With every new version of the Android mobile operating system that gets announced, there’s probably less and less in terms of new and exciting features to look forward to. But what if you were told that the next big thing for a future version of Android was that it could automatically engage Airplane mode for you when you travel? That’s a non-zero possibility, according to a patent filed by Google.
To make this an automatic process, the patent describes a version of Android making use of a phone’s sensors to detect if it is inside a plane. The software will take into account things like changes in pressure, acceleration and velocity, as well as even cabin sounds when deciding if a phone is currently in a plane. Also possibly taken into account are things like GPS, mobile networks and WiFi signals that could indicate movement. Naturally, to make use of all this, you’ll have to grant your phone permission to access all the required data.
Beyond just switching automatically to airplane mode, the patent also describes giving devices the ability to leave WiFi turned on if a flight offers it. And when connected to an in-flight WiFi, the idea is that the device will recognise this connection as one that’s more limited, and therefore not perform bandwidth-intensive functions like backing up photos.
As with any other patent, it’s unclear if this is something that would make it to a commercial version of Android in the future. But even if it does, it’s probably among the least exciting additions one can have to a mobile OS. On the flip side though, flights being less strict about airplane modes, and in-flight WiFi being more common, is probably a bigger deal that automatic airplane mode switching will ever be.
(Source: WIPO)
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