A pilot took to TikTok to explain why airplane mode is NOT a conspiracy theory and revealed what happens when you don't put your phone in airplane mode or turn it off. No, it doesn't mess with the systems on board, but it could potentially mess with the pilot's headsets.
When a phone is messing with a pilots headphone, he says quote, “It’s definitely not the end of the world but it’s pretty annoying when you’re trying to copy down instructions and it sounds like there’s a wasp or something flying around."