Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A brand new patent from Google seems to element one thing known as “Connected Flight Mode.”
- The characteristic would be capable of robotically swap airplane mode on and off when it detects you’re on a airplane.
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections would nonetheless be supported on this mode.
Outside of apps particularly made for the aim, Airplane mode has all the time been a characteristic it’s important to allow and disable manually on Android. But Google could be working on a new characteristic that can do it for you.
A brand new patent from Google has appeared on-line. According to the doc, the patent is for a characteristic known as “Connect Flight Mode,” which might work for cellular computing units. That contains your cellphone, pill, and laptop computer.
It seems the characteristic is able to detecting while you’re on a airplane. If the characteristic is triggered, it would robotically flip on Airplane mode for you and switch it again to regular mode when it detects that you simply’re again on the bottom.
But this isn’t simply a fancy solution to flip Airplane mode on or off. This enhanced characteristic helps Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. So you’ll be able to proceed to be related, whereas regular Airplane mode shuts these down together with the mobile community. The patent mentions that the characteristic will configure Wi-Fi settings to suit the precise kind of connection the airplane accepts. However, it might additionally disconnect from a community if it detects that your battery is low or the standard of the community is dangerous.
Additionally, the mode will let your system configure Wi-Fi settings to make sure a sustained expertise. Things akin to computerized backups, background app refreshes, and updates are turned off when this mode is activated.
If you’re questioning how this all works, plainly strain drops, ultrasonic indicators, the Wi-Fi sign of a airplane, and your journey reserving exercise would all work as potential triggers. As the doc states, the method occurs “in response to having determined that the sensor has detected information indicating that the mobile computing device is located on the airplane.”
Since that is simply a patent, there’s no assure this characteristic will ever go public. Google and plenty of different firms submit patents on a regular basis and solely a small share of these truly see the sunshine of day. But if Google launches Connected Flight Mode, it could be a moderately handy characteristic.