Why Can't You Use Phones On Planes

**Why Can’t You Use Your Phone on Planes? A Comprehensive Look at the Rules and Regulations**

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### The Safety Announcement: A Familiar Beginning

"Please ensure your seat backs and tray tables are in the upright and locked position and turn off any handheld electronic devices. Wait, what do I mean? I understand why I had to check my paintball gun, but is my tiny little iPhone really going to bring down a Boeing 787? Does it really matter if I'm watching an excellent recent Tech quickie episode about fax machines as the plane rolls down the tarmac?"

These are the questions many of us have wondered while sitting on a plane, listening to the same safety announcements over and over. Why do we have to turn off our electronic devices? Is it really necessary? And why can't we just use them in airplane mode?

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### A Little History: The FCC Ban on Phone Calls

To answer these questions, we need to take a trip back in time. The United States Federal Communication Commission (FCC), the same group at the center of every debate over net neutrality, banned phone calls on planes way back in 1991. At the time, only a privileged few had cell phones, and they looked like giant bricks. This rule was passed out of concerns that the radio waves emitted from a cell phone could interfere with critical radio transmissions, such as communications between air traffic control and pilots. After all, these systems help planes avoid thunderstorms, mountains, and other planes—obstacles that are no laughing matter at 30,000 feet.

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### The Rise of New Devices and Concerns

As the years went by, new types of devices like portable audio and video players became more widespread. Even devices that didn't transmit data over the air could potentially interfere with critical airplane electronics, such as positioning systems. This wasn't just idle paranoia—it was based on real incidents. For example, in 1999, a passenger's handheld DVD player caused an instrument in the cockpit to indicate that the plane was pointed in the wrong direction.

While modern avionics are far more resistant to interference than they used to be, there has never been any definitive evidence linking portable consumer electronics to an actual crash.

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### The FAA's Relaxed Rules

In response to this reality, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relaxed their rules about electronic device use in 2013. Since then, U.S. flights have allowed the use of non-transmitting devices throughout the flight, even below 10,000 feet—a segment that was previously banned due to the dangers of takeoff and landing. However, the new rule only allows the use of non-transmitting devices. So while you can use your iPad to watch a movie saved to its local storage, you can't make a voice call on a cellular network—hence the famous "airplane mode" that stops all transmissions to and from your device.

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### The Mystery of Cell Phone Calls

But here's where things get interesting. In an age where in-flight WiFi is becoming more common, why are we still told not to make a quick call while waiting on an overpriced cocktail from the flight attendant? The answer may be simpler than you think. In April 2017, the chairman of the FCC rejected a proposal to allow cell phone calls on flights because he "valued a moment of quiet at 30,000 feet." The press release didn't mention safety concerns once.

In Europe, passengers are allowed to use their cellular data, but calls remain banned—often to avoid annoying other passengers. Some speculate that this could be a case of government regulators cozying up to companies that want to charge people for in-flight communication services. With the way we're nickel and dimed by airlines these days, it wouldn't surprise anyone if that were true.

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### From Electronics to Software: A Mid-Video Detour

Speaking of getting nickel and dimed—Synergy! This software download solves the problem of having two keyboards and two mice on your desk at the same time. Forget the hassle of managing multiple peripherals; install Synergy on all your computers and share one mouse and one keyboard between two or more devices. You'll no longer confuse which keyboard goes with which, thanks to features like clipboard sharing, file dragging and dropping, hotkeys, and the ability to share peripherals across different operating systems. Seriously, you can have a Windows PC, a Mac, and a Linux machine all connected seamlessly—like freaking magic!

If you want to try out Synergy and save some money, check out the link in the video description.

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### Final Thoughts: Safety, Convenience, and Beyond

So why are we still restricted from making calls on planes? The answer seems to be a mix of outdated regulations, safety concerns (real or perceived), and perhaps even economic motivations. While modern avionics are designed to resist interference, the fear of distractions during takeoff and landing remains valid. And let's not forget—the powers that be might just enjoy the quiet up in the skies.

As for Synergy? Well, it seems like a small detour in an otherwise informative video about electronics on planes. Whether or not you decide to try out this software is entirely up to you—but if you're looking to streamline your workspace, it might just be worth a look.

Thanks for watching, guys! Don't forget to like, dislike, leave a comment with video suggestions, and check out our other channels. And, of course, don't forget to subscribe for more updates!

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This article provides a full transcription and detailed exploration of the topics discussed in the video, offering insights into the history, regulations, and speculations surrounding electronic device use on airplanes.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enplease ensure your seat backs and tray tables are in the upright and locked position and turn off any handheld electronic devices wait a minute what I mean I understand why I had to check my paintball gun but is my tiny little iPhone really going to bring down a Boeing 787 does it really matter if I'm watching the an excellent recent Tech quickie episode about fax machines as the plane rolls down the tarmac well to answer this question we need a little bit of History the United States Federal Communication Commission or FCC you know the same group of folks at the center of every debate over net neutrality banned phone calls on planes way back in 1991 when the privileged few that had cell phones were carrying around things that looked like this this rule was passed over concerns that the radio waves emitted from a cell phone could interfere with more important radio Transmissions such as Communications between air traffic control and Pilots so that your plane can avoid you know little obstacles like thunderstorms mountains and other planes later on as other types of devices like portable audio and video players became more widespread there was further concerned that even devices that didn't transmit data over the air could interfere with critical airplane Electronics like Positioning Systems and to be very clear this was more than the type of idle paranoia that you'd find at a typical PTA meeting in fact one passenger's handheld DVD player caused an instrument in a cockpit to indicate the plane was pointed in the wrong direction in an incident back in 1999 with that said modern Aviation Electronics or avionics resist interference far better than they used to and on top of that there's never been any definitive evidence linking portable consumer electronics to an actual crash so in response to this reality the Federal Aviation Administration relaxed their rules about exactly when passengers could use their Gadgets in 2013 and since then US flights have been allowed Electronics use throughout the flight even below 10,000 ft which was previously banned because takeoff and Landing are the most dangerous segments of flight when lots of things need to happen with Precision in a particular order for safe departure and arrival but the new rule only allows the use of non-transmitting devices so while you can use an iPad to watch a movie that you've saved to its local storage you can forget about a voice call on a cellular network hence the famous airplane mode that stops all transmissions to and from the device but why I mean we're living in the age of inflight WiFi for crying out loud which you can learn more about here and the FCC has even allocated specific frequencies to Cellular Connections to reduce the risk of interference with flight why are we still told not to make a quick call while waiting on an overpriced cocktail from the flight attendant well the answer may be as simple as the powers that be being fine with the rule as it is in April 2017 the chairman of the FCC actually rejected a proposal to allow cell phone calls on flights because he this is a quote valued a moment of quiet at 30,000 ft with the press release not saying a single word about actual safety and in Europe passengers are allowed to use their cellular data it's just calls that are banned to avoid annoying other passengers and I guess there are also those who further speculate that this could be a case of government Regulators cozying up to companies who want to charge people for inflight communication Services we're not going to get too deep into how true that may or may not be but now that I think about it with the way I get nickel and dimed by the airlines these days it wouldn't surprise me that much if that were true although with that said it wouldn't surprise me that much to see a credit card reader on the lavatory door at some point so speaking of getting nickel and dimed Synergy doesn't do that Synergy is a software download that solves the problem of having two keyboards and two mice on your desk at the same time forget that stuff just install Synergy on all your computers and share one Mouse and one keyboard between two or more so you'll no longer confuse CH which one goes with which they offer a basic and a pro option with a one-time payment for Lifetime access features include things like clipboard sharing between computers dragging and dropping files between computers the ability to set up hotkeys and even the ability to share your peripherals between different operating systems seriously you can have like a Windows a Mac and a Linux PC and you just move your mouse across them it's like freaking magic so if you want to try out Synergy and save some money check out the link in the video description now so thanks for watching guys dislike or like leave a comment with video suggestions check out our other channels and don't forget to subscribeplease ensure your seat backs and tray tables are in the upright and locked position and turn off any handheld electronic devices wait a minute what I mean I understand why I had to check my paintball gun but is my tiny little iPhone really going to bring down a Boeing 787 does it really matter if I'm watching the an excellent recent Tech quickie episode about fax machines as the plane rolls down the tarmac well to answer this question we need a little bit of History the United States Federal Communication Commission or FCC you know the same group of folks at the center of every debate over net neutrality banned phone calls on planes way back in 1991 when the privileged few that had cell phones were carrying around things that looked like this this rule was passed over concerns that the radio waves emitted from a cell phone could interfere with more important radio Transmissions such as Communications between air traffic control and Pilots so that your plane can avoid you know little obstacles like thunderstorms mountains and other planes later on as other types of devices like portable audio and video players became more widespread there was further concerned that even devices that didn't transmit data over the air could interfere with critical airplane Electronics like Positioning Systems and to be very clear this was more than the type of idle paranoia that you'd find at a typical PTA meeting in fact one passenger's handheld DVD player caused an instrument in a cockpit to indicate the plane was pointed in the wrong direction in an incident back in 1999 with that said modern Aviation Electronics or avionics resist interference far better than they used to and on top of that there's never been any definitive evidence linking portable consumer electronics to an actual crash so in response to this reality the Federal Aviation Administration relaxed their rules about exactly when passengers could use their Gadgets in 2013 and since then US flights have been allowed Electronics use throughout the flight even below 10,000 ft which was previously banned because takeoff and Landing are the most dangerous segments of flight when lots of things need to happen with Precision in a particular order for safe departure and arrival but the new rule only allows the use of non-transmitting devices so while you can use an iPad to watch a movie that you've saved to its local storage you can forget about a voice call on a cellular network hence the famous airplane mode that stops all transmissions to and from the device but why I mean we're living in the age of inflight WiFi for crying out loud which you can learn more about here and the FCC has even allocated specific frequencies to Cellular Connections to reduce the risk of interference with flight why are we still told not to make a quick call while waiting on an overpriced cocktail from the flight attendant well the answer may be as simple as the powers that be being fine with the rule as it is in April 2017 the chairman of the FCC actually rejected a proposal to allow cell phone calls on flights because he this is a quote valued a moment of quiet at 30,000 ft with the press release not saying a single word about actual safety and in Europe passengers are allowed to use their cellular data it's just calls that are banned to avoid annoying other passengers and I guess there are also those who further speculate that this could be a case of government Regulators cozying up to companies who want to charge people for inflight communication Services we're not going to get too deep into how true that may or may not be but now that I think about it with the way I get nickel and dimed by the airlines these days it wouldn't surprise me that much if that were true although with that said it wouldn't surprise me that much to see a credit card reader on the lavatory door at some point so speaking of getting nickel and dimed Synergy doesn't do that Synergy is a software download that solves the problem of having two keyboards and two mice on your desk at the same time forget that stuff just install Synergy on all your computers and share one Mouse and one keyboard between two or more so you'll no longer confuse CH which one goes with which they offer a basic and a pro option with a one-time payment for Lifetime access features include things like clipboard sharing between computers dragging and dropping files between computers the ability to set up hotkeys and even the ability to share your peripherals between different operating systems seriously you can have like a Windows a Mac and a Linux PC and you just move your mouse across them it's like freaking magic so if you want to try out Synergy and save some money check out the link in the video description now so thanks for watching guys dislike or like leave a comment with video suggestions check out our other channels and don't forget to subscribe\n"