Most of the time, you don’t have to worry about whether or not your phone can get online, but long-haul flights remain one of those scenarios where you’re not guaranteed wifi. Airlines have got better at offering connectivity in the air, but it’s often unreliable or expensive, and it’s definitely not a given that you’re going to be getting broadband-level download speeds during your trip.
With that in mind, it’s a good idea to do some prep work on your phone before you get in the air. Even if you think you’ll spend some time chatting with family, or sleeping, or browsing through the entertainment system in the headrest in front of you, having lots to do on your phone as well can really help those hours in the sky fly by.
Choose your apps
You’re not necessarily going to want all the same apps installed on your flight as you do day-to-day. For example, your upcoming trip could be a good opportunity to try a read-it-later service like Instapaper, an e-reader app like Kindle, or a magazine app to make sure you’ve always got something to read.
You might also consider types of content you usually skip—think audiobooks or podcasts, for example. Think about what’s going to keep you most entertained in the air, perhaps in lieu of the social media apps you’re normally scrolling through, and adjust your app library accordingly.
Cache your content
Many apps let you cache content for offline listening or viewing, especially if you’re paying for them. By making sure you’ve got a good chunk of stuff saved locally to your phone before the plane takes off, you don’t have to depend on a spotty wifi connection or the on-board entertainment options.
For example, Netflix lets you save movies and shows to watch: Head to My Netflix and then Downloads to see suggestions for downloads or to download titles manually. The same feature is available in the YouTube app, as long as you’re paying for Premium, and you can get it by tapping Downloads on the You tab.
Find some games
Even if you never usually play games on your phone, you’d be surprised at what a few hours in a flying tin can do to your brain and how addictive and enjoyable some of the latest games for Android and iOS can be.
We’ll skip specific recommendations here, because a lot depends on your tastes and preferences, but it’s not difficult to find suggested games in the Apple and Google app stores: Look for simpler, less demanding titles, as they’ll be kinder to your battery life while you’re traveling.
Sync your devices
Make the most of those precious last few moments of wifi, wherever you happen to get it, by opening up all the apps you know you’re going to be relying on before you board the plane. It means you can run one last sync to get your apps matched up with whatever data you have elsewhere and in the cloud.
This applies to entertainment apps like the ones we’ve mentioned, but also to apps like Gmail and Google Docs if you’re planning to do a bit of work or admin in the air. If you’re using a Kindle ereader and the Kindle app in tandem, or listening to podcasts across multiple devices, those are other scenarios where one final sync can be useful.
Charge your battery
Your phone isn’t much use with a dead battery, so make sure you’ve got enough juice to last for the trip. This may require some planning in terms of charging your handset overnight, at the hotel, or even at the airport if you can find a spare power socket. You can also take portable chargers in your carry-on luggage. Put your phone in lower power mode or turn on airplane mode (or both) to make sure that the battery life you do have available lasts as long as possible.
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