What if you want to keep airplane mode on, but still want to use mobile data to browse the web or do other internet-related tasks? This is possible, but you will have to access a hidden setting to do it. Below you will find two ways to enable mobile data in airplane mode on Android.
Use phone information hidden setting
Android lets you use a bunch of dial pad codes to access hidden settings like battery information or device ID, etc. One of these codes lets you access the phone network information and make changes to it, which we will use to enable mobile data in flight mode. Considering you already have airplane mode enabled, below are the steps you need to follow to enable mobile data: Open the phone dialer and dial ##4636## code. This will open a menu with “Phone information1” and “Phone information2” options. Here “Phone information1” and “Phone information2” are basically SIM1 and SIM2, so choose the one you want to use mobile data on. Now enable the toggle button next to the “Mobile Radio Power” option. You might have to scroll a little to see it.
That’s it, the mobile data will be enabled and you can close the phone information setting. The phone information bar at the top will still show the airplane mode enabled sign and the mobile data sign or signal bars will not appear. Although the internet will work fine and you can even make phone calls.
Use a third-party app to enable mobile data in flight mode
Not all phones support the above-mentioned dial pad code or that phone information setting. For those phones, you can use a third-party app that might be able to do it. This method is especially useful when you want to use mobile data in flight mode on Samsung phones as they have their own dial pad codes. Although there are a bunch of apps for this purpose, but for my Samsung phone, 4G LTE Switcher 2 worked best, so I’ll recommend it. Install and open the app, then tap on the big green “Phone Info” button. A pop-up will appear telling how the feature works and that it might not work on all phones. Tap on “Launch mode” here. The same phone information setting will open just like in the first method above. Here enable the “Mobile Radio Power” option and mobile data will be enabled even in flight mode.
You can close the app afterward and the mobile data and even phone calls will work fine. Note: If you face trouble turning off/on flight mode after following the above methods, then follow the same steps again and turn off the “Mobile Radio Power” option.
Ending thoughts
If you need to use mobile data often in flight mode, then using the app will be much better as it’s easier to use compared to using a dial pad code. The app is especially needed for Samsung phone users as there is no other way to access the phone information setting. If you know any other way to use mobile data in flight mode on Android, let us know in the comments below.
