Some apps, like GPS Plan can still access GPS data, and users have reported that their map location still gets updated as they walk about.Īirplane mode doesn’t turn off the NFC system either. The thing to know about this is that even in Airplane mode, the GPS radio receiver remains on, and the iPhone knows its whereabouts. More likely, as mentioned, so many apps now depend on iOS Location Services that a simple-minded approach to Airplane mode no longer sufficed. Perhaps it was determined that this tiny residual radiation would not harm any other device close by. I’m theorizing now.įirst, any circuit that oscillates for reception can emit a very small residual amount of radiation at the same frequency.
Why the change in iOS 8.3? There are several reasons why this change may have happened. For example, if Airplane mode is on to preserve power in an outdoor situation (wilderness hiking), the camera wouldn’t be able to geotag your photos. That’s helpful in recent times because so many apps depend on Location Services. Here’s how that happens: Airplane mode in iOS 8.3 and later does not turn off the receive-only GPS system. Apple’s list of the three remaining radios must be taken as definitive.Įven so, some people have been puzzled by the ability of an app in recent versions of iOS to track them with their iPhone in Airplane mode.
Plus, that version of iOS is no longer installable because it’s no longer signed by Apple. Likely, this is because that information related to iOS 8.2 is outdated. However, the latest version of that tech note, dated Sep 13, 2016, omits that clarification. You may be wondering why it only references three of the four (or five) radio systems in, say, an iPhone.įirst, in iOS 8.2 and earlier, Airplane mode also disabled GPS, and an earlier version of Apple’s tech note, dated stated such. GPS on iPhone TodayĪpple has a nice tech note, # HT204234, that explains the use of Airplane mode on iOS and watchOS devices. With iOS 8.2 and earlier, (and phones without NFC) the Airplane mode in iOS would turn off all existing radio systems. Starting with the iPhone 6 in 2014 (with iOS 8.1) and the introduction of Apple Pay, the Near Field Communication (NFC) radio system was added. IPhones prior to the iPhone 6 had four radio subsystems.
Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite (rendering). Plus, starting with iPhone 6, NFC is not disabled either. Starting in iOS 8.3, that changed with GPS. With iOS 8.2 and earlier, Airplane mode in iOS would turn off all four radios in an iPhone: Bluetooth, Cellular, GPS and Wi-Fi.
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