Does GPS work in airplane mode on a plane?
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Usually, yes. Airplane mode is meant to switch off the parts of your phone that transmit, such as the mobile connection, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and GPS only receives signals from satellites. Whether your phone actually finds its position inside a plane is a different question, and often the answer is "slowly, and only near a window".
What airplane mode switches off
The UK Civil Aviation Authority describes flight mode as the setting that turns off a device's wireless transmitter functions. Receiving satellite signals doesn't transmit anything, so on current iPhone models and on most Android phones the GPS receiver stays available in airplane mode.
"Most" matters. Phone makers decide exactly what their airplane mode does, and some Android phones switch location off with it or ask you to turn it back on. If your map app shows a grey or frozen location dot in airplane mode, check that location services are still switched on.
Also keep in mind what a phone normally uses to find you. On the ground it combines GPS with nearby Wi-Fi networks and mobile masts. In airplane mode, high above the ground, those helpers are gone and GPS has to do all the work.
Is it allowed to use GPS on a flight?
There's no single rule. In Europe, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency lets each airline decide which electronic devices passengers can use, and passengers must always follow crew instructions. In the United States, using a phone's mobile connection in the air is prohibited, and the Federal Aviation Administration tells airlines to have passengers use airplane mode. The captain can ask everyone to switch devices off at any time.
A common myth is that the EU "abolished airplane mode" in 2023. It didn't. The European Commission opened 5G frequencies for aircraft fitted with their own on-board network equipment, and whether that service exists on your flight is still up to the airline.
Why your phone struggles to find GPS in the cabin
- It needs a view of the sky. GPS signals are weak and don't pass well through metal. An aircraft cabin is a metal tube with small windows, and travellers commonly find that a phone only gets a usable signal held close to a window.
- Starting from scratch is slow. A receiver with no recent data has to search the whole sky for satellites, what the European Space Agency's navigation reference calls a cold start. Phones normally skip most of that by downloading assistance data over the network. In airplane mode there's no network, so the first fix can take minutes, especially if the phone was last used hundreds of kilometres away.
- The plane keeps moving. Even once the phone finds satellites, turning away from the window or putting the phone in a bag can lose the signal again.
Can you use a normal map app on a plane?
Only partly. Map apps that let you save areas for offline use still need GPS to show where you are, and all they show is a location dot. They don't know your flight's route, saved areas are limited in size, and they usually expire if you don't update them. On a long flight you'd need to save many areas in advance and still depend on a GPS fix through the window.
If your phone can't find GPS
You can still follow your flight. FlyingOver doesn't use GPS: it saves your route, schedule and an offline map before takeoff, and estimates the plane's position during the flight. It works from any seat with the phone in airplane mode. Because it's an estimate, it can drift if the flight is rerouted or holds before landing. See how to track your flight without Wi-Fi for the full setup.
Sources
- UK Civil Aviation Authority, CAP 1066 In Focus, Flying with gadgets (2014): Flight mode turns off all wireless transmitter functions; passengers should assume they cannot use wireless connectivity unless told otherwise. (September 16, 2026)
- European Union Aviation Safety Agency, electronic devices on board (26 September 2014): It is up to each airline to allow portable electronic devices, and crew instructions always apply. (September 16, 2026)
- Federal Aviation Administration, Advisory Circular AC 91.21-1D: In the United States airborne cellular use is prohibited, and operators should have passengers use airplane mode. (September 16, 2026)
- European Commission, 5G on planes (24 November 2022): Mobile service on EU flights works through network equipment installed on equipped aircraft; it did not abolish airplane mode. (September 16, 2026)
- European Space Agency, Navipedia, Time To First Fix: A cold start means a full search of the sky; assistance data lets a receiver find its position faster. (September 16, 2026)
Related guides
- How to track your flight without Wi-FiWhy live flight trackers stop updating on board, the two ways offline flight tracking works, and how to set it up before you board.
- No Wi-Fi on your flight? What still works offlineHow to find out whether your flight has Wi-Fi, what to prepare before you board, and what your phone can still do in airplane mode.
- What am I flying over? How to tell from the planeHow high planes fly, how far you can see from the window, and how to recognise the cities, coasts and lakes below you, even without Wi-Fi.