Pilot explains what really happens when passengers use their phones on plane — people didn't know 'it actually mattered'

It's a commonly known thing that one is supposed to put their phone on airplane mode once they get on a plane. However, many people might not know the exact reason why they are told to do that. So, a pilot, who goes by @perchpoint on TikTok, shared why people are told to put their phones on airplane mode and why they should follow the instruction. He also shared what happens if a few people haven't turned on their airplane mode while flying.

"This is just a friendly PSA that the airplane mode button on your phone is not a conspiracy," the pilot began. The man, however, reassured people that it's not the "end of the world" if they forget to put their phone on airplane mode, before he shared why it is important. "The plane will not fall out of the sky and it won't even mess with the systems on board." He added, "However, it does have the potential to mess with the headsets." The man explained how, when one is on an aircraft with 70, 80, or 150 people on board and even if 3 or 4 people's phones start to try to make a connection to a radio tower for an incoming phone call, it sends out radio waves. "There is a potential that the radio waves can interfere with the radio waves of the headset that the pilots are using."

"Last night in San Francisco, we had pushed off the gate, we were talking to rampers, we disconnected from the tug, started the engines and once we got the plane turned around, we headed towards the taxiway," the pilot recounted. "And I called the ground to get our clearances as to which direction we had to go. And as soon as we started getting the directions, there was this really annoying buzz going through the headset." He continued, "It kind of sounds like I have a mosquito in my ear." He clarified that it was not the "end of the world," but it was "pretty annoying" when one is trying to copy down the instructions. "It sounds like there's a wasp or something flying around you."

"So if you get curious why you have to put on airplane mode, that's why," the pilot concluded. "The more ya know, yanno?" the caption read. People shared their thoughts on the PSA in the comments section of the video. @lifeaslaurel wrote, "I think y’all should normalize getting on speaker and saying exactly this. 'I can hear in my headset some of y’all do not have airplane mode on.' It’ll freak people out, they’ll turn it on." @zahraakiki commented, "I don’t get why people don’t turn on airplane mode…I don’t want to pose ANY risk to anyone’s life, no matter how big or small, especially MID AIR."

@nicky6yo remarked, "Meanwhile, I'm the type of person who thinks if I forget to put it on Airplane mode, y'all will know it's me and it will be my fault if we crash and burn." @kelliefuller4 shared, "I had a radio talk show and I always told my guests to put their phone on airplane mode. If they received a call, it created a loud buzz on the broadcast." @awtumsauce expressed, "It's not even hard to set your phone to airplane mode. It does nothing negative to your phone or life. Why do people care so much about this?"

You can follow @perchpoint on TikTok for more pilot content.