The patented feature, reportedly named as ‘connected flight mode’, will also switch mobile devices back to normal mode once the flight lands
Switching phone devices to airplane mode is a standard practice which is performed every time a person boards a plane, however, it’s not until a reminder from the airplane announcement or the flight staff, that people care to switch.
Requiring just a tap, the whole process of switching to the airplane mode takes away a second at best, but Google has reportedly decided to automate this process, while also working towards adding other improved functionalities in airplane mode.
News about the ‘connected airplane mode’ came out after Google filed a patent for the technology at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
According to a recent report by ParkiFly and David Kowalski, the Google ‘connected flight mode’ knows when a person boards an airplane, by detecting pressure drop, acceleration/velocity, cabin sounds, ultrasonic signal, GPS signal, Cellular ID, and Wi-Fi signal.
Once the feature knows that you are inside an airplane, it automatically switches the device to airplane mode and then goes on to disable automatic backups, background application refresh, and updates on the devices.
It’s also reported that the feature will also access your travel booking activity and check-in status to prepare the feature in advance.
While manually switching to airplane mode disables both WiFi and Bluetooth on your mobile devices, the ‘connected flight mode’ will include selective network connectivity options, which includes in-flight Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
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