Mobile Phone In Airplane Mode

[Captain Haddock]

I've had many mobile phones over the years, and switched back and forth from Th GSM to DTAC and back again etc. Each time the phone was on airplane mode, I thought that it meant it was off the network and no rads were being spilled from it.

Now I'm in Malaysia for a bit, and have a Tune Talk (part of Air Asia's little empire) SIM card installed. I turn the phone to airplane mode - presumably so the apps can still be used on a plane... - but approx. every hour, it lights up with another little message from the network: buy this pizza, your balance is, blah blah.

I thought the whole point of airplane mode was to be disconnected form the network and yet still have the phone retain some functionality.

Should I be wearing a tin hat and disconnecting the batteries if I really want to stay off the loop? Why do the manufacturers (in the current case, Nokia) offer this option if it ain't really so?

Any thoughts?

[lomatopo]

Do you appear to have an operator signal, when set to airplane mode? When you are on the ground can you make/receive voice calls when set to airplane mode? Can you make/receive SMSes? Which Nokia model do you have?

In theory airplane mode should shut down the GSM radio which would preclude voice calls and SMSes. I guess it is possible that the SIM card stores marketing messages and your most recent balance. Or maybe you are not really setting this mode properly? Or your phone is broken and no longer supporting this feature.

Not sure what this "staying off the loop" is? Did you mean grid? If so, don't worry. "They" can track you by the chip "they" planted in your brain when you were born. The tin-foil hat does not shield from "their" search capabilities nor does it prevent "their" ability to control your mind.

[nikster]

Maybe it's a bug in this model phone?

The iPhone is off networks in airplane mode - as it should be.

[floridaguy]

Maybe these messages are built into your phone or sim? maybe timed to receive messages at certain intervals. when i put my iPhone in airplane mode, it is definitely not sending or receiving. I tried to connect with an Apply program to locate, send messages to, and erase my phone in the case that it is stolen. in airplane mode, it couldn't locate it, and messages didn't go through. as soon as i switched it out of airplane mode, the messages arrived and it located my phone.

[Captain Haddock]

The phone is a Nokia Xpress music model, 2 yrs old form Thailand, so no hidden Malaysian network messages stored from there.

The phone is correctly put into flight mode with no signal strength metre displayed.

Is it possible to program a SIM to display recurring messages? Some include latest balance on my card. Could this have come from the network at time of disconnection from it, and programmed to repeat display every 15 mins or so? If a movie or game is being used, the display message interupts the application! It's annoying and invasive. And if it is possible, then surely this is a missed marketing tool for the Thai phone companies!?

I thought the whole point of airplane mode was to take you off the network/grid/loop etc. (Although I have heard the only way to be sure is to remove the battery...)

[beano2274]

The SIM Card knows that it is set up for service messages, switch them off, from the phone and then it will no longer find the network

Click the Messages Icon, then settings then services, set the Service messages to off, then see if you get anymore.

[beano2274]

Remember you are in the home network for the SIM Card so it will always try to receive the service messages

[Captain Haddock]

Thanks for the suggestion but the setting is already set to Service Messages Off. Any other ideas?

[lomatopo]

What is the exact model number of your phone?

Is there an indication that you are in flight mode? For example, the Nokia Xpress Music 5310 displays an airplane icon on the display when in flight mode.

Can you make/receive a call when in flight mode?

In flight mode can you originate an SMS? Is it delivered? Can you receive an SMS, maybe send one from a friend's phone.

If you remove the SIM, do you still receive these messages? If you put the SIM in another phone do you get the messages?

Do these messages change? Do they appear to be current?

A SIM card can store ~ 25 SMSes, so it seems like perhaps, Tunetalk subsidizes their low cost by selling adverts. Not sure how these get managed though? It seems like they would overrun they SIMs memory unless there are just a few static messages.

If your phone is operating correctly you should NOT be able to receive SMSes when in flight mode.

[Captain Haddock]

It's a 5130. Flight mode works like it should - a plane symbol is displayed, no SMSs or calls can be sent or received.

With the SIM out, no messages are received, and if in another phone that phone gets the same network messages as before.

As before, the messages are the current balance and "thankyou for using our network, check your balance using this number" etc messages.

The phone cannot make or receive SMSs or calls, so how is the phone getting these messages when in aiplane mode? Can it be from stuff stored on the SIM?

[lomatopo]

so how is the phone getting these messages when in aiplane mode? Can it be from stuff stored on the SIM?

Yes.

"...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of the Four.