The prospect of using your iPhone on an airplane is difficult because of its dual nature as a phone and personal computing device. You may find it difficult to get your settings right so you don’t disturb the passengers or crew. Here are a few things to try out when flying on a plane.

The first, and most obvious, thing to do is to switch it to Airplane Mode. This is the perfect way to begin going about your iPhone use on a plane, specifically because it is built in and labeled that way. Go into your Settings icon and switch on the Airplane Mode button at the very top of the list. This will then shut down all of the mobile features that the phone normally does. You will not be able to go online, text, or make phone calls, but you will be able to use all of your applications, games, and iPod features. You will still be able to access text messages and emails that have already been saved to your phone.

You may want to limit how loud you can actually listen to the iPod function on your phone so as not to disturb your neighbors. Go into the Settings option and select iPod. From here go to the bottom of the first section where it says Volume Limit. Open this and then set the maximum volume you intend to allow. Once you have set it hit the Lock Volume Unit button.

Many people are still a little wary about the rules when it comes to smart phones. Often times it looks like people are using the communication features of their phone at inappropriate times even though they are just using applications and iPod features. There have even been people arrested for using the non-phone functions of their iPhone when flight attendants thought that they were calling people, which is against FAA regulations. Try to keep your iPhone use somewhat discreet while traveling in an effort to avoid any kind of altercation. If you are asked about it you may want to just tell them that it is an iPod Touch instead of an iPhone.

If you are using your media and applications on a very long flight you are likely going to run out of battery life before you have a chance to get to an outlet. This can really put a damper on international flights that drag on day and night. Try going through some of the more power saving things that people do. Airplane Mode is also going to help you save power more than regular use would. Listening to music is not going to use too much power because the screen blacks out, but watching a feature length film will kill it. Try not to waste your battery just browsing around on your phone. Look for media or applications you want to engage quickly and make decisions.

Labels: iPhone

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