Modern smartphones Xiaomi and Redmi are equipped with powerful communication modules that require competent management in certain situations. The most common scenario requiring all wireless interfaces to be disabled is getting on a plane or being in a radio-free location, but many users still don't know the intricacies of activating this feature on the shell. MIUI or hyperos.
Turning on flight mode on Xiaomi devices is not just a formality before takeoff, but also a useful tool for saving battery power or forcing re-registration on the network when a bad signal is present. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the ways to activate air mode, from standard methods to advanced settings through the engineering menu.
Understanding how Flight Mode works on an Android system will help you avoid communication problems after turning off this feature. SIM-Characteristics of alarm clock behavior and methods of forced resetting of network settings, if standard methods do not work.
Standard ways to activate through the notification curtain
The fastest and most common method most smartphone owners use is to use a quick access panel, which is located in the upper right corner of the lock screen or desktop on the MIUI shell, and just swipe down to open the control center.
The menu that opens will show you an icon that shows the plane, which is usually labeled "Flight Mode" or "Air Mode," and when you click on the icon, it changes color (often orange or blue), which signals the activation of the function, and at that point, the icon appears in the status bar, and all wireless connections, including Bluetooth and GPS, are forcibly disabled.
⚠️ Note: On some versions MIUI When you first turn on aeronautical mode, the system may request confirmation of action. Don't ignore this window, because without confirmation, the function will not activate.
If you use the old style of control center (as in pure Android), swipe is done twice: the first time opens notifications, the second time opens switches. In the new style introduced in the latest versions of HyperOS, one long swipe from the upper right corner is enough. The location of the icon can vary depending on the theme of design, but it is always in the first group of switches.
Activation through the system settings menu
If the touch screen is not responsive or you prefer deep access to the system parameters, you can use the main settings menu. This method is especially relevant if the interface is “hang” and does not respond to swipes. The path to the desired switch is standard for all current Xiaomi models.
You need to go to the Settings section and select the item SIM-Maps and mobile networks. In some firmware, this section may be simply called "Connections and Sharing," or it may be at the top of the list of basic settings just below the search bar.
Inside this menu, you'll see the Flight Mode switch, and activating it will have the same effect as using a curtain, where all the radio frequency modules in the smartphone go into sleep mode, and the advantage of this is that you can customize the behavior of each device in detail. SIM-cards separately if your phone supports only one of them (although this is rare in global firmware).
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If you fly frequently, add the Flight Mode widget to your desktop, which will enable the feature with a single touch without opening the curtain or settings.
It’s worth noting that the settings menu sometimes includes Auto Turn on, which allows the smartphone to switch to flight mode on a schedule or under certain conditions, which can be useful for saving energy at night when the network is not needed.
Use of voice assistant and hot keys
Xiaomi smartphone owners can activate flight mode without touching the screen using voice control. This is convenient when hands are busy or the phone is far away.
The activation phrase is "Enable flight mode" or "Turn on flight mode." The system recognizes the request and executes the action instantly. This works even on a locked screen if the appropriate permission is given in the security settings. Similarly, you can say "Switch off flight mode" to restore communication.
Another method is to use the power button in conjunction with the shutdown menu, and many Xiaomi models, when you press the lock button, you have a menu that, in addition to "Stop" and "Reset," you have an airplane icon, and you click on it and you activate the flight mode, and if you don't have that icon, you can add it through the settings:
- 🛠️ Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Buttons.
- 🔘 Select action for long or double pressing of the power button.
- ✈️ Set the launch of “Flight Mode” to a convenient action for you.
This setting allows you to control wireless modules with physical buttons, which is especially important when a damaged touchscreen or in winter, when it is difficult to get into gloves on small icons on the screen.
Table of the behavior of functions in the aircraft mode
Users often wonder what exactly turns off when this mode is activated and whether something can be left working. Below is a table showing the state of the various communication modules immediately after the air mode is turned on on on standard MIUI firmware.
| Communication module | Default status | Possibility of manual switching on | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile network (2G/3G/4G/5G) | Unplugged. | No (locked by the system) | High savings |
| Wi-Fi | Unplugged. | Yes (can be included separately) | Average consumption |
| Bluetooth | Unplugged. | Yes (can be included separately) | Low consumption |
| GPS/GLONASS | Unplugged. | Yeah (depends on the model) | Average consumption |
| NFC | Unplugged. | Yes (can be included separately) | Minimum |
As you can see from the table, the mobile network is the only module that can't be turned on manually while the flight mode is active. All other technologies, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, can be activated again even when the air mode is running, this allows, for example, listening to music through wireless headphones or using on-board Wi-Fi during the flight without violating the airline's rules regarding cellular signals.
It's important to understand that re-energizing Wi-Fi or Bluetooth doesn't reset the "Flight Mode" status in the system bar, but in fact the phone starts emitting radio signals. Flight attendants can see active indicators, so technically you'll only be in aeronautical mode in relation to cell towers.
Why does GPS sometimes remain active?
Advanced Methods: Engineering Menu and ADB
For users with superuser rights or with an interest in the technical side of Android, there are methods for controlling the radio module via an engineering menu or command line, which can be useful if the standard system interface is damaged or blocked.
The first is to use an engineering menu, which is often used on Xiaomi phones with the code ##4636## or ##6484##. In the menu that opens, you need to select Phone Information, and you can find a Turn off radio switch that forces the radio module to turn off at a low level.
The second method is USB debugging and the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) utility, which requires you to connect your smartphone to your computer, and it allows you to send system commands directly, and the following command is used to turn on the air mode:
adb shell settings put global airplane_mode_on 1
adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.AIRPLANE_MODETo turn off mode, you need to replace one with zero in the first line of the command, which is guaranteed to work even in the case of serious software interface failures, since it addresses directly to the system settings of Settings.Global.
⚠️ Attention: Use of engineering menus and commands ADB Changes in menu 4636 incorrectly can cause loss of signal or malfunction of modem firmware. Use these methods only if you understand their purpose.
You can also create automation through apps like Tasker or MacroDroid, and you can set up a scenario where the phone will switch to aeronautical mode when connected to a particular Wi-Fi or at a given time using system APIs that are available without root permissions.
☑️ Pre-flight checks
Solution: Problems with SIM-clock-card
Often, users are faced with a situation where after the flight mode is turned off, the phone does not see the network, or, conversely, the alarm does not ring while the air mode is on. These problems have technical reasons related to the operation of the Android operating system on Qualcomm or MediaTek chipsets.
If your network is lost after the flight (“No service” or “Emergency Calls Only”), try following these steps: First, make sure you wait at least 30-60 seconds after the flight mode is turned off. The process of registering with the operator’s network can take time, especially if you change location (city or country).
Second, check the settings. SIM-Sometimes the system forgets to activate the card after leaving the flight mode. → SIM-maps and mobile networks and make sure your card toggles are active.If the problem persists, rebooting the device or retrieving and re-installation will help. SIM-map.
As for the alarm clock, on modern Xiaomi smartphones, it works regardless of network status and flight mode, because it uses internal system time. However, if you have an alarm clock that depends on online services (rare cases of third-party applications), it may not work. The standard Xiaomi Watch app reliably rings even in air mode and with your phone turned off (if this feature is supported by hardware).
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Flight mode on Xiaomi completely disables cellular data transmission, but allows you to flexibly manage Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to use multimedia content without the Internet.