Switching on the airplane mode is a quick and easy way to disengage your phone from any network. Unfortunately, it also kills Bluetooth, so if you were listening to music, you'd have to turn Bluetooth back on and reconnect to your headphones or speakers. It looks like Google wants to change this all-in airplane mode behavior in Android 11 R by automatically leaving Bluetooth on when you're listening to music.

Our friends over at XDA Developers found an AOSP Gerrit entry referencing a new "Context-aware Bluetooth airplane mode." According to the appended description, the new behavior determines if your headphones or hearing aids are connected to your phone whenever you turn on airplane mode. When that's the case, the operating system won't disable Bluetooth along with the mobile radio and Wi-Fi.

Since the commit specifically mentions that a media device must be connected via either A2DP or the hearing aid profile, it's unclear if Bluetooth will automatically stay on for smartwatches or fitness bands, as well.

With the rise of Bluetooth headphones (thanks to the removal of the headphone jack on many phones), it makes sense to implement a feature that makes it easier to keep listening to music while you board a plane. It'll come in handy for frequent travelers or people who want to turn off their radios for other reasons.

Source: AOSP Gerrit

Via: XDA Developers