Reason why your phone must be switched to airplane mode according to a pilot the reason was explained.
Passengers are told to put their phones on airplane mode or turn them off but what happens if you don't follow the rules?
You need WiFi if you want to share your social media pics on board
You need WiFi if you want to share your social media pics on board
Switching your mobile phone to airplane mode is one of the golden rules of flying, especially if you plan to still keep on using your device to watch downloads or play games.
However, it does limit what you can do with your device as, unless there's on-board WiFi, some of your apps and social media feeds won't work.
But what happens if people decide to leave their phone off airplane mode and bend the rules, or even if you forget to switch?
One pilot has revealed that the result can be pretty irritating for both pilots and air traffic controllers, the Mirror reports.
That's because sometimes mobile phones which aren't on airplane mode can cause interference in radio signals, not exactly ideal if they're trying to communicate with air traffic control.
Switching your phone on airplane mode avoids interference
Switching your phone on airplane mode avoids interference
They said: "I'm going to blow the mind of every frequent flyer out there and say this: cell phones can and do interfere with airplanes.
"Transmitting cell phones can cause audible interference on the aircraft's radios. You've probably heard this interference yourself when a phone is set near a speaker.
"It sounds like a 'dit-dit-dit-dit' tone and it's pretty annoying. Anyone who has had to track down audio interference in a sound system understands."
Obviously, not ideal if it means that they can't hear what air traffic control is trying to say - especially around landing and take-off when communication is crucial.
Mobile phones can cause interference on planes unless they're on airplane mode
Mobile phones can cause interference on planes unless they're on airplane mode
However, the anonymous pilot explained that it was a "fairly rare" interference, adding that they fly around 50 flights a month and hear it maybe once or twice during that time frame.
As to whether leaving phones on pose any real threats?
The pilot explained: "If you ask me if phones interfere, I'll say yes. If you ask if they're dangerous...eh, not really.
"It's annoying, but the practical result of this interference is that the radio frequency is blocked for a few seconds."
After all, pilots are trained for far more dangerous situations, and can keep their cool under pressure.
Still, you should switch your phone to airplane mode as any interference can be an issue if they're trying to speak to ground staff via radio.
For example, some incidents have been avoided in a matter of seconds thanks to pilots' communications with air traffic control.
Not to mention that, while the odd phone is manageable, if everyone chose to ignore the rule, that suddenly makes for hundreds of mobile phones causing interference. Not ideal.