Originally Posted by Small White Car

I'm not sure what the airline's rules are for but I guess they have their reasons. The cell-phone ban is mostly because they know passengers would all annoy each other by talking too loud. I get that. But why can't I watch a movie on my iPhone during takeoff? I have no clue what that rule is for.

I believe it's mostly for passenger management reasons. Like you said, having that many people talking on the phone so close to each other (and in a place where you can't get away from an annoying person), would be too disruptive. Cellphones on airplanes also can briefly cause some havoc with the towers near the airport, since the phones are moving through different cells much more quickly than the network was designed for. But that's a minor annoyance to cell providers and not a safety problem.

As for turning music players off during takeoff and landing, I think it's more of a passenger safety thing. The vast majority of airplane crashes occur at the start or end of a flight. The flight crew needs to be able to communicate with passengers if something were to happen. And a passenger who's rocking out on headphones may not realize that he has to move quickly or that he's blocking another passenger's path to safety. The same thing could be achieved if you had the headphones on, but no music playing, but the only way that flight attendants can know you aren't listening is to have you take the headphones off.

As yg17 noted, if a cellphone on a plane were really that dangerous, it would have happened by accident many times by now. If there really were a chance that it could bring the plane down, they either wouldn't let you bring a cellphone on the plane at all, or would confiscate them during the flight, turn them off, then gave them back to us after we landed. I remember just after landing once, the guy next to me pulled out his phone to turn it back on, but realized that he had accidentally left it on during the whole flight. The two of us joked that he could have killed us all (which another woman nearby didn't find funny at all). If the airlines told everyone they had to leave their cellphones off just for the courtesy of others, no one would do it. But make it a potential safety issue and people will grudgingly put their phones away.

[stevetim]

Southwest also doesn't allow BT use in flight.

[Hellhammer]

Originally Posted by aloofman

I believe it's mostly for passenger management reasons. Like you said, having that many people talking on the phone so close to each other (and in a place where you can't get away from an annoying person), would be too disruptive. Cellphones on airplanes also can briefly cause some havoc with the towers near the airport, since the phones are moving through different cells much more quickly than the network was designed for. But that's a minor annoyance to cell providers and not a safety problem.

As for turning music players off during takeoff and landing, I think it's more of a passenger safety thing. The vast majority of airplane crashes occur at the start or end of a flight. The flight crew needs to be able to communicate with passengers if something were to happen. And a passenger who's rocking out on headphones may not realize that he has to move quickly or that he's blocking another passenger's path to safety. The same thing could be achieved if you had the headphones on, but no music playing, but the only way that flight attendants can know you aren't listening is to have you take the headphones off.

As yg17 noted, if a cellphone on a plane were really that dangerous, it would have happened by accident many times by now. If there really were a chance that it could bring the plane down, they either wouldn't let you bring a cellphone on the plane at all, or would confiscate them during the flight, turn them off, then gave them back to us after we landed. I remember just after landing once, the guy next to me pulled out his phone to turn it back on, but realized that he had accidentally left it on during the whole flight. The two of us joked that he could have killed us all (which another woman nearby didn't find funny at all). If the airlines told everyone they had to leave their cellphones off just for the courtesy of others, no one would do it. But make it a potential safety issue and people will grudgingly put their phones away.

And if cell phones were really dangerous, they would be collected in security check and returned after flight. I agree that it seems to be the decision of airlines that they just don't want people to be talking on the phones, same as smoking thing.

[stevetim]

Originally Posted by aloofman

I believe it's mostly for passenger management reasons. Like you said, having that many people talking on the phone so close to each other (and in a place where you can't get away from an annoying person), would be too disruptive. Cellphones on airplanes also can briefly cause some havoc with the towers near the airport, since the phones are moving through different cells much more quickly than the network was designed for. But that's a minor annoyance to cell providers and not a safety problem.

As for turning music players off during takeoff and landing, I think it's more of a passenger safety thing. The vast majority of airplane crashes occur at the start or end of a flight. The flight crew needs to be able to communicate with passengers if something were to happen. And a passenger who's rocking out on headphones may not realize that he has to move quickly or that he's blocking another passenger's path to safety. The same thing could be achieved if you had the headphones on, but no music playing, but the only way that flight attendants can know you aren't listening is to have you take the headphones off.

As yg17 noted, if a cellphone on a plane were really that dangerous, it would have happened by accident many times by now. If there really were a chance that it could bring the plane down, they either wouldn't let you bring a cellphone on the plane at all, or would confiscate them during the flight, turn them off, then gave them back to us after we landed. I remember just after landing once, the guy next to me pulled out his phone to turn it back on, but realized that he had accidentally left it on during the whole flight. The two of us joked that he could have killed us all (which another woman nearby didn't find funny at all). If the airlines told everyone they had to leave their cellphones off just for the courtesy of others, no one would do it. But make it a potential safety issue and people will grudgingly put their phones away.

If it were passenger/communication safety they would ask me to remove my headphones. They never ask me to do so.

I think it has more to do with multiple phones being connected to cell phone tower, rather than a single electronic device. And in that regard, had more to do with the old analog wireless wavelengths versus the newer digital spectrum. Those analogs sure as hell could throw out some radio interference. The FAA may have based their current policy on the analogs. Just a thought.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by Hellhammer

Just checked from my airline (Finnair) and yes, mobile phones can be used in offline/flight mode when the seat belt light is turned off.

Thanks anyway guys

Have a good trip. I hope you got something to charge your iPhone with during the flight, it will be a long one.

[labman]

Originally Posted by MacBoobsPro

I thought it was more for when you were out sailing?

That's sailboat mode but your phone has to be jailbroken.


No serouly op have a good trip i am jelous I always wanted to go there.

[Hellhammer]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

Have a good trip. I hope you got something to charge your iPhone with during the flight, it will be a long one.

Originally Posted by labman

No serouly op have a good trip i am jelous I always wanted to go there.

Thank you both. I'm not gonna use my iPhone for the whole 11 hours, but thank you for recalling me as my charger is still in my closet

@labman, if you want, I can tell you how was it when I get back

[Camaro6700]

I fly maybe twice a week all over the US. This was on USAirways which is what I normally fly. On one trip from the west coast to the east coast I had a flight attendant tell me I had to turn off my iPhone. I told her that it was in airplane mode so I could watch a movie on it and she still told me that it had to go off that airplane mode does not mean anything. I ignored her and went on watching. The next time she came by she had an attitude with me and would not listen to my explanation. Instead she threatened to have the authorities notified that I was disturbing the plane. At this point I just gave in and turned music on and placed it in my pocket. I was so upset but thought it was better just to let her have her way for the next couple of hours. This was only one occurance and never happened again.