Google is working to take Airplane Mode to the next level

2 min readUpdated Jun 4, 2025Jul 11, 20235:34 AM

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Google has filed for a patent via the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that is titled “Activating a Connected Flight Mode.” What Google is doing here is taking Airplane Mode to another level. While you probably know how to activate Airplane Mode on your phone, the patent calls for sensors on the device to determine whether you are flying by tracking changes in acceleration and speed, a drop in pressure, and by listening for certain sounds.

According to the patent filing and Parkifly, more precisely, the triggers that would enable Connected Flight Mode include environmental factors such as a drop in pressure and changes in acceleration and velocity; cabin sounds like the noise of the flight engine and altitude ding, ultrasonic airplane beacon signals, various radio signals (GPS, Cellular ID, Wi-Fi signal), and contextual factors such as travel booking activity and check-in status.

Once the device determines that you are flying, Connected Flight Mode is activated automatically. The goal here is to shut down the radios on your mobile device while keeping you connected to Bluetooth and the plane’s Wi-Fi signals. Currently, if you activate Airplane Mode on your phone, all connectivity including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned off. But you can access Bluetooth and Wi-Fi by turning them on separately after activating Airplane Mode. This is true for both Android and iOS.

With the Connected Flight Mode enabled as outlined in the patent application, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity remains open for use on the plane. The feature would also allow the device connected to Wi-Fi to operate as though it was connected to the same “high bandwidth capabilities and un-metered use” as the Wi-Fi you use on the ground. Thus, the inflight Wi-Fi would get treated the same as other Wi-Fi networks.

What does this mean? Google explains. “Therefore, processes which use a lot of bandwidth, such as photo backups, may still execute while on a flight regardless of actual flight network capacities and qualities and thus can take up a significant amount of the limited resources of the plane’s internet connectivity. The disclosed technology can automatically switch a connected flight mode on before or during a flight to provide portable computing devices with granular levels of connectivity.”

This sounds like a cool idea although Google is still working on this. Hopefully it won’t be too long before Connected Flight Mode becomes a reality on Android.

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Questions & Answers

What is the primary difference between Connected Flight Mode and the current Airplane Mode?

Connected Flight Mode aims to keep Bluetooth and the plane’s Wi-Fi signals active automatically, even though other radios are shut down. Current Airplane Mode turns off all connectivity initially.

How will a device detect that it is on a flight to activate Connected Flight Mode?

The patent suggests sensors would track changes in acceleration and speed, a drop in pressure, and listen for sounds like engine noise or altitude dings. It would also use radio signals and contextual factors like travel bookings.

How might Connected Flight Mode impact the quality of inflight internet for other passengers?

The feature could allow bandwidth-heavy processes, like photo backups, to run as if on a ground network. This might use a significant amount of the plane’s limited internet resources.

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