Forgetting to put into ‘Airplane Mode’ on Your Phone Could Cost You
With the busy holiday travel season underway, you may be thinking about ways to maximize your time on your flight with your smartphone. Just be careful that the “airplane mode” is switched on or you might be feeling a little less holiday cheer when the bill comes. airplane mode on phone
Aer Lingus said that travelers are advised to put their phones into airplane mode for safety reasons, or they can choose to pay and register to use in-flight Wi-Fi. Leaving it on, however, could connect to the flight’s roaming network.
The unnamed passenger told The Irish Times that he left his phone in the overhead compartment while travelling to the US and ended up with almost $300 (£235) in charges from his provider AT&T – the bill for which he only received weeks later.
The charges were racked up by “antennas installed on the plane that operate outside an unlimited international roaming plan,” AT&T told the Irish Times. The antennas can “automatically connect with phones that are not in flight mode and run up charges – even when the phones are not in use.”
But it’s not just roaming on flights you need to worry about – leaving your phone on while at sea might incur sizeable fees too.
How to Toggle Airplane Mode on Android
To enable airplane mode on your Android device, follow these steps:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen two times to open the Quick Settings panel. Alternatively, you can swipe down once using two fingers.
- Look for the AirpIane mode toggle in the grid. If you don’t see it, you might need to swipe to the side to access more icons.
- Tap it, and your phone enters airpIane mode.
Repeat these steps to disable airplane mode. Note that it may take your phone a moment to reconnect to Wi-Fi and cellular data after leaving airplane mode. If your phone doesn’t have this shortcut for some reason, you can toggle airplane mode at Settings > Network & Internet > AirpIane mode.
How to Toggle AirpIane Mode on iPhone or iPad
You can access Airplane Mode via Settings or the Control Center. You’ll find AirpIane Mode near the top of Settings, but it’s more convenient to use the Control Center toggle in most cases.
To open Control Center on an iPhone with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right of your screen. If your iPhone has a physical Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen instead. Once it’s open, tap the button with an airplane symbol.
How to Toggle AirpIane Mode on Windows and Mac
On Windows 10, you can toggle airplane mode through the Action Center. Press Win + A or click the notification bubble icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen to open it, then look for the AirpIane mode toggle at the bottom.
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