Does GPS work in airplane mode?

Yes. Your phone's GPS is a receiver: it listens to signals sent by satellites and transmits nothing, so it needs no cell signal and no internet. Airplane mode cuts the cellular network, and on Android the phone can find its position using only GPS and its sensors. What doesn't work without internet is loading maps: you have to download them before you board.

Why GPS doesn't need a signal

GPS has three parts: the satellites, the control stations on the ground, and your receiver. According to GPS.gov, the satellites transmit one-way signals with their position and the time, and the receiver uses that information to work out where it is. Your phone never talks back to the satellite.

Airplane mode exists to switch off things that transmit: the cellular radio and, depending on the phone, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Receiving GPS is a different thing. That's why the blue dot can keep moving even when you have zero bars.

Android and iPhone: what the makers say

Android. Google's location help page explains that with Location Accuracy turned off, the phone uses only GPS and device sensors (accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope) to find its location. In other words, GPS doesn't depend on Wi-Fi or the cell network. Google also documents that offline maps in Google Maps work when you have no internet, and that they expire if you don't update them.

iPhone. Apple's airplane mode page says it turns off cellular and Wi-Fi, and that you can turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth back on if the airline allows it. That page doesn't mention GPS. The safe move is to test it on your own phone before you travel (how to do that is below).

Why it's slow to lock on inside a plane

GPS needs to 'see' the sky. GPS.gov notes that smartphone accuracy gets worse near buildings, bridges and trees because the signal gets blocked. Inside an airplane something similar happens: the fuselage is metal, and the signal comes in mostly through the windows.

Take a window seat if you can, and hold the phone near the glass.
The first fix can take a while. Be patient and keep the phone still.
In an aisle or middle seat of a big plane it may never lock on. It isn't broken: the signal just isn't reaching it.

One more thing: in some regions GPS signals get interfered with. In its 2025 safety report, IATA said reported jamming events rose 67% compared with 2023, and reported spoofing incidents rose 193%. If your dot jumps somewhere absurd, that may be why.

Maps: the only thing you need to prepare

GPS gives you a latitude and a longitude. To make that useful, you need a map stored on the phone. Without internet, an app that loads maps on the fly will show you a dot on a grey background.

On Wi-Fi, before you leave, download the map or the data for your route.
Put the phone in airplane mode and check the map still shows.
Step outside or stand by a window and see if your position appears. If it doesn't work on the ground, it won't work on the plane.

Is it allowed on board?

In the United States, the FAA announced on October 31, 2013 that airlines can allow passengers to use electronic devices during all phases of flight, with phones in airplane mode. In Europe, EASA took a similar step in December 2013, and in September 2014 it let airlines allow devices even outside airplane mode, after each airline runs its own assessment.

Either way, each airline makes the final call, and crew instructions always come first. If they ask you to switch it off, switch it off.

How Modo Avión uses it

Modo Avión is an Android app that does exactly this: with your phone in airplane mode and no signal, it uses GPS to show where you are, which city or river is below, which airports are nearby, how much of the trip is left, which airspace you're in, and the weather you downloaded before leaving. It's free, needs no account and has no ads. It requires Android 8 or newer and isn't on Play Store yet: you get it from mdavion.com/bajar.

It's for looking out the window and knowing what you're seeing. It is not a flight instrument. To see your route before you fly, look it up in routes, for example Buenos Aires to Madrid. The full step-by-step is in how to see where you are on a plane.

Follow the route offline in airplane mode

All of this on board and with no signal: with your phone in airplane mode, Modo Avión shows where you are, what's below and how long is left. GPS still works, because it only listens to satellites.

Get Modo Avión for Android

Free · no account · no ads · 28.4 MB · Android 8 or newer

How to install it (Spanish)

FAQ

Does GPS use data in airplane mode?

No. GPS only receives satellite signals. What uses data is downloading maps, and you do that beforehand, on Wi-Fi.

Why can't my phone find its position on the plane?

Because the metal fuselage blocks much of the signal. Move to a window seat, hold the phone near the glass and wait a while without moving it.

Can I use GPS during takeoff?

It depends on the airline. The FAA in 2013 and EASA in 2013 and 2014 cleared airlines to allow it, but each airline decides and crew instructions come first.

Does it work on iPhone?

Apple's airplane mode page doesn't mention GPS. Test it on the ground before you travel: airplane mode on, map downloaded, and see if your position shows.

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Sources

Checked on 19/09/2026 against these sources.