Most of the time, you don’t have to worry about whether your phone can get online, but long-haul flights are still one of those situations where Wi-Fi isn’t guaranteed. Airlines are getting better at providing in-flight connectivity, but it’s often unreliable or expensive, and it’s absolutely impossible to guarantee you’ll get broadband-grade download speeds during your trip.
With this in mind, it’s a good idea to do some prep work on your phone before flying. Even if you think you’ll spend some time chatting with family, sleeping, or browsing the entertainment system in the front headrest, there are plenty of things you can do on your phone that can really help you pass the time you spend in the sky.
Choose your application
You don’t necessarily want to have the same apps on your flight that you use every day. For example, your upcoming trip might be a good opportunity to try a read-later service like Instapaper, an e-reader app like Kindle, or a magazine app to make sure you always have something to read.
You might also consider types of content that you typically skip, such as audiobooks or podcasts. Think about what will get you the most fun on the air, perhaps in place of your usual social media apps to scroll through, and adjust your app library accordingly.
cache your content
Many apps let you cache content for offline listening or viewing, especially if you pay. Make sure you have plenty of content saved locally on your phone before your flight takes off, so you don’t have to rely on spotty WiFi connections or in-flight entertainment options.
For example, Netflix allows you to save movies and shows you want to watch: Go to My Netflix, then Downloads to see download suggestions or download titles manually. The same feature is available in the YouTube app, and as long as you pay the Premium fee, you can get it by clicking “Download” on the “You” tab.
find some games
Even if you’ve never played games on your phone regularly, you’d be surprised what spending hours in a flying can does to your brain, and how addictive and enjoyable some of the latest games for Android and iOS can be .
We will skip specific recommendations here, since a lot depends on your taste and preferences, but it is not difficult to find recommended games in the Apple and Google app stores: look for simpler, less demanding games, because They will be better for battery life when you travel.
Sync your devices
Take advantage of those last precious moments of Wi-Fi by opening all the apps you know you’ll rely on before boarding your flight, no matter where you have Wi-Fi. This means you can run a final sync to bring your app up to date with any data you have elsewhere and in the cloud.
This applies to the entertainment apps we mentioned, but also to apps like Gmail and Google Docs if you plan to do some work or management on the air. If you use a Kindle e-reader and the Kindle app at the same time, or listen to podcasts across multiple devices, Final Sync may be useful in those situations.
Charge the battery
Your phone isn’t much use if it’s out of battery, so make sure you have enough juice to last you for the journey. This may require some planning in terms of charging your phone at night, in a hotel, or even at the airport (if you can find a spare outlet). You can also carry a portable charger in your carry-on luggage. Put your phone in low-power mode or turn on airplane mode (or both) to ensure the longest available battery life possible.
