What is Airplane mode, what does it do, and why do we need it?

If you have ever flown on an airplane and carried a smartphone or tablet, the airline’s staff must have asked you to turn your electronic devices off completely, or put them on airplane mode. Despite you wanting to upload one last selfie before the flight takes off, the flight attendant made sure to instruct passengers to switch their phones to “airplane mode.” It’s not a new practice; but what is airplane mode, and why do airlines require it?

What is airplane mode?

Airplane mode is a setting on your smartphone, tablet and laptop that temporarily suspends radio signals, Wi-Fi and even Bluetooth. This basically means you can’t make or take calls, send text or WhatsApp messages, or browse the internet.