Apple's Airplane Mode page says one thing about what the switch does: "This turns off all radios except for Bluetooth." It adds that "If the airline allows it, you can still use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in Airplane Mode." There is no sentence about location on that page.
Google's Android page is the same shape. It prints the steps, then says "You can connect to Wi-Fi while in Airplane mode." A companion Google page adds that "When you first turn on Airplane mode on your Android phone, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turn off", and that the phone remembers if you switch them back on. Neither page mentions location either.
What airplane mode actually switches off
| Radio | Airplane mode | Can it place you? |
|---|---|---|
| Cellular | Off — Apple: all radios except Bluetooth | Yes. Apple and Google both list cellular network towers among the signals used to work out where a phone is. |
| Wi-Fi | Off, and you can switch it back on | Yes. Both companies list Wi-Fi access points as a location signal. |
| Bluetooth | Apple leaves it on; Android turns it off and remembers if you turn it back on | Yes. Apple lists Bluetooth among the things Location Services uses. |
| GPS | Not named on either company's airplane-mode page | Apple lists GPS as one of the signals Location Services uses, and says accuracy depends on the number of visible GPS satellites. |
Location is not one signal
Apple's Location Services page says the phone uses "information from cellular, Wi-Fi, Global Positioning System (GPS) networks, and Bluetooth to determine your location." Google's Location Accuracy page lists the same wireless signals — Wi-Fi access points, cellular network towers, GPS — plus device sensor data from the accelerometer, barometer and gyroscope.
Airplane mode reaches part of that list and leaves the rest alone. It is a network switch, and neither vendor describes it as the location setting.
The switch that does turn location off
On iPhone it is Location Services, at Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services. Apple's page says that with it off, "apps can't use your location from Location Services in the foreground or background." On Android it is Use location, at Settings, Location, and Google lists what stops: "Your device's location isn't shared with any apps" and "You can't share your device's location with anyone via Google Maps."
Both companies name the same exception. Apple says your iPhone's location "may be used when you place an emergency call to aid response efforts regardless of whether you enable Location Services." Google says emergency location services or your mobile carrier "can still automatically send your device's location to emergency responders when you call or text an emergency number."
Checked 2026-09-17 against: Apple Support — Use Airplane Mode on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro, Apple Support — About privacy and Location Services in iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS, Pixel Phone Help — Control airplane mode, private DNS & other network settings, Android Help — How Location Accuracy improves location, Android Help — Manage your Android device's location settings · Apple's Airplane Mode page published 2026-02-11; Google's Android pages name no version — read 2026-09-17