what CAN I do with phone in airplane mode?

[kali89]

hi... I'm getting on a transatlantic flight in a few days.. I haven't flown in over six years..
I hear there's always wifi on planes now.. however, reading my carrier's regs, holy ****... you have to have your device on airplane mode at all times.. so how are you supposed to get online? or is it stil not possible to get online while in the air?

also, regarding airplane mode: if before I get on the plane I download a movie or two from Netflix (or HBO) and one or two books from Kindle app, will I be able to see and read those movies and books in airplane mode? logic would tell me that yes.. but well, just making sure...

thank you..

 

[Slydude]

If the content is stored entirely on your device you should be able to play it back in airplane mode. Someone with more airplane mode experience might be better able to confirm this.

 

[MacInWin]

Airplane mode turns off ALL radio services. That includes Cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth. If the airline offers onboard WiFi, then after they allow it, you can turn on JUST the Wifi in Settings, connect and do whatever they offer. If you have BT earbuds, you can probably turn that on, too, but it depends on the airline. But the Cellular service should stay OFF for the duration of the flight. Once you land, you can turn off the Airplane mode and Cellular will relaunch and connect.

Downloaded material should be available to you, even in Airplane mode. You can test that before you go, at home, by going to Airplane mode, and see if the movie, etc., runs. If it does, you know you should be good for the flight. If it doesn't, or it has to connect to the service again, you could be stuck. But it's more likely that it will work.

 

[Slydude]

Good point. I should have thought yo test it that way at home beforehand.

 

[Rod]

Completely dependant on the carrier, different rules for different carriers. They will make you aware of what you can and cannot do prior to take off but it's general practice to expect passengers to put their devices into Aircraft Mode prior to take off and just before landing.
Some carriers have internal WiFi systems which allow you to use a purpose made app on your device to watch on board entertainment media. You will see info for this in boarding lounges.
Some have WiFi plus Internet access but you have to pay for it and it may only be available in some classes, eg business class.
Personally I prefer not to have to depend on the carrier's on board tech and have a couple of movies on my iPad plus games, music etc.
Do have a charge cable with you, most carriers have charging ports for portable devices, some allow you to share media from your own portable device to their screens while charging.
It's also not a bad idea to invest in a portable charger. These battery packs are invaluable and can be quite small.

This one can charge my iPhone twice and be recharged anywhere

 

[Raz0rEdge]

All international flights have fairly nice entertainment systems in the seat-back, you plug your headphones into it and can watch a variety of movies, shows and listen to music. A lot of them also have USB connectors to charge your devices if you wish to use your own device.

As the others have suggested, bottom line is to keep cellular service off, but you can WiFi and BT as needed. Unless you can charge you device, going wired is best.

United, for example, for a while had a process where they didn't bother with the seat-back system but rather had you bring your own device and connect to the WiFi and then stream stuff that way.

Visit your carrier's websites and specifically see what they offer, there's a great amount of variety here.