By default, the Apple Watch and iPhone are designed to act as a seamlessly integrated ecosystem. One of the ways they do this is by “mirroring” settings. If you put your iPhone into Airplane Mode, your Apple Watch instantly enters Airplane Mode as well. While this is convenient when boarding a flight, it can be incredibly frustrating if you only want to disconnect your phone temporarily but still want your cellular-enabled Apple Watch to receive important calls and texts. Fortunately, you can decouple this behavior in the settings.
Why Unlink Airplane Mode?
Many users utilize Airplane Mode on their iPhone as a quick way to disable distractions, force a network reconnect, or save battery when the phone is buried in a bag. However, if you are wearing an Apple Watch with a dedicated cellular plan, you might rely on the watch as your primary communication device during a workout or a meeting. Mirroring Airplane Mode defeats the purpose of having a standalone cellular watch.
How to Disable Airplane Mode Mirroring
Because the Apple Watch’s internal settings screen is small, this adjustment is best made using the dedicated Watch app on your paired iPhone.
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Ensure you are on the My Watch tab at the bottom left of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap on General.
- Scroll down and tap on Airplane Mode.
- Look for the section labelled “Mirror iPhone”.
- Tap the toggle switch next to Mirror iPhone so it turns from green (on) to grey (off).
How It Works Now
Once you turn off mirroring, the two devices act completely independently regarding their wireless radios.
- If you swipe down on your iPhone and turn on Airplane Mode, your iPhone will disconnect, but your Apple Watch will remain connected to Wi-Fi or its cellular network.
- If you swipe up on your Apple Watch and tap the airplane icon, the watch will disconnect, but your iPhone will remain online.
Important Note: This setting only applies to Airplane Mode. If you want to decouple “Do Not Disturb” or “Focus” modes, you must go into the separate Focus menu within the Watch app settings and disable mirroring there as well.