You no longer need to switch your phone to airplane mode on a plane.

Radio communication by mobile phones and smartphones is often prohibited on airplanes, so PCs and smartphones are often equipped with an 'airplane mode' that blocks all communications. However, the IT news site Gizmodo says, ``Airplane mode is no longer necessary.''

You Don't Need to Use Airplane Mode on Airplanes

https://gizmodo.com/you-don-t-need-to-use-airplane-mode-on-airplanes-1851282769

In 1991, the Federal Communications Commission of the United States banned the use of cell phones on airplanes, citing ``network interference.'' Later, with the development of small base station equipment called 'picocells,' it became possible to access terrestrial mobile networks via satellite networks, and in 2005, members of the Federal Communications Commission announced that ``800MHz cell phones can no longer be used on airplanes.'' We believe that there may not be a need for regulations prohibiting the use of

The EU's European Commission has also announced that it will allow smartphone calls and data use on airplanes in 2022. The European Commission requires airlines to install picocells on planes to prevent smartphone radio waves from interfering with the plane's communications system.

European Commission decides to make mobile communications available on aircraft - GIGAZINE

However, rules still exist prohibiting the use of mobile phones on airplanes. For example, Japanese airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) have both announced that when using a mobile phone or smartphone on a plane, the radio waves should be turned off.

Can I use a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet device on an airplane?
https://faq.jal.co.jp/app/answers/detail/a_id/13882/

In-flight mobile phone settings | Domestic flights | ANA
https://www.ana.co.jp/ja/jp/guide/boarding-procedures/baggage/domestic/inflight-mobile/

In the United States, when Tom Wheeler was appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in 2013, there was a movement to allow the use of cell phones on airplanes, but this caused a huge controversy. In the end, the use of mobile phones remained prohibited.

The controversy was not a technical concern, but rather that ``talking on a mobile phone on an airplane could cause confusion on board.'' Mr. Wheeler said, ``Let me say this first, I understand. I don't want the person sitting next to me to be screaming at an altitude of 35,000 feet (about 10,000 meters).''

In other words, if the use of mobile phones is allowed, it becomes OK to talk on the plane, which causes noise problems caused by voices talking on the phone, and incidents called 'air rage' where angry passengers use violence against other passengers and flight attendants. There were concerns about the possibility.

Air rage has actually been on the rise in recent years, with the FAA reporting that more than 10,000 passengers in the United States alone reported air rage between 2021 and 2023. Gizmodo claims that when the Federal Communications Commission tried to enable the use of cell phones, regulators and airlines, concerned about these air rage incidents, put pressure on them.

Gizmodo says, ``For too long we've had the old rule of airplane mode in place. But airplane mode is less a safety measure and more simply an enforcement of etiquette. , has influenced our belief in the need for airplane mode,'' he said, claiming that he even feels guilty about using airplane mode anymore.

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