Lifehack A stable internet connection - no matter which smartphone

If the internet is not working properly or the Wi-Fi is annoyingly slow, there can be many reasons for this. You can easily get to the bottom of one of them - and fix the connection problem directly on your smartphone or tablet (or at least alleviate it a little). No matter which model you are currently using. Incidentally, this is only marginally related to flying ...

Almost every smartphone (and tablet) has the well-known "flight mode". The function got its name from its original purpose: Because to prevent (too many) devices within an aircraft from interfering with the signals of the on-board technology, the instruments in the cockpit or the radio traffic, the flight mode cuts all mobile phone, WLAN, Bluetooth and NFC connections emanating from your device in one fell swoop.

The function has now largely lost its relevance in air traffic. This is because modern airplanes have long been designed in such a way that their on-board technology can no longer be affected by cell phone signals. You may have noticed that many airlines no longer explicitly instruct their passengers by announcement to switch off electronic devices during take-off and landing or to put them into flight mode. Some continue to do so for the sake of good tradition.

Nonetheless, flight mode will remain in place for smartphones and tablets around the world - innovations and updates or not. And for good reason!

Because instead of having to switch your smartphone or tablet completely off and then on again if you have connection problems so that you can restart your internet connection and the signal is found again (or stronger), you can simply activate flight mode.

Step 1

On the iPhone or iPad

Swipe down from the top right corner of the screen, which will open the control center - and then tap the airplane icon (alternatively, you can also activate flight mode via the settings, simply activate the switch at "Flight mode").

On an Android device

Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notifications panel and then swipe down again to go to the quick settings. Then tap on the airplane icon (here you can also activate the function via the device settings, under "Network & Internet" or "Connections" - depending on the device).

Step 2

Now wait a few seconds - no matter which device you are using. During this time, all signal connections will be cut. If you now deactivate flight mode again - i.e. switch it off - this is a kind of "connection reset" and it is quite possible that the internet signal will be stronger than before. Depending on how long you continue to surf or stream, you may of course have to repeat this process from time to time.

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A little extra trick when it comes to flight mode:

Leave flight mode activated if you are not currently dependent on your mobile network. While the mode is active, you can now switch on either the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection (or both) separately on newer devices. Many are convinced that this makes the connection more stable or even faster, as the device is only busy with one (or at most two) connections and other sources of interference are minimized. Try it out - "if it's no use, it's no harm"! In any case, you will reduce the energy consumption of your device and save the battery. It can also be quite useful from time to time.

You can also find other attractive offers in the Swisscom Online Shop. And with our Mobile subscription and our Internet subscription, you'll always be connected to the best network in Switzerland.