How-To

Does your phone really charge faster using Airplane Mode?

In general, enabling Airplane Mode while your phone charges isn’t necessary, but it can help. Here’s everything you need to know.

by
Matt Moore
July 11, 2023

Image: Unsplash

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Quick Answer: Yes, enabling Airplane Mode can potentially help your phone charge faster.

Being unable to use your phone due to a low battery is like losing a limb. OK, so maybe it’s not exactly like that.

But when your mobile device goes flat, you may experience physical pain, a belief that your phone still has power when it doesn’t, and have to completely change the way you live.

Fortunately, you can restore life to your depleted device with a good charging cable and a reliable power source. But sometimes, you don’t have time to wait, and you may be wondering how you can speed up the replenishment process.

So, does your phone charge faster on airplane mode?

Quick Answer: Yes, it does.

Ideally, you should switch your phone off completely to optimize charging.

If, however, you’re really in a rush and don’t want to deal with messy reboots, you can use Airplane Mode to reduce the amount of energy your mobile device consumes and allow it to charge faster.

Let’s discuss why the trick works and how to enable Airplane Mode on Android and iOS.

Why a phone charges faster in Airplane Mode

airplane mode on smartphone charge faster — Image: Unsplash

Airplane Mode disables all wireless communication protocols on your mobile device. In general use, your phone constantly searches for and maintains connections to cellular and WiFi networks.

If you’ve also got Bluetooth switched on, that’s another wireless protocol contributing to battery usage.

Wireless communications require a fair amount of energy to function. Granted, you’ll use a lot more power watching videos or fiddling around inside an app, but the difference with services like WiFi is that they constantly run in the background.

Factor	Effect on Charging Speed	Explanation
Radio Frequencies	Faster when off	Airplane mode turns off all radio frequencies (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), reducing energy consumption which allows more power to go towards charging.
Processor Activity	Faster when idle or low activity	The less your phone processor is doing (e.g., running apps, updates), the faster it will charge. Airplane mode minimizes background processes and activities.
Screen Usage	Faster when screen is off or not used frequently	Using your phone while charging slows down the process as it consumes energy. In airplane mode, people tend to use their phones less often.

Phones charge faster on airplane mode

You may close all of your applications before you connect your charger, but those wireless protocols are still active and chipping away at your precious battery percentage.

That’s where Airplane Mode comes in handy. Switching the feature on reduces your passive power usage while your device charges. In some situations, the small but notable increase in charging speed could be exactly what you need.

How to enable Airplane Mode on Android and iOS

How to make your phone charge faster by enabling Airplane Mode

Follow these steps to enable Airplane Mode on your Android or iOS device:

Swipe down from the top of your screen (top right in iOS) to open the control panel
Tap Airplane Mode (the airplane icon) to enable the setting

That’s it. If you’d prefer to take the scenic route, you can also find the Android Flight Mode switch in Settings > Connections. In iOS, Airplane Mode appears in the main menu of the Settings app.

Does iPhone charge faster on airplane mode?

Enabling airplane mode on an iPhone may potentially contribute to faster charging, as it reduces the power consumption of certain features that can drain the battery.

However, the actual impact on charging speed can vary depending on several factors, such as the device model, battery health, and power source.

Airplane Mode is good for emergency charging

In general, enabling Airplane Mode while your phone charges isn’t necessary. If you’re not in a rush, simply connecting your device to a reliable power source will get the job done in a reasonable amount of time.

However, in an emergency situation—and emergencies do happen—enabling Airplane Mode is a quick and effective way to reduce energy consumption and lessen charging time.

If you do find yourself in a situation where a little extra battery juice could save the day, you now know an effective way to shave off some precious seconds.

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