{
  "id": 11898388,
  "title": "Why airplane mode? Air Arabia reveals what your phone does mid-flight",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/why-airplane-mode-air-arabia-reveals-what-your-phone-does-mid-flight",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-04T09:25:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/why-airplane-mode-air-arabia-reveals-what-your-phone-does-mid-flight-1.500697778"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Air Arabia recently explained on social media the reasoning behind the routine pre-flight instruction to switch your phone to airplane mode. The airline pilot in a video advisory revealed that a mobile phone continues searching for a network while flying at high altitude. This constant search for a mobile network drains the phone's battery and reduces pressure on ground-based networks when passengers are near populated areas. Additionally, airplane mode helps prevent potential interference with aircraft communications, although there is no evidence that a mobile phone has caused an aircraft to crash. Modern aircraft and telecommunications systems have evolved, making interference increasingly rare. Airplane mode does not mean you must put your phone away; passengers can still use their devices to take photos, watch downloaded movies, and listen to music.",
  "summary": "You hear it on almost every flight: please switch your phone to airplane mode. It is one of those routine instructions passengers follow almost automatically. A quick tap, a familiar icon on the screen, and you are ready for take-off. But have you ever wondered what your phone is actually doing while you are thousands of feet in the air? Why does it need to stop searching for a mobile network,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}