Your Pixel can now keep Wi-Fi on when Airplane Mode is enabled

Abner Li | Dec 6 2022 - 10:37 am PT

Android 11 made it so that Bluetooth, if active, would stay on even after you enable Airplane Mode, and Google is now extending that to Wi-Fi on Pixel phones.

In recent days, Pixel owners turning on Wi-Fi while in Airplane Mode have received the following Android System notification: “Wi-Fi on in airplane mode / If you keep Wi-Fi on, it will stay on the next time you’re in airplane mode.”

Tapping takes users to a Pixel support article that notes the default behavior, but how you can manually adjust and that “your phone will remember your previous setting.”

When you first turn on your Android phone’s Airplane mode, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned off. You can change this setting to keep your wireless connections on, so you stay connected to devices like your smartwatch or Bluetooth earbuds. You can also turn your wireless connections off again.

Another system-level prompt will remind you about your choice the next time Airplane Mode is turned on, and that it can be changed back to the default behavior by turning Wi-Fi off while in Airplane Mode.

The Bluetooth feature was primarily aimed at keeping your headphones and smartwatches connected, but some have wanted something similar for Wi-Fi when they just want to turn off cellular.

We’ve encountered this new behavior on Android 13 QPR1 devices that were running the beta and now the stable release from yesterday. That said, we’re not sure on the specifics of availability. In theory, this won’t be exclusive to Pixel phones.