Smartphones are an integral part of our lives, getting smarter every year thanks to the latest features. If it’s up to Google, your future Android device will go even one step further. Especially if you are in the cloud.
On board a plane, the cabin crew will almost always ask you to put your smartphone on airplane mode. This is to avoid interference with the plane’s electronics. According to Android Authority, cabin crew won’t have to ask for this in the future. Here’s the thing.
Goodbye airplane mode?
Google is reportedly working on a feature called Connect Flight Mode. In fact, the tech company has filed a patent for it.
With this feature, your Android smartphone will now automatically switch to flight mode when the plane is in the air. It will also automatically turn off again once you land.
Reportedly, while the feature is active, you can stay connected via bluetooth and wifi (if present on the plane). Your Android device should be able to measure whether you are on a (taken off) plane through the gyroscopes, accelerometers and other sensors already present.
It’s just an Android patent
While the feature sounds very useful to people who fly very often, it is important to remember that this is only a patent. Technology companies like Google and Apple file an awful lot of patents, but only a few of them actually ever see the light of day. So it is not yet certain whether the Connect Flight Mode will actually ever get there.
Airplane Mode. (Image: Unsplash)
Moreover, it is questionable whether such a feature that automatically puts your Android smartphone into airplane mode is really necessary. For example, the European Union last year announced that passengers should be able to use 5G networks in the air. That would make airplane mode completely unnecessary.
