Airplane Mode is sort of outdated at this point, at least the term. Most airlines and airplanes nowadays are equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi and most frequent flyers use Bluetooth headphones. By default enabling Airplane Mode on iOS disables Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Luckily, you can still use Bluetooth with Airplane Mode on the iPhone, however it may not be obvious.
iOS has for a while allowed you to turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth even when Airplane Mode is on. When you have Bluetooth enabled, you’ll need to look in Control Center (iPhone X and above) or in the status bar to check if your Bluetooth device has properly connected.
Follow along to learn how to turn it on….
How to use Bluetooth with Airplane Mode on iPhone
- Fire up Settings and make sure Airplane Mode is enabled.
- Tap on Bluetooth. If it’s toggled off, toggle it back on.
- Choose the Bluetooth device you’d like to connect to. If it’s a new Bluetooth device, make sure it’s in pairing mode.
iOS 12 gives a reminder that Airplane Mode is in use by graying out both the Cellular and Personal Hotspot settings and making them inaccessible.
For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:
- How to use Wi-Fi with Airplane Mode on iPhone
- How to turn off government alerts on iPhone
- How to check Apple Watch battery life
- How to find out which Apple Watch model you have
- How to identify and remove outdated Apple Watch apps
- How to add custom email signatures on iPhone and iPad
- How to disable iCloud Music Library on iPhone & iPad
- How to use Apple Watch and iPhone World Clock to keep time zones straight
- How to set a volume limit on iOS for Apple Music
- How to delete iPhone contacts
