Google's Connected Flight Feature Coming; May Auto Enable Airplane Mode On Devices

In a bid to take Airplane Mode to another level, Google is working to introduce what is being called "Connected Flight" mode for Android.

This would also mean that flight attendants would not have to ask passengers onboard to put their devices on flight mode.

In a bid to take Airplane Mode to another level, Google is working to introduce what is being called "Connected Flight" mode for Android. Connected Flight mode by Google would work on smartphones, tablets as well as laptops. The Connected Flight feature would be able to detect when a user is on a plane. Once the feature is triggered, it would automatically turn on Airplane mode for the device and turn it back to normal mode when it detects that the aircraft has landed on the ground. Google has applied for a new patent that has surfaced online, which has revealed details about the Connected Flight mode.

This would also mean that flight attendants would not have to ask passengers onboard to put their devices on flight mode. According to the patent, the feature would be able to detect when a user is on a plane via methods such as acceleration/velocity, cabin sounds, ultrasonic signal, GPS signal, Cellular ID, Wi-Fi signal and pressure drop. Connected Flight mode would automatically be turned on and it would return to standard mode once it detects that the aircraft has landed.

The Connected Flight mode, however, would not let users make or receive calls or texts. It would only let users get access to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for streaming music or using an instant messaging app.

Meanwhile, Alphabet-owned Google is set to appoint a manufacturing and policy veteran. Sreenivasa Reddy, a former Apple executive, is set to take over as Google's India policy head, said a recent report by news agency Bloomberg. Reddy is currently a senior engineering executive at tech giant Microsoft. He may join Google towards the end of this year, the report added, citing people familiar with the matter.

Sreenivasan's previous stints included holding senior positions at tech giant Apple's India regulatory team. He also headed government relations at the local unit of Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson AB, and helped drive domestic manufacturing at both companies.

This move by the search engine giant is said to be helpful as the company is now looking to establish partnerships with Indian suppliers for the local manufacturing of Google Pixel smartphones. With this, Google would join the likes of global tech giants like Apple and Samsung to locally manufacture products in India. The company is already in talks with homegrown manufacturers such as Lava International, Dixon Technologies and Tawian's Foxconn's Bharat FIH for locally assembling the devices, a recent report by Bloomberg said.